For Radio, Creative Is Also For The Eyes.

Those in the audio space who handle creative, take note: Your efforts need to work for the ear, and the eye, according to the latest blog entry from the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group.

“Podcasts, born as an audio platform, now integrate video,” writes Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer of the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group. “AM/FM radio ads now sync to in-dash visuals in vehicles. Nielsen reports half the time, TV ads are heard, not seen.”

A recent study by market researcher Quantilope finds that Quu in-dash visual ads on auto screens drive awareness, consideration, and purchase intent. Some of the creative best practices for billboard advertising, it turns out, are also applicable to the AM/FM radio industry.

The Quantilope study of more than 1,200 listeners across 75 AM/FM radio markets examined visual ad campaigns from six national brands across retail (convenience), consumer packaged goods (CPG), insurance, financial services, retail (automotive aftermarket) and quick service restaurant (QSR).

Brand equity measures, according to the blog post, were compared among those exposed to the in-dash visuals and those not exposed — with the difference representing the “lift” in awareness, consideration, and purchase intent generated by the in-car visual ads.

“The Quantilope study revealed that when listening to AM/FM radio in the car, 83% pay attention to visuals on the screen,” Bouvard writes. “Those exposed to the Quu in-dash visuals generated substantial brand equity growth up and down the purchase funnel.”

Visual ads allow brand equity to soar, reinforcing the power of repeated exposure, combined with radio's connection and the loyalty of station audiences: a 50% increase in brand familiarity, 58% in brand favorability, 56% in purchase consideration, 89% in purchase intent, and 64% in brand usage.

A System1 and JCDecaux study, “The Science of Being Remembered: The Complete Guide to Out-Of-Home Creative Effectiveness,” outlines some best practices for billboard advertising to increase impact, which can be employed by AM/FM radio for in-dash visual ads. Among them:

• You’ve got two seconds so brand fast: Visual logos placed at top of the frame deliver 4X higher brand recognition.

• Beware the cost of dull: Failure to engage emotionally is the cost of creative mediocrity. “Emotional connection with out-of-home visual ads is the strongest predictor of effectiveness,” Bouvard writes. “Advertisers have to spend twice as much on dull ads compared to interesting ads to achieve the same impact.”

• Be consistent with a brand’s colors, logos, slogans, and fonts that appear in other advertising. Cross-channel consistency delivers a +30% lift in advertising recall.

• Keep it short: The fewer the words, the greater the brand recognition. “Additional words increase the dullness score,” the System1/JCDecaux findings conclude. “Simplicity drives real-world attention and commercial outcomes.” Visual ads with one message outperform two-message ads by 2X and three-message ads by 4X.

• Create happiness: “Ads that create positive emotions with happiness, surprise, or humor generate much stronger memorability, brand association, store visits, and website visits,” Bouvard writes.

According to System1, the creation of ads with strong positive emotions is key: Characters with vitality increase recognition threefold. If an advertiser has a famous brand character strongly associated with the brand, it can be utilized for powerful recognition.

System1/JCDecaux offers four visual creative imperatives:

• Embrace the two-second reality: “Design for immediate recognition rather than fighting for extended attention. Place branding strategically for maximum impact.”

• Prioritize emotional engagement: “The key to commercial effectiveness is emotional connection.”

• Focus on simplicity and impact: “More messages lead to less recall.”

• Invest in quality: “The financial implications of mediocre creative are measurable and significant. The difference between average and excellent creative execution isn’t just awards, it’s demonstrable business growth.”