We often champion immediacy as a key attribute of radio. The channel lets audiences know what’s happening as its happening, which makes it great for advertiser’s call to action messaging. While we agree that this attribute is unrivalled, the ability that radio has to build brands shouldn’t be underrated.

A US study found brand recall to be five times greater for radio advertisers than those not on air, with potential for this figure to rise with the right creative. The study acknowledged an average of 79% of time in radio advertising was spent on call to action versus 21% to branding. The myth that radio isn’t suitable for branding may have come from those that have not tailored their creative for this purpose.

Marketers in general are spending more time on short term advertising, what’s going to shift product and make money now, as opposed to long term branding that will build a reputation and ensure stable growth. While both are important, it’s reaching a balance that is the challenge.

A local example of finding that balance can be seen in our case study with Book Depository. The goal of the campaign was to gain brand awareness and the results were a 28% increase of new customers versus pre-campaign. Find out more about the campaign here.

Branding requires casting a wide net, not just to those who are interested in your company now, but also to those who may be in future. Through utilizing a high reach media like radio and implementing a frequency optimized to keep your brand top of mind, radio isn’t just suitable for branding – it’s vital.

Talk to us about harnessing radio for brand building.

Source: Media Score/Local Ad Recall. March 2015-January 2017. https://freemarketinghelp.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Local-Ad-Recall.pdf