Today we have a guest post from Paul Jacobs who offers his insight on how radio needs to invest in solutions to reach younger consumers:

A recent article in The Detroit News about how the automotive industry is rapidly moving away from traditional media toward digital solutions to reach younger consumers, who they place a high value on, generated the following quotes:

"We are always looking for digital extension or a live event to complement our advertising." - General Motors spokesperson

"Buzz is created when people are talking about an event, or a message gets spread all over YouTube." - Michigan State University advertising professor

"Digital marketing opens up new possibilities for building ongoing customer relationships." - Chrysler's marketing chief

If that wasn't enough, they showed this chart:

It's time to stop all of the hand-wringing about PPM, declining revenue, satellite radio, and all of the other excuses.  Sure, these are problems, but the solutions are right in front of our faces.  Who does event marketing better than radio?  And what medium lends itself best to digital solutions?

It's time to invest in solutions.  Follow the money.  It hasn't disappeared, it's just moved.  And radio needs to move along with it.  Quickly.

As we learn more about streaming video, an interesting demographic schism is forming.  18-34 year-old women have a stronger tendency to watch video on network TV sites.  Clearly, this is strongly connected to their attachment to popular network offerings, such as Grey's Anatomy.  Younger men, on the other hand, are more likely to stream video on CGM websites, such as YouTube, MySpace or Break.com.

And that's not all.  Nielsen reports that as a result of these streaming video trends, a new definition of prime time may be forming.  For visitors of network TV sites, it's the noon hour that shows strong activity, bolstered by online voting and other program-centric web content.  But for the CGM sites, it's the overnight hours when viewing heats up.

Once again, this represents opportunity for radio - especially the stations that have already recognized this huge video streaming trend.  Smart stations and savvy personalities have experienced the power of video, as an added component to traditional programming content.  Stations that include video - say of "Rock Girl" promotions, station events, and morning show stunts - are benefiting from this added content dimension, as well as the viral power that video has.

Video is the next great vista for radio, but stations need to start identifying videographers in their midsts.  It may be an intern, a promotion assistant, or a talented jock.  But a little skill with video editing software can open up a whole new content silo for radio.  With great brands and habit-forming personalities, video is a natural next place to go.