Source: www.insideradio.com, February 2023
Audio researcher Veritonic and Audacy, the parent of Cadence13, Pineapple Street and 2400Sports, examined radio and podcast ads and found four key features maximize intent to purchase, recall, and brand favorability. Here are four top takeaways from their study.
Two Voices Are Better Than One
The research showed the impact of switching back and forth between a male and female voice on a brand’s ad performance. “We found the back and forth, the banter between the voices, is what seemed to resonate more,” Idil Cakim, Audacy’s Senior VP of Research and Insights, told Inside Radio. “Having multiple voices tell the story, weave the story through a dialogue – that seems to increase resonance.” And any size business can deploy these tactics. For example, a test with Hyundai’s 2022 Ioniq campaign “paints a clear example” of how the podcast ad engagement and immersion spiked each time the voice switches from male to female, the report says.
Four Is The Magic Number
The research into audio ads found that when ads contain four or more brand mentions, purchase intent rises by four percent. “The magic number in our study is four-plus, that’s where we saw a notable difference in recall and intent to purchase,” Cakim explains. It also found it’s best to mix up the ad creative. Between two and four different ads work best to reach multiple audience segments.
Disclaimers Can Be An Opportunity Instead Of A Tuneout
Long perceived as a tuneout, the disclaimer that spells out the “fine print” in an ad doesn’t have to be a negative. In fact, it can be a creative opportunity, the research shows. In the ads tested by Audacy and Veritonic, the disclaimer didn’t detract from the ad’s message. “I thought audiences might tune out and see it as something redundant that needs to be told as part of the ad,” Cakim says. “But it really still helps the thinking process and the cognition. It’s still creative space.”
Sonic Branding Isn’t Just For Huge National Advertisers
One of the top findings is that sonic branding boosts purchase intent and increases ad recall by double-digit percentages. Sonic branding is a unique and easily-identified sound or jingle that consumers over time quickly connect to a product. It’s seen as one of the ways to make an ad more effective but it’s not just limited to billion-dollar corporations like Lowe’s, State Farm and Taco Bell.
“You don’t have to necessarily leave this for big brands to deploy,” Cakim explains. “We’re talking about how sound effects everyone.” Not confined to just a jingle, sonic branding could take the form of an audio logo, a brand anthem or specific music used in the foreground of the spot. The key to making it an effective tactic is “using it creatively to help make the brand top of mind – even if the audience is my town, or my state, or just a couple of states,” Cakim continues. “It comes down to creating the sound and using it cleverly as part of the creative and sticking to that to make your brand top of mind.”
Download the full study HERE.
