How Radio Ads Can Escape The ‘Age of Average’

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Last week, Cumulus Media/Westwood One Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard talked with Radio Ink about the dangers of dull radio advertising. Now he’s sharing more specific tips to help brands beat boring ads and set themselves up for success.

Bouvard discussed how System1, in collaboration with marketing experts Adam Morgan, Jon Evans, and Peter Field, revealed that dull ads require 2 to 2.6 times more spending to achieve the same results as interesting, emotionally driven campaigns.

Morgan identifies four key factors that lead to uninspired advertising:

  1. Over-reliance on Performance Metrics: Ads designed solely for short-term results often prioritize brand recognition over emotional impact. These ads focus on immediate transactions rather than building lasting brand associations.
  2. Excessive Optimization: Simplifying ads for multiple platforms can strip away creativity, making campaigns less distinctive and engaging.
  3. The “Age of Average”: Brands tend to increasingly mimic competitors’ strategies, resulting in homogeneous ads that fail to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
  4. Budget Constraints: Tight budgets and shorter timelines limit creativity, leading to repetitive and uninspiring campaigns.

Morgan then offers a checklist for advertisers to ensure their campaigns resonate with audiences and stand out:

  • Are we addressing what the audience cares about in a language they understand?
  • Are we honestly assessing whether the ad will interest the audience, rather than meeting internal benchmarks?
  • Does the ad show distinctiveness and reflect the brand’s unique character?
  • Are we incorporating emotion, drama, and storytelling to engage listeners?
  • Are we defying audience expectations and delivering surprising, memorable moments?

Humorous ads are especially powerful in preventing dullness. System1’s research found that the funniest ads generate five times more market share growth than the least funny ones.

This adds to Audacy’s State of Audio report, which emphasized the importance of right-brain emotional messaging in audio advertising, noting that ads evoking positive emotions boost consumer action by 8.2%.

By focusing on emotional resonance, creativity, and humor, advertisers can ensure their AM/FM radio campaigns drive strong, long-term results while avoiding the pitfalls of dull advertising. More on the System1 study is available in the Audio Active Group blog.

1 COMMENT

  1. Well-intentioned commentary here by Cameron. That said, remember that the advertiser owns the time they bought, not the radio station. The advertiser can do whatever they want (legally) with the commercial time; it is not the station’s place to tell the advertiser what to do with their commercial time!
    Stations “talk” about better commercials. It’s all talk. Sales reps should not be writing commercials. Professional writers and production people should… but those folks are long gone from stations now. Replaced by minimum wage personnel. That right there, shows the indifference of many radio stations and group operators, towards commercial content or quality.
    And good luck telling ad agencies how they should produce commercials!

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