• by August 13, 2001

Lightningcast and Diameter, the research division of DoubleClick Inc, today announced the results of a study demonstrating the effectiveness of audio advertising over time for building brands online. The study, based on a major cellular carrier's audio ad delivered to users via Internet radio over the space of a month, examined three primary objectives to understand the effectiveness of audio advertising online: brand and advertising awareness, advertising element recall and intent to use the service.

The study compared brand awareness of the cellular carrier's audio ad among a randomly sampled target group of 560 Web users on Internet radio, 237 of whom had been exposed to an audio ad, and the remaining 323 Web users who formed the control group. The advertisement was a 60-second audio ad created and delivered using Windows Media Audio streams. All sampled users completed the same questionnaire.

"For some time brand marketers have been wondering when and if the Web would satisfy their requirements as an advertising medium. This case study indicates that their wait is over," said Karl Spangenberg, President & CEO of Lightningcast. "Today streaming media delivered via Internet radio reaches more than 40 million listeners on a monthly basis and is growing at a double digit rate each quarter."

Study findings showed that Web users exposed to the audio ad were 10% more likely to be aware of the advertiser, 59% more likely to recall its slogan, and 14% more likely to choose the cellular carrier when considering a wireless service provider. Also, advertising awareness and advertising tagline showed striking effects with increases of +64% and +60% respectively.

Researchers found that Web users who heard the ad retained a greater brand awareness of the advertiser for up to a month. The ad's impact was greatest, at 11%, among people who had heard the ad within a week of being surveyed. But even among listeners who had last heard the ad 15-30 days before being surveyed, awareness of the cellular carrier was 9% higher than among users in the control group.

Predictably, frequency of exposure increased impact on all brand metrics measured. The greatest increases were noted for advertising awareness (+118% after 21 or more exposures to the audio ad) and ad element recall (+195% after 21 or more exposures). The likelihood to use the service increased the more one saw the ad by nearly 25% (frequency of 21+ exposures) and even after 15-30 days had passed, by over 14%.

"Our research is driven by the desire to understand and discover new opportunities online and to identify more effective forms of online advertising - and it's another indication that audio ads are an important part of a brand-building campaign," said Doug Knopper, VP and General Manager of Diameter. "The study provides the platform to advance our knowledge of audio ads and to continue to research their effectiveness on the online advertising industry."