The ground breaking findings from the first three waves of the South African Radio Advertising Bureau’s (RAB) RadioGAUGE effectiveness research have been released.

They reveal that on average the brand campaigns tested so far in South Africa outperform the creative impact benchmarks for 400+ radio campaigns already tested in the UK.

Jason Brownlee from Dollywagon Media Sciences which formulated the original UK study and is now providing ongoing analysis of RadioGAUGE: South Africa research results says:

“The RadioGAUGE Ad Credibility Benchmark data so far suggests that consumers in South Africa are more likely than their counterparts in the UK to perceive radio as an advertising medium that is good at conveying a brand’s personality and values.”

Building on this, RAB South Africa General Manager Norman Gibson adds that the beauty of the South African study is its capacity to provide focused findings that allow South African brands to better understand how their radio advertising campaigns perform.

RadioGAUGE has been able to provide broader learnings about the medium that can show any advertiser how to get better results from radio.

Gibson comments, “it’s not just a case of saying we feel this is how you should approach the medium, we now know what’s best for a radio campaign. This is because hundreds of consumers have told us during our in-depth research interviews just what makes a radio message resonate with them allowing us to provide proper insight, based on solid effectiveness research.”

Solid evidence of the depth of insight RadioGAUGE provides is drawn from the second campaign tested by RadioGAUGE for a broadcast brand.

This test revealed not only that radio successfully reached a brand’s target market that was highly receptive to information about its services, but that radio advertising was also able to reach efficiently the key decision makers within households for this particular brand category.

However, RadioGAUGE also strives to be as balanced as possible and reveal all aspects of a campaign’s performance.

The same brand campaign study revealed that a poor standard of creative execution in the brand’s radio campaign led to a negative effect on listeners’ perceptions of the brand, resulting in an reduced level of campaign effectiveness.

Uniquely, RadioGAUGE was also able to recommend what actions could be taken to improve the creative’s performance for the brand’s next radio campaign.

This adds credence to the view that pre-production for radio advertising needs more attention with careful thought given to the use of voice over artists. Using too many different voices within the individual ad executions that made up this campaign was perceived by listeners as confusing and unnecessary.

A key learning here is the need for consistency of message and creative delivery throughout every radio campaign.

Another interesting finding, this time from the first wave of research on a cellular mobile network brand, revealed how Radio’s ‘virtual TV’ effect made a very cost-efficient contribution towards maintaining a cellular network brand’s market-leading awareness and ‘share of mind’ scores.

This case study provided evidence of radio’s unique ability to establish strong emotional bonds with an audience, and how this media effect can rub-off onto an advertiser’s brand.

The study demonstrated Radio’s unique ability to imbue brands with perceptions of greater emotional ‘warmth’ i.e. people exposed to the brand’s radio advertising tended to feel ‘warmer’ about the brand.

Gibson says it is precisely these kinds of invaluable findings that show just how worthwhile the RadioGAUGE study is.

“Finally we have concrete evidence backed by solid research data which not only proves that the medium works but also provides key learnings on how advertisers can increase their return on their radio spend. Our aim now is to take those lessons and guide advertisers as to what they should be doing as part of our mandate of championing radio in South Africa”.

RadioGAUGE key findings at a glance:

• Radio is able to reach a target market that is more receptive to a particular brand message
• Radio can target customers with a message right at the time they are considering a purchase
• Radio is able to reach the key decision makers within households for a particular brand category
• Poor creative has a negative effect on listener perception/views leading to poor results and the reduced effectiveness of a campaign
• There needs to be consistency of message & creative delivery
• Radio’s ‘virtual TV’ effect makes a highly cost-efficient contribution towards maintaining brand awareness and ‘share of mind’ scores
• Radio has a unique ability to establish strong emotional bonds with an audience and imbue them with perceptions of greater emotional ‘warmth’

For more information about Radio Gauge: South Africa, contact

Norman Gibson on (011) 325 4935 or email norman@rab.co.za

At Dollywagon we live happily on both sides of the great divide that splits the modern media industry.

