As podcasting and other streaming options grow in their share-of-ear, a study shows that traditional AM/FM radio-style advertising is falling flat on the digital frontier.
Signal Hill Insights and Pacific Content examined what happened when brands repurposed their radio ads for podcast platforms. They found that although this approach may be cost-effective, it might not be audience-effective.
Podcast advertising is becoming one of the fastest-growing advertising markets globally, given the medium’s high audience engagement levels and listener trust. Listeners often perceive brands advertised on their favorite podcasts favorably, making podcast ads an effective means of building brand awareness.
When impact and appeal of a universal brand audio ad were tested, it was found that the ad had high recall – the problem is that 79% the participants stated they would skip it whenever possible. 65% of those surveyed found the radio ads annoying with common complaints centered around the ads being “too loud” or “jarring.”
While this study was centered around podcasting, it still sends a message to radio. While OTA stations don’t have a skip button, they do have multiple preset buttons. The Signal Hill/Pacific Content data called for better native ads and host reads built into the content. It alls begs the continued question, what can radio do to improve its ad space?
It all begs the continued question, what can radio do to improve its ad space?
“People don’t pay attention to ads, they pay attention to what interests them. Sometimes that’s your ad.” –Howard Gossage
Radio, podcast, TV, outdoor, digital, print, etc. If you make ads that are relevant and at least tolerable, if not appealing, people will give you their attention. It’s that simple.
It doesn’t matter what the media is. Most advertising is ignored or reviled simply because, to reference RADIO INK’S recent series, it sucks.
You don’t need to be brilliantly creative and entertaining. Just write and produce decent ads.
Signal Hill’s “study” is nonsense. As is too often the case with these kinds of “studies,” it presumes that all ads are created equal.
Good ads get attention and get results. Bad ads don’t. It i no more complicated than that.