• by David Kaplan , December 8, 2004

Substituting radio ads for TV ads can significantly boost brand recall among consumers, a study commissioned by the Radio Ad Effectiveness Lab says.

In the study, titled "The Benefits of Synergy: Moving Money into Radio," about 400 respondents were asked to review five major advertising campaigns--represented by a fast food chain, over-the-counter allergy medicine, a cell phone service provider, a credit card, and an auto brand--within a matrix of TV radio and newspapers in various combinations and substitutions.

By comparing the effects of "two TV ad exposures" to the effects of "one TV ad with one radio ad," the study found that consumers' ability to recall the brand increased by 34 percent when a radio ad was substituted for a TV ad. And when the same was done with newspapers, brand recall was tripled, the RAEL study found.

"We considered brand recall, brand choice--whether an ad was persuasive enough to influence a purchase--and the values associated with the ads' imagery and whether that connected with the brands' stated values--and the introduction of radio improved the score for those brands every time," said Jim Peacock, the principal of consultancy Peacock Research, who worked on the study.

As for going head-to-head with TV, consumers' brand recall was equal for consumers who heard two radio ads versus one exposure to a TV spot, noted Mary Bennett, executive vice president, national marketing for the Radio Advertising Bureau, which sponsored the study.

Essentially, the study was drummed up to get media buyers to consider that radio may be undervalued when it comes to devising a client's media mix.

"While radio can be a potent alternative to other media, all we're saying with this study is radio deserves to part of the media mix, because in all likelihood, it's undervalued," Bennett said.

"On a [return on investment] basis, radio is more than a supplement," added Gary Fries, president and CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau and co-chairman of RAEL. "Reallocating some portions of a client's ad budget into radio is simply good for the advertiser. In particular, the study shows that radio advertising significantly impacts communication with consumers who are already reached with other media."

"Benefits of Synergy" is the second major study RAEL has undertaken to show that radio can compete with other media. It is planning a third study, which will further compare how radio drives behavior with TV and newspapers, and will be released in late spring 2005/