Radio adverts target mums

Jolly Learning, publisher of phonic learning materials for schools and the book trade, has launched a radio advertising campaign targeting mums on the "school run". It expects to reach more than seven million people during a two-week campaign this month.

Christopher Jolly, managing director of Jolly Learning in Chigwell, Essex, says: "We have tried a number of different routes into advertising, including magazines and the educational press. We ran our first radio campaign in October last year, using a similar level of spend to our press advertising, and the difference in subsequent sales was huge." After that first radio campaign, the following month's sales were at their highest ever, 50% above their normal figure.

This year, the company has tripled the size of its radio advertising campaign, which will cover some 85 regional stations.

Radio is a natural medium for Jolly to use because phonic teachings are based on audio. However, Ceri Davies, managing director of Davies Media, London, which created this campaign, says that other children's publishers could also benefit from radio advertising.

"Publishers seem to focus on press and outdoor advertising to reach consumers, rather than radio, although radio can have a much more national reach. It may be because publishers are worried about the production side of radio advertising, but radio stations can produce advertisements for you."