Radio advertising doesn't have to be creative, it has to work

"Dataquest has a 20 percent discount on accessories. That's why you're still coming today." Most radio commercials sound something like this. No wonder, given that radio listeners are 22% more likely to buy than non-radio listeners (OMG Snapshot "Werbewirkung Radio", 2015). However, these campaign spots also cause some head-shaking. Couldn't they have added a little music to the spot or at least written a more original dialog? Not really, according to inquiries from various agencies and production studios. After all, radio is not about being particularly creative or original. It's about the effect.The vicious circle of short-term advertising measures"The perception of radio advertising is incidental, the message has to be conveyed quickly. And because radio does not require long planning times, it is often used as a short-term advertising measure," explains Martin Baumgartner, Head of Business Development at Swiss Radioworld AG. Radio is used for spontaneous advertising measures, especially in response to an event. Fluctuations in the euro exchange rate, for example. In the fall, Möbel Schubiger drew attention to its price-performance ratio: "No, darling, we buy our furniture in Switzerland from Schubiger. Everything is delivered and assembled free of charge - and now it even comes with a best deal guarantee." Because a store decides to run a promotion at short notice, which is also valid for the next few days, there is little time for creativity and elaborate production. It has to be cheap and quick. This is the vicious circle of radio. Whether creative or not - the radio spot worked. The sales promotion measure led to the desired success. "There is more to the advertising impact of a well-executed radio ad than a short-term advertising measure to generate reach. However, the advertising client needs to take a little time for this - also to think about the peculiarities of radio. After all, radio has much more to offer than simply providing information quickly," emphasizes Baumgartner.The peculiarity of the radioAn additional consequence of advertising measures implemented at short notice is the concentrated information load that some commercials contain - also at the expense of creativity. "Customers often try to pack as much information as possible into a commercial. They would have the option of communicating the message with two different subjects - or running a tandem spot that makes the message more 'digestible'," explains Baumgartner. A common mistake, as most listeners are on the move and can neither remember nor enter the URL and Google is probably the entry page for web-based offers in many cases. "You should have asked yourself what information is really relevant for the customer and spread it over several spots," advises Baumgartner. In this context, he also mentions the differentiation factor. Radio activates the imagination. A company must bear this unique strength in mind when planning its concept.Take a little time"How can I use audio to generate an impact on my brand? What added value do I offer my customers? What is the long-term message? You have to ask yourself these questions in advance," says Baumgartner. Companies could take Lidl's current campaign as an example. "It shows how radio can be successfully integrated into the marketing mix." To ring in the summer season, the discounter has organized a promotional tour. Under the slogan "Take a Lidl Break", Lidl distributed ice cream and grilled food at 20 locations. To ensure that everyone knew about the tour, the company collaborated with eleven radio stations.Planning for successRadio advertising is therefore also promising for short-term use. However, if you want to take advantage of the high reach of 64% and strengthen your brand, you still need to plan with foresight. By linking relevance with topicality. "Everyone knows that many people suffer from hay fever in spring. Pharmacies could benefit significantly if they were to draw attention to their products in advance," says Martin Baumgartner from Swiss Radioworld, describing one scenario. He also sees great potential for health insurance companies. Baumgartner is also addressing an important factor for the future of radio: Programmatic Radio.Data plays the music of the future on the radio"Data will also become increasingly important in this medium. For example, it helps to define the right time for the commercial." You could use the weather to your advantage. More people drive on rainy days, so you could run an ad in the morning when everyone is in the car - or in the evening. When the weather is nice, on the other hand, an ice cream ad would pay off. In addition to the well thought-out planning of such a campaign with the help of data, Baumgartner mentions automation as a future development. This will allow the short-term nature of the medium to be exploited to a greater extent. The third future trend he mentions is dynamization, which will enable advertising to be placed in a target group-specific environment. He also believes that the combination with the web can no longer be avoided. This means that radio will remain one of the strongest media in the advertising landscape in the future.