Expert tells radio advertisers to take an “established creative route” to listeners’ hearts
Jason Brownlee, founder of the UK’s Dollywagon Media Sciences, took a cue from the “location, location, location” real estate mantra at Thursday’s BBM conference in Toronto. When it comes to making effective radio ads, Brownlee emphasized it’s all about “familiarity, familiarity, familiarity.”
Brownlee (pictured) spoke during one of the three plenary sessions of the day-long Staying Tuned conference and shared insights on the creative attributes it takes to make a radio campaign better.
As the development director of RadioGauge International, Brownlee’s insights are based on results from 600 brands across several countries, including Canada, that have used his company to poll radio listeners and non-listeners alike (as test and control groups) to evaluate the impact of creativity in radio advertising.
He started his lively talk by addressing the two things that keep radio station program directors – “the darlings of the radio industry” – up at night.
The first is losing their breakfast show hosts. They are relied upon to drive revenue and, Brownlee stressed, listeners form a strong psychological connection with them. As a listener is driving into work, listening to the hosts, they become like friends. So when a new person is introduced to a show, “it feels uncomfortable” and jeopardizes the valuable familiarity stations can build with listeners.
Brownlee’s second sleep killer? New music. When a listener doesn’t like a song when they’re in their car, they simply start punching away at their preset buttons, he said.
“People don’t often leave [a station] because they don’t like the record,” said Brownlee, “it’s because they’re not familiar with it.” His message was clear: “Music needs familiarity to work on the radio.”
The “f” word – familiarity – also applies to brands that advertise on radio, Brownlee said. The best radio ads have an “established creative route,” as Brownlee called it. Rather than use a new voice or sound mark for every ad, he suggested sticking with (you guessed it) the familiar. You want listeners to be able to tell that it’s your brand within five seconds of hearing the spot, he said. “Find your voice and stay with it; familiarity works more than anything for brands to succeed on the radio.”
