The Radio Ad Effectiveness Lab (RAEL, ) just published a Fall 2006 study conducted by Harris Interactive Inc, () that makes a strong case that complementing radio advertising with Internet advertising significantly improves consumer recall of a product or brand.
The methodology used in the study compared two Internet ads versus the effectiveness of one Internet and one radio advertisement. The results showed that unaided recall for two Internet ads at 6%. But when one Internet ad was combined with one radio commercial, recall shot up more than four times in the study to 27%. Aided recall was 25% for two Internet ads only, but 58% for one Internet ad combined with one radio ad. The study also found that the daily joint reach of radio and Internet in the 18-54 demographic was 83%, or just slightly less than a combination of television and Internet advertising combined.
RAEL also points out that radio and Internet reaches a little bit different kind of media user. For instance, 41% of light TV users were in the top 20% of radio or Internet users. Just because a consumer was a light TV user didn’t mean that they were light radio and Internet users. In fact, many were quite the opposite.
Other than the actual quantifiable findings from the study, I see additional benefits for a radio/Internet mix.
Obviously, web-only advertisers should take note of this study. Assume that my company only allocates money for Internet marketing. This research indicates that by partnering up my new media Internet-only advertising, with old media radio, I can significantly increase recall for my product.
For traditional radio advertisers this report proposes that there is real value in combining a radio schedule with Internet advertising (preferably on my station’s website). Radio shouldn’t be giving away Web space as value added when there is new quantifiable data showing that supplementing Internet advertising with a radio schedule improves recall for a merchant’s product significantly.
Finally, radio has generally been slow to adapt to new technology, including utilizing its websites as effective marketing and promotional tools of the radio stations. In many cases they’ve been poorly maintained afterthoughts and value added throw-ins for advertisers. The RAEL - Harris Interactive study suggests that dedicating time, effort and financial resources into using the Internet in addition to your radio frequencies to promote your stations’ brand message would give you much more marketing bang for the buck.
