Radio advertising drives online searches and the consumer path to purchase.
A recent study conducted by Media Monitors and the Radio Advertising Bureau reveals that radio advertising drives a 29% increase in Google searches for specific brands. The results of this study suggests that radio can play a powerful role in influencing a consumer’s path to purchase. As Erica Farber, RAB president and CEO, explains, “We already know that radio delivers a strong return on an advertisers’ investment. Now we know it drives search results across a number of advertising categories in addition to other metrics.”
The results
The 2017 study analyzed purchases and online searches made as a direct result of radio advertising across six advertiser categories: automotive, ecommerce, insurance, retail jewelry, retail auto aftermarket, and wireless communications. The top performing category, jewelry, saw a 370% lift in Google searches. The results reveal that the greatest search activity came during the morning drive (33%), followed by middays (32%), PM drive (29%), and evenings (13%). Additionally, 47% of searches took place on weekdays and 11% on weekends.
Media Monitors notes three primary factors driving advertiser online searches:
- Campaign effectiveness
- Overall campaign spend
- Likelihood of baseline searches
However, there are multiple factors contributing to an advertisement’s effectiveness. For example, the creative can have a huge impact on an advertisement’s influence. Attention grabbing, emotional, and compelling creative can make all the difference.
How to drive online searches
Media Monitors also identified the most important factors an advertisement should include to influence consumer’s path to purchase.
The most helpful factors in driving search include:
- Price deals
- New product or new product features
- Mentions to specific locations
- Offers not related to price
- Addressing specific audience segments
The bottom line
Radio is a powerful advertising tool that can promote a brand, drive online research, and influence a consumer’s path to purchase for advertisers across markets and industries. As Inside Radio puts it, “Radio can play a pivotal role in influencing a consumer’s path to purchase, as they continue to hear of, learn about and shop for brands and products across a multitude of devices.”
Please contact us to get you started on your next direct response campaign.