Tires. Oil changes. Air filters. Batteries Brakes. Tune-ups. Wiper Blades. Scheduled maintenance.

Over the past 12 months, Las Vegas drivers spent a total of $898,000,000 maintaining and repairing their cars and trucks. Needless to say, every small business owner with a service bay is looking to grab the biggest share of that automotive jackpot.

With more than 180 service bays at 10 locations, Ted Wiens Complete Auto Care has been winning this game for over 70 years. 

So, how does family-owned small business compete with the major chains?

"We primarily advertise on Las Vegas radio stations to keep our brand strong," says Jennifer Wiens, the company's brand manager. "We are all about the Ted Wiens name. People may not need tires or service tomorrow or the next day, but when they do, we need them to think of us."

On November 1, 1940, KENO signed on as the first radio station in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since then, local business owners have depended on radio advertising to successfully market their goods and service.

Using any advertising metric, despite the inundation of new media options, radio remains the most potent medium for fulfilling the marketing objectives of Las Vegas area business owners of every size.

In the age of all things digital, is advertising on Las Vegas radio still effective? Meet five local small business owners who say, YES!

It's time to set some misguided Las Vegas small business owners straight.  When we say everybody listens to Las Vegas radio, we mean EVERYBODY.  Generations X, Y, and Z. Boomers, and, yes, millennials.

You know...millennials. Those are the "kids" who came of age at the turn of the millennium (which is debatably either 2000 or 2001).  This means 18-34 year olds. 

In the Las Vegas metro (Clark County, Nevada) 117,000 millennials make-up 37% of the population and will deliver $16-billion to local cash registers.

Attention Las Vegas business owners! Millennials DO, indeed, listen to the radio...almost every single one.

If you were one of the 1,502,898 adults who tuned-in to a Las Vegas radio station last week, you probably heard a commercial for the Panda Law Firm (aka Peters & Associates).

"Advertising on Las Vegas radio stations has been an integral part of the firm's growth," says Scott Chatley who has been handling the marketing for Panda law since 2010. "We bought our first radio commercial in 2011 and have been on the air ever since."

Market research affirms Mr. Chatley's use of radio advertising to expand the firm's caseload.

Each week, Las Vegas radio stations reach significantly more local consumers who are likely to hire an attorney than are reached by local TV, local newspapers, or streaming audio sites such as Pandora and Spotify.

If you were one of the 1,502,898 adult consumers who tuned-in to a Las Vegas radio station last week, then you, no doubt, heard Aaron Taylor. You know, 'The Real Estate Guy'.

"Radio, by far, is my biggest source of advertising," says Mr. Taylor. "We have sold more homes and made more money since I started advertising on the radio than I have at any other time before then."

Mr. Taylor had been a very successful real estate agent prior to advertising on Las Vegas radio stations. He established O48 Realty in 2003 and quickly expanded to 116 agents.

"In 2008, I lost everything," says Mr. Taylor. "When the real estate crash happened, I wasn't prepared. The company's expenses were far greater than what little money was coming in."

"I needed a home run to turn the business around. A base hit would not do," says Mr. Taylor, who is very fond of sports analogies. "Advertising on Las Vegas radio was a home run."

It is not a gimmick. Many Las Vegas business owners qualify for free advertising on local radio stations. They pay nothing out-of-pocket.  Zero. Zilch. Zip. Bupkis. Free.

Henry Ford understood that the continual investment in advertising was necessary for a business to be successful. “Stopping advertising to save money," he said, "is like stopping your watch to save time.”

Sometimes, though, when daily expenses challenge their cash flow, Las Vegas area small business owners must prioritize spending. Many times, unfortunately, Mr. Ford’s advice is ignored and buying commercials on Las Vegas radio will move down the list behind making payroll, maintaining delivery vehicles, and replenishing stock. A lot of times advertising doesn’t make a list at all.

Some Las Vegas business owners have discovered that their radio advertising doesn’t have to be sacrificed at all when belts need to be tightened. It turns out there’s a deep pool of “free money” that can be dipped into for the singular purpose of advertising. These funds are called cooperative funds, or co-op for short.

"We are firmly committed to radio advertising," says David Mizrahi, owner and President of Best Mattress. "For the past two years, we have been advertising on Las Vegas radio stations three to four weeks every month of the year."

Best Mattress is the number-one locally owned chain of sleep shops in Nevada. The company operates 17 stores in the Las Vegas area.

"We started the company 25 years ago with 6 locations. In all, if you count our stores in Mesquite and St. George, Utah," says Mr. Mizrahi, "we now have a total of 22."

Two years ago, after all his time in the mattress business, Mr. Mizrahi decided to aggressively invest in advertising on Las Vegas radio stations.

"When we advertise on Las Vegas radio, we sell cars. Period. End of story," says Anthony Woods. He is a partner and General Manager of Centennial Toyota.

Last year was a huge year for Centennial. According to Mr. Woods, his team sold 6281 new and used cars setting a new record. "This volume makes us this 64th largest Toyota dealership in America out of 1,238.

"Las Vegas radio is our primary source of advertising, " says Mr. Woods. "We do a bit of digital and direct mail. Our television advertising is limited to the Hispanic market. And, we never use newspaper advertising.  But, we have been advertising consistently on Las Vegas radio stations since I came to the dealership 12 years ago."

Market research confirms Mr. Wood's decision to invest in advertising on Las Vegas radio stations. According to Nielsen, consumers in Las Vegas spend $1.8 billion each year for cars and trucks. This is more than what is spent on groceries and clothing combined.