On the one hand we’re excited about our work in the emerging science of Network Analytics, which is shaping the future of social media. And on the other we’re passionate about our work in good ol’ commercial radio, the world’s most venerable wireless broadcast medium.

It’s interesting to watch how new technologies are changing the way we consume audio content, and even changing the way think about ‘radio’. The Web now offers radio listeners customisable music choice, higher quality audio, mobile apps that stream music, advert-free content (or at least more relevant advertising), social features, and so many other exciting benefits it’s a wonder more people don’t use it.

Why do so many of us still listen to conventional radio?

There are many answers to this question (check out this thread on Quora.com). But our experience of developing both radio brands and new social media technologies leads us to a new conclusion. Here’s our thought.

Listening to radio is rarely a lonely experience; indeed, people explicitly switch on the radio for ‘company’. Listeners often say it feels like a DJ is in the same room or car with them, and that can feel nice.

However, even when the DJ isn’t speaking listeners feel aware that other people they know are experiencing the same thing, at the same point in time, as they are.

This makes the live radio listening experience feel more ‘real’ or ‘alive’ than time-shifted media consumption or iPod listening sessions. This is probably because listeners feel, at some important psychological level, that they’re not the only witness to their subjective experience.

However, I think this only comes into play when listeners have ‘real space’ (rather than ‘virtual’ or ‘online-only’) relationships with other people that shared the same live radio experience.

For instance, if I read a forum post from a guy in California (I live in England) about an internet radio show I heard yesterday, it isn’t the same as knowing my work colleague or best mate listened to the same FM breakfast show as I did this morning.

I don’t think the vehicle or the medium through which a live-radio audio experience is delivered is actually as important to listeners as knowing (perhaps anticipating?) what other people in one’s ‘real space’ social network are also tuning into.

Today, most people I know through real-space relationships find that broadcast wireless radio (FM/ AM/ DAB) is the easiest and most convenient way to access popular live radio.

However, I don’t think anyone cares too much if other, equally convenient media technologies appear, just so long as they make it easy to access the live radio experiences that I and my ‘real space’ neighbours like to ‘share’ and talk about.

Dollywagon has some great news that we’d like to share with you. We’re proud to announce that two research projects we play a key role in have swept the board at this year’s prestigious Mediaweek Awards in London.

Both projects were commissioned by the UK’s Radio Advertising Bureau, which received the awards at a glittering ceremony last Thursday.

RadioGauge is the world’s first industry standard tool for measuring radio advertising effectiveness and won Silver for Best Research Initiative.

RadioGAUGE is widely acknowledged to have transformed the fortunes of the UK radio industry and has played a crucial role in growing radio’s share of advertising revenue for the first time in five years.

RadioGAUGE has been so successful that its model for evaluating radio advertising performance is being adopted in many other countries around the world.

Dollywagon plays a leading role in the international development of RadioGAUGE. The project has already launched in South Africa and discussions are ongoing with organisations in North America, Europe and Australasia.

However, not content with just winning a silver medal, we’re pleased as punch to announce that the Gold award for Best Research Initiative went to ‘Radio: The Online Multiplier’.

This is a ground-breaking study that was designed and implemented by Dollywagon. It has been credited with affecting a fundamental re-evaluation of the role played by radio advertising in driving consumers online to interact with brands.

‘Radio: The Online Multiplier’ represents a new way to capture the actual moments when radio ads prompt listeners to search on-line for a brand they’ve heard advertised on the radio.

Dollywagon successfully developed a technology that combined real internet browsing data from consumers’ PCs with diary-based information about personal radio listening and data from radio advertising transmission logs.

This project has also generated significant international interest and several overseas organisations are actively investigating the potential for introducing ‘The Online Multiplier’ study into their own markets.

The RAB have created a YouTube video that does a great job of explaining the study, which you can view below.

