How Broadcast Media Drives Consumer Engagement

Bob Leighton
Last updated by Bob Leighton

When it comes to developing an advertising plan, striking that perfect balance between how much time and resources you invest and getting the desired results can involve some gray area. Radio advertising can benefit your business by targeting your key audience, creating a consistent presence, and reaching large volumes of people, but what is the process that leads to those results?

We often depend on industry surveys and case studies to shed light on how broadcast media drives consumer engagement. As they provide qualitative data to support ad spend and marketing efforts, they also reaffirm that yes, radio advertising is still relevant and useful. 

A Scientific Approach to Measuring Success

A Utah-based automotive group, along with the help of local TV and radio broadcasters, used their local advertising campaign as an opportunity to analyze whether their ad spend brought the results they were looking for. They decided to take a scientific approach and enlist the Nielsen Campaign Effect to uncover the power of local advertising.

The automotive group used local advertising to achieve their goal of reaching potential customers, and Nielsen Campaign Effect measured how brand awareness, favorability, recommendation, and purchase intent was affected after exposure to local advertising.

Local Radio Increased Consumer Engagement

How Broadcast Media Drives Consumer Engagement - Man Texting in a Coffee ShopAfter being exposed to both local TV and radio ads, consumers who would consider purchasing from the automotive group increased from 26 percent to 44 percent. This means ad exposure increased purchase consideration by 70 percent.

When Nielsen Campaign Effect measured whether consumers who had heard the automotive group’s radio ads were more engaged, the findings were strongly in favor of local advertising. For instance, of those who were exposed to the 30 second radio ad:

  • 50 percent claimed the ad’s points were relevant to them.
  • 83 percent claimed the ad’s points were believable.
  • 49 percent claimed the ad made them think the specified automotive group was different from their competition.

Tracking Metrics Has Benefits

Overall, the survey showed the effectiveness of local ads for branding and driving potential sales within a competitive auto market. By tracking metrics, this automotive group verified the actual value of their marketing spend and determined how effective their efforts were in achieving their goal.

Through their partnership with Nielsen, they provided a data-set demonstrating the relevance of local advertising which other areas and other industries can use to validate their marketing spend. The full case study can be found here.

Get Your Business on the Radio Advertise with Us