The Impact of Audio in the Marketing World: Radiocentre Ireland Insights.

This afternoon Learning Waves hosted a webinar with Ciaran Cunningham, Radiocentre Ireland, to discuss the research and resources available on their website to promote the use of audio for sales in radio. Radiocentre Ireland is a body established by RTÉ and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland to promote audio as a marketing medium. Through this organisation, all of Ireland’s radio operators have come together to promote the unbeatable reach and unique relationship enjoyed by Irish radio and its millions of listeners.

Irish Audio Market Report 

The Irish Audio Market Report is a unique and comprehensive piece of research that provides a view of the entire audio landscape in Ireland. It goes beyond live radio listening, incorporating streaming services, podcasts, and even personal music collections. According to the report, live radio dominates the listening habits of Irish adults, accounting for 74% of total listening time.  

However, when filtering out ad-free services like paid subscriptions to Spotify and YouTube Premium, a striking 88% of all commercial listening in Ireland is devoted to live radio. This makes live radio a crucial platform for advertisers looking to reach Irish audiences. It also provides insights into younger audiences, showing that even among the 15-24 age group, 45% of listening is to live radio, and this rises to 72% when focusing on audio formats that carry advertising. This resource serves as an important tool for advertisers, offering a clear understanding of how Irish people consume audio.  

Read the full Irish Audio Report 2023 here. 

Generation Audio Report

The Generation Audio Report applies to both the commercial and programming side of radio by focusing on why people listen to audio. Launched in October 2023, this research revealed there are seven contemporary need states as to why people listen to audio. The top three include; 37% of time spent listening to audio is to give listeners company, 20% is to lift moods, 16% is to help people escape. This research also breaks down the reasons why people tune into the different types of audio services. It is shown that people choose on demand music services, such as Spotify, for mood management, podcasts to broaden their horizons on topics of interest and to spark conversation, and live radio gives a blend of the two. Live radio keeps listeners in the loop, lifts their moods and provides energy. Ciaran highlighted, “This is a very important piece of research for advertisers to understand the reasons why people listen to the different forms of audio in order to create the right type of ads for them.” 

Read the full Generation Audio Report here. 

Performance Multiplier

The Performance Multiplier is a compelling study that illustrates the direct impact of radio advertising on website traffic. Conducted in collaboration with Sky Ireland, this research tracked website activity using Google Analytics data during a radio campaign promoting a broadband and TV combo offer. The findings showed a clear correlation: as Sky increased its radio ad spend, website visits to the landing page surged; when radio activity decreased, so did web traffic. In fact, 72% of the traffic to the Sky landing page was directly attributable to radio advertising.  

This research provides evidence for advertisers who may doubt the effectiveness of radio in driving conversions. By combining radio activity data with Google Analytics, businesses can clearly see how their radio campaigns influence web traffic. 

Full details of this research are available here. 

Creative Best Practice

System1, the leading creative effectiveness research company, and Radiocentre UK partnered to provide groundbreaking, unique, and actionable research into the role of emotion in audio advertising. The Creative Best Practice research highlights the significant potential for growth in radio advertising by improving the quality of radio adverts. Many businesses, large and small, struggle to use audio effectively to deliver their message, and this research shows how focusing on creative development can drive better results. While radio programming excels at engaging listeners, many ads fall short, often lacking the creativity and storytelling needed to connect with audiences. 

The research measured the effectiveness of radio ads using a star rating system based on how well the ads triggered emotional responses and drove long-term sales. Ads with strong storytelling, music, distinctive accents, and engaging characters (right-brain features) tended to perform much better than those focused on facts and figures (left-brain features). While left-brain ads, like those promoting sales or product details, can drive short-term actions, right-brain ads create lasting emotional connections, making them more memorable and effective over time. 

The research provides clear evidence that creatively rich ads lead to higher consumer action, such as website visits and purchases. The findings also demonstrate that radio can be as effective as TV in driving long-term brand impact.   

Read the full report here.

Radiocentre Ireland offers a service to test ads before airing, helping brands refine their creative to maximize effectiveness. This service, while costing €2,000, can be subsidised by Radiocentre Ireland and provides valuable insights to ensure that the ad delivers strong results. 

To find out more about this service, click here. 

Brand Multiplier

Recently, Radiocentre Ireland introduced a new research study that is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of Irish audio advertising and provide Irish advertisers and agencies with deeper insights into how their audio campaigns are performing. It compares the performance of brands not using radio advertising versus brands using radio advertising.  Conducted over five survey waves, with 3,750 respondents and 31 brands spanning five product categories (banking, TV, fast food, health insurance, and general insurance), the research helps advertisers understand the impact of radio on brand awareness, likability, trust, consideration, and purchase intent. The key findings show that radio advertising leads to dramatic improvements in each of these areas. 

Of the brands surveyed, 15 out of the 31 used radio, and the results were striking when compared to those that did not. Awareness scores for brands that advertised on radio were 26% higher than those that did not use radio.  Also, likability of brands using radio saw an 8.9 times uplift, demonstrating that radio not only increases awareness but also strengthens positive associations with the brand. Trust in radio-advertised brands also showed a 72% improvement compared to non-radio brands, a significant factor in consumer decision-making. Consideration, or the likelihood of a consumer choosing a brand, saw a 33% increase for those using radio. Additionally, there was a 45% increase in online searches for brands that advertised on radio, and a 55% increase in purchase intent, which means more people are likely to buy from brands that use radio. 

Read more here. 

Case Studies 

Radiocentre Ireland recently held a webinar to showcase fantastic use of audio by Mindshare with their client Failte Ireland and AudioXi with their client Irish Life. Failte Ireland partnered with local radio stations to create an audio campaign to promote their ‘Daycations’ across the country. 

Highlights of the Failte Ireland Campaign include: 

• Awareness of the term “daycation” grew by 11 percentage points. 
• 81% of people indicated they were likely to take a daycation in the next three months, compared to 52% before the campaign. 
• Paid activities and attractions increased, especially among the two target groups: 
• Unconstrained adults (adults without children) saw a 10% increase in engagement. 
• Families saw a 3% increase. 

This case study illustrates the power of radio in addressing a specific business challenge, driving awareness, and boosting tourism in a creative and locally relevant manner. 

Irish Life aimed to encourage listeners to download and engage with their MyLife health app, which promotes wellness and health tracking. With the help of media agency Zenith, Irish Life used dynamic technology in their radio campaign. This technology allowed for targeted ads that adapted based on location (e.g., county), time of day, day of the week, and the device the listener was using (e.g., smart speaker). For example, the ad could say, “Good morning, Letterkenny! You’re listening on your smart speaker,” making the ad highly personalised and relevant to the listener’s context. 

Highlights of the Irish Life campaign include: 

• 80% increase in app installations. 
• 30% increase in new users. 
• 25% increase in active users. 
• A 36% rise in participation in the health challenge promoted by the app. 

All of this was achieved despite a reduced budget compared to the previous year, showcasing how focusing on radio and digital audio yielded better business results.  

Read more about these Case Studies here. 

Sounding Out 2024 Event

Radiocentre Ireland’s Sounding Out 2024 event will take place on Thursday, the 10th of October and will feature a variety of speakers from across the audio industry including, Learning Waves Board Member, Jess Kelly, Newstalk. To read more on the event click here.