Engaging Emotions Through Effective Radio Ads (+ Content)

Engaging Emotions Through Effective Radio Ads is the second part of a Radio Ad Lab project originally conducted by Gallup & Robinson (G&R) in 2007 and designed to assess how well Radio ads generate emotional responses and engage with consumers, compared to television ads.

Findings from the study reveal that in effective Radio ads:

• Strong beginnings make a difference. An involving point of entry distinguishes some of the most successful Radio ads.

  Word selection matters. Words that are sensory-laden, emotional, or empowering have a demonstrable impact on the emotional reactions of consumers.

  Audio can be powerful. Audio can generate stronger emotions than visuals, especially when the tonality in the ad is used effectively.

  Brand mentions have an impact. The best Radio ads mention the advertiser’s brand multiple times, strategically placed to correlate with moments of high consumer engagement.

The highest scoring and best performing ad in the study exhibited all of the above, a strong indication that Radio commercials are highly engaging to consumers when the creative process follows these patterns.


Download the Full Study
Download the Executive Summary


Geometric Insight: The very elements that help make effective radio ads - strong beginnings, careful and contextual word selection, powerful audio and impactful brand mentions - should be applied to content breaks and imaging as well. Engaging emotions enables you to strengthen the connection and increase the level of interaction consumers (read: users/listeners) have with your brand.

[RAB.com]