Radio advertising continues to prove an excellent medium for reaching audiences through its high penetration levels and repetition.
Radio ads are also highly memorable and generate excellent consumer recall and a high call to action. Empire can recommend the best stations for your target audience and objectives, and help you plan your radio adverts from start to finish.
What are the Different Types of Radio Advertising?
There are various types of radio advertising that you can choose from. By identifying and explaining the various types, you are able to gauge which would suit your specific advertising campaigns needs best.
Radio Live reads
A live read is when the radio personality/ DJ reads out your advert live on air. Listeners are already familiar with the radio personality’s voice and they are more likely to engage with the advert. Live reads also help your brand stand out from the rest, shining a spotlight on your message.
Radio Sponsorships
This type of ad is for those that are looking for a subtle approach to their radio advert. You can choose to sponsor news, competitions, sports, traffic or any of the regular programming on that particular radio station. Let’s look at some advantages of sponsored adverts:
- Engagement
The main advantage with a sponsorship advert is the high engagement; especially when it’s a sponsored competition where listeners are encouraged to call in to partake and stand a chance of winning cash prizes or other forms of rewards. - Reach
Sponsored ads air first in the commercial break in most cases, which means your advert will reach more listeners before they switch stations. But it isn’t often that people change stations, as most listeners tend to be loyal to a particular station.
Radio Jingles
“Ba da ba ba ba, I’m Lovin It!”
You guessed it, McDonalds. Case in point of how a great jingle stays memorable and the listener can easily identify what the brand is. The fact that you read that with your eyes and your mind played the jingle in your head based on memory is just amazing wouldn’t you agree? That connection between music and memory is almost guaranteed, which is why most people gravitate toward this type of radio advert. Ever notice how even the annoying jingles just get stuck in your head and you find yourself humming or singing it throughout the day? The power of radio advertising.
Radio Testimonials
There is something reassuring about hearing other people’s experiences with a particular product or service. Testimonial adverts are exactly that; people giving a real-life account of how they found your product or service. As humans, we feel more comfortable trying something new if someone else has tried it before, because in our minds we know that advertisements are made with the sole intention to make something appealing for you to buy into it. Using testimonial adverts makes the audience more receptive and adds credibility for the brand.
Personified Commercial
Like storytelling, you want the listener to create the whole picture in their minds, get their imagination working. Adding characters that are relatable helps them connect with the story and makes them want to find out what happens next, which means they will have to stay tuned in. Example, a couple is on a road trip, they pull up to a McDonalds drive through and they are discussing what they will order. The voice over artists need to deliver perfectly on the execution, in order for this type of advert to be effective.
Straight Read
This type of radio advertisement usually focuses on the advantages of the brand that is advertising, important information such as how listeners can get in touch with you, address or email or phone details and is generally in a monologue format.