Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

What we know about radio and audio audiences

Article • WARC Best Practice, March 2020

Explores the current reading and thinking on the topic of radio/audio audiences, a group that has undergone significant change as technological advances have broadened access points.

What we know about radio and audio effectiveness

Article • WARC Best Practice, October 2019

Explores the current writing and thinking on the effectiveness of radio and audio, mediums with inherent persuasive strengths and track records of strong ROI.

What’s working in radio and audio

Article • WARC Category Intelligence, September 2019

Global strategies, campaign updates and trends in radio and audio.

How to plan an effective radio campaign

Article • Tony Regan, WARC Best Practice, September 2016

This article explores how to formulate an effective advertising strategy on radio, a medium with a historical link to both public broadcasting and branding, and one of the most widely used.

How to use radio effectively in the media mix

Article • Mark Barber, WARC Best Practice, June 2016

This article looks at the uses of the broad reaching, emotionally charged medium of radio that can enhance engagement and increase brand recognition.

Insights from over 530 campaigns determine impact of podcast advertising

Article • Stephen Whiteside, Event Reports, IAB Podcast Upfront, September 2020

Podsights, a New York-based attribution company, undertook a study of 532 podcast campaigns to gain an insight into the results of these advertising efforts.

European Investment Bank: Monster Under The Bed podcast series

Case Study • SABRE Awards, In2 EMEA, Best in Audio: Podcasts + Music, Gold, 2020

The European Investment Bank, a non-profit bank belonging to the European Union, launched a podcast series to fight myths and fears for public and private projects across Europe.

Equinor: How Equinor will face the climate challenges

Case Study • SABRE Awards, In2 EMEA, Best Content Creation for Media Sites (Paid), Gold, 2020

Equinor, a Petroleum refining company, built a podcast series that educated the Norwegian public on climate change to engage young people.

Listen up: Why attention is an unhelpful measure for audio communication

Opinion • Mark Barber, July 2020

If something is not looked at, then it cannot be seen. However, if something is not listened to, it will still be heard, writes Mark Barber, Radiocentre’s planning director.

Rock FM: Romania has rocker blood

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, EMEA, 2020

Rock FM, a radio station in Romania, encouraged Romanians to donate blood by releasing a new rock cover of classic songs whenever a blood donation bag was filled.

Trygg-Hansa: The Sound of Drowning

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, EMEA, 2020

Trygg-Hansa, a Swedish insurance company, educated the Swedish people on how drowning really happens, silently, by creating an ASMR campaign that simulated drowning.

LNER: #TrackRecord

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, EMEA, 2020

LNER, an East Coast rail brand, increased awareness in the UK by creating an audio journey captured on video that celebrated the rich diversity of accents and regional dialect on its line.

Eve Sleep: Refuse to Snooze

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, EMEA, 2020

Eve Sleep, an e-commerce mattress company, increased awareness and sales in the UK by launching an open letter and podcast that told of the negative impact snoozing has on our health.

Building shelf awareness: Quantifying radio’s last-minute influence for FMCG brands

Article • Mark Barber, WARC Exclusive, June 2020

A review of insights and best practice findings from Radiocentre and Shoppercentric’s research into the effects of radio’s last-minute reach of shoppers for FMCG brands.

The Minneapolis Foundation: Creating community through conversations

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, North America, 2020

Minneapolis Foundation, a non-profit organisation, created a podcast and live-event series to discuss difficult topics to promote its brand as the top resource for addressing tough problems in Minneapolis.

Dove Hair: My Hair My Crown

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, North America, 2020

Dove, a personal care brand, elevated Dove Hair's brand equity in the US through a product-agnostic campaign designed to spark a national dialogue around broadening the narrow definition of beautiful hair.

Interac Association: Earning Curve

Case Study • AME Awards, Bronze, 2020

Interac Corp, the payments company, connected with a small business audience in Canada by partnering with Gimlet Media to create the Earning Curve podcast.

Spotify: A new soundtrack for the longest Christmas in the world

Case Study • AME Awards, Silver, 2020

Spotify, a music streaming brand, increased usage during Christmas in the Philippines by creating the Spotify Holiday Hub which housed 30 holiday playlists for people to listen to.

In-car radio and FMCG purchase intent

News • 20/05/2020

Radio ads heard in the car on the way to the supermarket have a significant effect on purchasing intentions, according to new research on FMCG advertising.

Getting retail audio ads right during the pandemic

News • 27/04/2020

While many brands have pulled marketing activity, advertisers in categories such as grocery retail must continue to maintain share of voice; a new study shows that striking the right tone with the optimal medium can improve the effectiveness of ...

TD Ameritrade: Money On Your Mind

Case Study • Jill Howel, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

TD Ameritrade, the US-based brokerage, used a podcast to strengthen its muddled brand by educating customers about behavioural economics.

Renault: This is Renault

Case Study • Fabio Belfiori Belfiori, Corrado Gallo, Valentina Geria, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Social Strategy, 2020

Automotive brand Renault Italy harnessed the power of the playlist to strengthen its links with its fan base and further increase loyalty.

Hsu Fu Chi: Chinese New Year Memory Train

Case Study • Benjamin Condit, Chaojie Miao, Air Luo, Sienna Zhang, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Hsu Fu Chi, the traditional Chinese candy brand, recaptured the waning Chinese New Year food gifting market by using the nostalgic power of music to gain relevance and drive purchase.

Grocery retailers boost audio ad effectiveness during the COVID-19 lockdown

Article • Alex Brownsell, WARC COVID-19 Series, Future of Audio, April 2020

Analysis of audio advertising referencing COVID-19 by UK supermarket chains including Tesco and Iceland.

Aurecon: Engineering Reimagined

Case Study • Courtney Lock, WARC Awards, Bronze, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Engineering, design and advisory company, Aurecon, harnessed the power of the podcast to strengthen its brand and widen its audience in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East.

Radio & audio