According to the Radio Advertising Bureau at Capital Radio’s seminar yesterday radio is an advertisers’ “Secret Weapon”. Andrew Ingram and Justin Sampson of the RAB began the morning by pointing out that effective advertising depends just as much on understanding the nature of the medium used as on targeting the consumer. Radio says things differently from press or television, largely because it is consumed in a different way; in order for radio advertising to work this has to be understood and incorporated into the ads.
Radio is a “secret” medium; people do not have any knowledge of what their friends listen to; this is because radio listening is not widely discussed, although it remains just as important in peoples lives as television. Radio listening also seems to be a solitary experience, with 85% of listeners personally choosing what they listen to; when compared to television, with only 68%, radio does seem to be a particularly personal medium.
This is also reflected in people’s perceptions of radio, as well as their viewing habits. According to research, people feel that radio is “a friend”, “someone you would talk to in the pub” and “trustworthy”. This relationship works at an emotional level; it is similar to local papers, but is more intimate. Radio comes into all rooms of the house and accompanies people in bed, in the kitchen or in the bath. In order for an advertiser to make the most of this “friendship”, the listener has to be respected. Radio tends to be perceived as “the same size” as people; TV and posters are very distant. According to the RAB this can be very beneficial to advertisers if used properly; this intimacy also means that bad ads quickly become irritating.
Qualitative research indicates that people judge an advertiser by the “attitude” of his advertising; if the ad is boring, repetitive or patronizing, this reflects very badly on the brand. Radio ads which work best are those which involve the listener. An overdose of information means people will lose concentration and not listen.
In the 1980s research into radio recall, The Ironing Board Study, where housewives believed they were testing starch were then asked about the radio that had been played to them in the background, proved that consumers do take messages in (even when pre-occupied with another task). For prompted brand advertising recall, radio is 80% as effective as TV. However, because radio is such a subliminal medium it is hard to measure accurately the effect ads have had on people, as often people don’t realise themselves that they have noticed them. In an amusing roleplay, Steve Cox and Clive Refell took the part of media planner and account director to highlight the ignorance that still surrounds radio within agencies and among clients. Clients are usually not aware of what radio can add to a media campaign besides value for money.
RAB 071 636 5858
