Audio4cast

Creating Effective Internet Radio Ads

November 2, 2009 at 8:00 am Jennifer Lane Leave a comment

Flickr: Inno'vision

A new study by brand strategy firm Cone Inc. reveals that 80% of new media users interact with brands online, the majority doing so on a weekly basis. What’s more, consumers tended to have a more positive opinion of brands that interacted with them in new media, and were more tolerant of marketing messages accompanying that interaction.

“Consumers haven’t yet been exhausted by brand oversaturation in the new media space,” says Mike Hollywood, Cone’s director of new media. “There is still an opportunity for forward-thinking companies to establish a presence and earn a competitive advantage. Based on the growth of user interactions with companies, countless purchase decisions are being influenced by new media. It’s imperative to get on board now that the train has left the station.”

Relative to this news, the IAB, the online ad association, has just released some new recommendations for making online ads more effective. Their advice: keep it simple. Assume that you have a very short amount of time to influence the viewer/listener, and make your point quickly and effectively.

While these recommendations do not apply specifically to Internet radio, there’s good reason to take the advice that’s given and abandon any thoughts of running :60s on streaming stations. Even :30s are probably too long.

More advertisers are beginning to use Internet radio, according to several reports 2010 will be a banner year. It’s important, particularly for advertisers who are transitioning to online radio from broadcast radio, that they use different creative messaging to reach Internet radio’s online audience. Ideally, ads will include an interactive call to action: click the banner, send a text, visit a website, become a (facebook) fan. That’s what consumers want and expect. Sellers must be responsible and advise their clients: shorter messages with ways for consumers to interact are the keys. And for goodness sakes, forget the 800 number…

Entry filed under: advertising, Internet radio, Revenue Strategies, streaming. Tags: Cone Inc., Dynamic Logic, IAB, Internet radio, Radio, radio ads, streaming.