GfK Asia

Kuala Lumpur, April 7, 2021 – Radio is one of the most popular source of entertainment, especially while accompanying other primary activities such as driving, working, doing household chores, surfing the internet, etc. GfK’s latest research has confirmed that live radio, when tuned in by consumers concurrently as they surf the internet may present opportunities for combined-exposure messaging impact.

GfK, in partnership with Commercial Radio Malaysia (CRM), have set up a unique single-source study with the aim of demonstrating radio’s ability to work hand-in-hand with digital to reinforce marketing messages and drive better engagement with consumers.

This insight was derived by analyzing the detailed internet browsing patterns of respondents who were exposed to live radio campaigns during the survey period between September 6 to October 17, 2020. These 1,000 respondents aged 15 to 49 years old in Peninsular Malaysia are the same respondents from the Radio Audience Measurement Wave 2 2020, to enable their online activities to be matched with their listening patterns.

Findings from the survey revealed that 85 percent of respondents found radio advertisements to be memorable. Over three-quarter (78%) of those who found radio ads memorable say that they have searched at least a product on internet in the past week as a result of hearing radio advertisement, while over half (54%) claimed that they have purchased at least a product on internet in the past week as a result of hearing radio advertisement.

In addition, radio advertisements are found to be effective at making emotional connection with consumers due to its popularity as a trusted media. Over four in five (81%) agree that such advertisements provide valuable information on the advertised product when reviewing the product online. Over three-quarter (76%) agree that radio ads increase trust in the advertised product when reviewing the product online, while 73 percent agree that advertisements on radio remind them to search for the advertised product or service when they are shopping online.

“For many brands in the digital age and especially during this unprecedented situation that we are facing now, digital has become an incredibly important interface for consumer marketing,” commented June Pang, the Project Lead from GfK. “However, the key challenge is to drive consumers recall for a specific brand rather than just a generic product category, and the study has provided evidence that the brief and concise ad messaging heard by over half (57%) of all radio listeners between 15-49 years old had successfully managed to drive brand recall and follow-up search on the internet,” she added.

A higher level of response was reported from the 20-39 age group, with over three in five (62%) from this segment saying they searched for brands they recalled being advertised on the radio—demonstrating that radio advertisements can elicit a higher call-to-action response among this group of listeners.

GfK’s results also revealed that radio remains a highly effective medium and has a significant impact in respondents’ online search for brands that have ongoing radio campaigns. On average, radio campaigns uplifts online searches for brands by as much as three times compared to those brands that are without radio campaigns during the survey period (average was computed based on search rate for 4 categories ie Telecommunications, Information Technology, E-Commerce / E-Wallet, Retailer-Pharmacy).

Based on the analysis of 12 randomly selected live radio campaigns during the survey period which comes from various product categories, on average, each listener will listen to at least 4.2 times of the same advertisement from a radio campaign.

“According to the latest RAM findings, radio listeners are tuned in to radio at an average of 13 hours and 44 minutes weekly, which means they are repeatedly exposed to advertising messages over an extended period,” explained Alex Poon, President of Commercial Radio Malaysia. “The result from this study demonstrates radio’s potential in complementing and multiplying the influence of digital platform. Whether the goal is to reach more people, or to generate greater impact with consumers, marketing strategies combining radio and digital have proven to greatly improve engagement with audiences and generating greater results,” he concluded.
 

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About Commercial Radio Malaysia (CRM)

Commercial Radio Malaysia advocates for the highest standards in commercial radio broadcasting and professional practices, ensuring that both prevail within the industry. We engage both the government and regulators in dialogue to identify and ensure possible issues that could affect the continued viability of commercial radio in Malaysia. We also maintain a productive, mutually beneficial working relationship with advertisers and advertising agencies, manage the welfare of private broadcasters, and advance common interests.