• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, November 15, 2006

According to the findings of the RAEL Personal Relevance Two: Radio's Receptive Ad Environment from the Radio Advertising Bureau, African-Americans and Hispanics have exceptionally high receptivity to advertisements on the radio compared to other media. The study confirms that African-American and Hispanic populations show additional, unique emotional connections with their radio stations, indicating strong lifestyle bonds with formats targeting those populations.

Jeff Haley, President and Chief Executive Officer, Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), concluded that "Multicultural consumer segments represent key growth engines for the majority of brands and categories today and in the foreseeable future. The results of (the study) make it clear that a strong Radio presence is essential to a robust multicultural marketing initiative."

Excerpts from among the findings include:

• African-Americans were even more likely than other groups to say that radio is the medium most likely to "make you relax" and "comfort you."
• African-Americans and Hispanics strongly associated radio with the statement "helps me overcome hardships," a characteristic that was less associated with radio for the general population.
• African-Americans and Spanish-dominant Hispanics hear particular "relevance" in the commercials on their radio stations.
• Among Spanish-dominant Hispanics, 40 percent said that radio advertisers "care about reaching you personally," and 33 percent of Blacks said the same thing. Both numbers were significantly higher than for other listeners.
• African-Americans and Spanish-dominant Hispanics were also more likely to associate radio ads with "honesty" and "fun."

Over half of African-Americans perceived TV ads as being repeated too often, while 25 percent fewer said that about radio. And for Hispanics, 48 percent said TV ads "get in the way of enjoying" television and 21 percent fewer said that about radio.

And, the Urban radio format audience said that radio ads were "interesting and engaging" compared to other formats, and more Urban listeners also said that radio ads are likely to "get you to seek more information."

The full research paper and executive summary can be accessed from the RAEL website.