An article on Sacramento's KXTV website caught my eye today. A woman in Stockton, California (Margo Ray), has turned to radio advertising (old media) to sell her $440,000 home.

A couple of interesting tidbits are derived from this story: First, I think it could be said the California housing market has "softened." Although realtors are going to be loath to admit it, it's going to be VERY hard to sell a home for the next few years. Another point is the Margo Ray herself: she sells radio ads for a living.

What I like about that detail is it's "horse's-mouth" angle - Margo's putting her money where her mouth is. She sells radio ads, so she's going to use radio ads to get her home sold. What an awesome testimonial: "I'm not only the radio ad sales, I'm also a customer!"

There's another implication in the story: users reclaiming the medium. I'm sure it's a bit preemptive to look at this one instance and declare we're "taking back" radio waves, however, I'd suggest historical changes in media have been provoked by less...

The last salient point from the story (and the one most relevant to producers) is the identification of a niche market: realtor advertising. There are a gazillion men and women in the state trying to get their homes noticed, and I'm willing to bet, if Margo's gambit is successful, they'll swarm to audio media (radio, podcasts, etc) to get their properties noticed.

The opportunity for producers is parterships with these realtors. Home listings change very fast, and a producer who's workflow can accomodate information fluidity and still produce high-quality spots will be able to capitalize on this emerging market.

Photo by neesflyn.

Followup:
A fellow (veteran) producer points out this is nothing new - realtors have been using radio and ad-producers for some time. He's right, and I should clarify that I'm speaking of independent agents, not so much agencies, as being the emerging market. When I cited Margo Ray as an example, I was trying to highlight that she's not a realtor - she's selling her home on her own. From that perspective, I see an emerging market of (mostly) individuals who will require the services of audio producers.