If you’d like to know how RadioGAUGE or The Online Multiplier can be adapted for your medium or market, or if you just want Dollywagon to create a project that wins your company lots of awards, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

We got another great email today informing us that the Radio Advertising Bureau’s entry for RadioGauge has been voted a finalist in the category ‘Best Use of Research’ by the judges for the Campaign Media Awards.

We’re particularly pleased that RadioGauge got this nomination because The Campaign Media Awards received a record level of entries this year. Moreover, it’s the second award nomination for RadioGauge this month – the other is for the Mediaweek Awards 2010.

The Campaign Media Awards dinner and presentation will be held at the Royal Horticulture Halls, London SW1, on Wednesday 17th November 2010. For more information about the Awards and tickets to attend the dinner and presentation visit www.campaignmediaawards.com.

Dollywagon’s Jason Brownlee will be speaking at EGTA’s 10th Radio Thematic Day on the 15th October in the glorious city of Istanbul.

The conference is entitled “Enhancing radio revenues in a digital and multiplatform environment” and the agenda looks really interesting (click here to view the conference programme).

The title of Jason’s paper will be “Radio: The Online Multiplier – how radio advertising influences online brand search and purchase behaviour”.

This research study was commissioned by the UK’s Radio Advertising Bureau and designed and implemented by Dollywagon Ltd. You can read more about it by clicking here.

“Radio: The Online Multiplier” has had a very big impact on the UK market and we’re looking forward to sharing its findings with more of our international colleagues. We hope to see you there.

The RAB South Africa is proud to bring you the results of their first ever RadioGauge advertising effectiveness research study.

The transfer of the RadioGauge methodology to the South African market has been really smooth. The new data is very stable and relates to a national radio campaign for a well known South African telecoms provider.

The results are being shared with South African advertisers and media agencies in Johannesburg on Thursday 9 September 2010 and in Cape Town on Wednesday 22 September 2010. As the RadioGauge project continues more campaign studies will be added to the South African database, from which new benchmark norms will be calculated.

You can view the RAB’s attractive flash-based results case study by clicking here.

You can also view below a fabulous video the RAB have created to explain how RadioGauge measures the effectiveness of radio advertising.

Since its inception in January 2008, RadioGauge has become the industry standard tool for measuring radio advertising effectiveness and optimising creative performance. This single piece of research has transformed the fortunes of the UK radio industry and in 2009 played a crucial role in driving radio’s first growth in share of advertising revenue for five years.

Recognition of its huge success in driving revenue in the UK has led to the RadioGauge model being adopted in other countries around the world: RadioGauge South Africa launched in May 2010, and discussions are ongoing with operators in North America, Europe and Australasia.

The Radio Advertising Bureau (who commissioned the study) and Dollywagon (driving its international development) are proud to announce that RadioGauge International has been shortlisted for ‘Best Research Initiative’ in the prestigious Mediaweek Awards 2010. The RAB have created a YouTube video as part of their award entry that does a great job of explaining the project, which you can view below.

RAB South Africa inks deal with UK for radio advertising effectiveness tool.

The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) South Africa has announced the completion of an agreement that will bring RadioGauge, the world’s only universal radio advertising effectiveness research study, to the South African market.

The RadioGAUGE will be introduced to the South African market at the inaugural RAB ‘RadioWorks Conference 2010′ in Capetown on 13th May by Mark Barber (Planning Director, RAB UK) and in Johannesburg on 18th May 2010 by Jason Brownlee (Founder, Dollywagon Media Sciences). (more…)

The Online Multiplier – how does radio advertising boosts brand browsing online?

Jason Brownlee, founder of Dollywagon Media Science, will be speaking at this year’s RADIODAYS EUROPE conference, which takes place in Copenhagen 18-19th March 2010.

RADIODAYS EUROPE is the most important radio conference in Europe, bringing together private and public service broadcasters from all over the continent. (more…)