SOME GOOD NEWS FOR RADIO Chris Byrnes This month, hopefully we’ll make you feel more positive than ever about our medium of radio. I recently met with some people from the Radio Marketing Bureau, as well as Jim Peacock, who presented a study from The Radio Ad Effectiveness Lab. This company was commissioned to conduct specific research into the effectiveness of radio advertising. Their mandate is to provide independent, arms-length research and I think you will find their information very interesting.
In August and September of 2004, RAEL conducted a telephone survey of 662 random 25-54 yr. olds in the U.S. They followed it up with a written questionnaire. Over 80% of respondents elected to complete the survey online, rather than receiving a document in the mail.
Not only did they identify some real weaknesses in both newspaper and television but they also found radio advertising to be much more effective than some perceive it to be. RAEL went even further and measured how advertising affects consumer buying patterns and how radio advertising differs from both newspaper and television.
What they found was that radio affects listeners in a personal way, and is a one-on-one medium that often provides an emotion-driven experience. Radio commercials make more of a connection with the potential consumer than either newspaper ads or television spots.
There is some compelling evidence that indicates consumers see television and newspaper as mediums geared to satisfy the masses, while radio is where they turn to get gratification of their personal wants and needs. Television in particular often fails to make the connection because of the scatter gun approach employed by buyers of television. In one ad break you may see a spot for a female hygiene product, a car, a hearing-aid product and a baby product. The research also showed that more and more people are flicking channels or doing other things while the television ads are playing, so they are reaching fewer people.
Radio advertising often connects on a more personal and emotional level. The consumer has chosen the radio station they listen to because the format and the personalities appeal to them and they make their choice over all the other stations available in their listening area. Radio advertising tends to be targeted at the consumer group the radio station attracts so the ads for beer and Harleys are more likely to be heard on the rock station. Often the commercial is voiced by a familiar personality who works on that radio station. There was some evidence in this research that indicated that frequently, the radio personalities are trusted and respected by the listener and when they hear the familiar personality either selling or endorsing a product or service, the listener is much more likely to consume or use the product or service.
Radio does a better job of satisfying the personal wants and needs of those who listen to a station. As a result, it also impacts in a positive way the perception the listener has towards the advertisers and the products promoted on the listener’s favorite station. Targeting is the key for radio and consumers have a much higher expectation that their favorite radio station will not promote inappropriate products or services to them. So, if you’re an A/C station and run commercials for a strip club, you are probably breaking that listener trust and the listener is more likely to seek out another radio station.
Radio listeners are likely to reward advertisers who speak directly to them within the friendly context of their favorite radio station. Listeners expect radio commercials to be interesting and relevant to the format or the listener’s surroundings. Creativity in spots is critical and not surprisingly, there appears to be a direct correlation between the level of creativity and the success of the campaign. |