EVEN amid the intrusion of digitalisation, radio is still one of the most popular source of entertainment, especially while accompanying other primary activities such as driving, working, doing household chores or surfing the internet.
In fact, a recent research by GfK found that live radio – when tuned in by consumers concurrently as they surf the internet – may present opportunities for combined-exposure messaging impact.
Both GfK and Commercial Radio Malaysia (CRM) have set up a unique single-source study with the aim of demonstrating radio’s ability to work hand-in-hand with digital devices to reinforce marketing messages and drive better engagement with consumers.
This insight was derived by analysing the detailed internet browsing patterns of respondents who were exposed to live radio campaigns during the survey period between Sept 6 and Oct 17 last year.
These 1,000 respondents aged 15 to 49 years old from Peninsular Malaysia are the same respondents from the Radio Audience Measurement Wave 2 2020 who consent to their online activities to be matched with their listening patterns.
Findings from the survey revealed that 85% of respondents found radio advertisements to be memorable.
Over three-quarter (78%) of those who found radio ads memorable say that they have searched at least a product on internet in the past week as a result of hearing radio advertisement, while over half (54%) claimed that they have purchased at least a product on internet in the past week as a result of hearing radio advertisement.
In addition, radio advertisements are found to be effective at making emotional connection with consumers due to its popularity as a trusted media.
Over four in five (81%) agree that advertisements provide valuable information on the advertised product when reviewing the product online.
Over three-quarter (76%) agree that radio ads increase trust in the advertised product when reviewing the product online, while 73% agree that advertisements on radio remind them to search for the advertised product or service when they are shopping online.
“For many brands in the digital age and especially during this unprecedented situation that we are facing now, digital has become an incredibly important interface for consumer marketing,” commented GfK’s project lead June Pang.
“However, the key challenge is to drive consumers’ recall for a specific brand rather than just a generic product category, and the study has provided evidence that the brief and concise ad messaging heard by over half (57%) of all radio listeners between 15-49 years old had successfully managed to drive brand recall and follow-up search on the internet.”
Citing the latest RAM findings, CRM’s president Alex Poon noted that listeners are tuned in to radio at an average of 13 hours and 44 minutes weekly, hence they are repeatedly exposed to advertising messages over an extended period.
“The result from this study demonstrates radio’s potential in complementing and multiplying the influence of digital platform,” he pointed out.
“Whether the goal is to reach more people or to generate greater impact with consumers, marketing strategies combining radio and digital have proven to greatly improve engagement with audiences and generating greater results.” – April 7, 2021
