First listener-wide Study Reveals Brand Impact of Radio, Livestream, and Podcasts

FD Mediagroep works with BNR and Brand Metrics to deliver key audio study

FD Mediagroep has joined forces with BNR to carry out the first listener-wide study in the Netherlands that also includes Podcasts as an advertising medium. In alliance with Brand Metrics, a unique methodology has been developed that provides unique insights into the results achieved by the audio channels Radio, Livestream, and Podcasts in terms of brand KPIs, such as brand awareness, brand consideration, brand preference and action intent. The most important insights are summarised below, and full details can be found in the White Paper entitled: ‘The Impact of the New Listening’

Increasing demand for insight into audio campaign effects

This innovative survey was prompted by recent changes in the audio landscape.  New media, technologies and new channels are creating new opportunities for listening at new and different times. The traditional BNR listener is gradually being replaced by a younger profile, with a strong demand for news, mainly listening via Livestream and Podcasts. FD Mediagroep has embraced this change in listening behaviour, calling it ‘The New Listening’.

Some 46% of Dutch people now listen to podcasts, but this type of listening has never before been included in studies of combined audio. This is why the new study attempts to survey the changes in age, listening time, listening location, device, and content and link them together.

The recently published NMO listening statistics are another key development. For FD Mediagroep, it is not yet possible to interpret these figures because NMO has determined that the B2B target audience is not representative.

For advertisers, these developments have gone hand-in-hand with increasing demand for information about the effectiveness of audio campaigns that also include combined audio channels. Thanks to the BNR.nl platform, FD Mediagroep is uniquely placed to question the target audience about Radio, Livestream and Podcasts. This provides valuable insights not only for advertisers, but for the market as a whole.

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Brand impact

In alliance with international research agency Brand Metrics, a total of 32 audio campaigns by advertisers from 12 different sectors were studied in order to provide advertisers with an insight into the effect of the changing audio landscape.

The study found that if Radio, Livestream and Podcasts are used in combination, this achieves the highest performance in terms of brand lift at+17.3%. This high level of uplift is probably explained by the fact that 78% of BNR listeners listen very attentively.

In terms of increasing brand consideration and brand preference, the combination of Livestream and Podcast achieves the best results. When it comes to creativity, shorter audio campaigns (<20 sec.) achieve double the brand lift delivered by campaigns lasting longer than 20 seconds. This shows just how important it is to take timelength into account when developing audio spots.

Well-known vs. less well-known brands

Because the study covers a range of different campaigns, it also reveals the difference in impact of audio advertising on  well-known versus less well-known brands. There was a wide variety in terms of individual KPIs: the average uplift in brand awareness for less well-known brands is 42% higher than it is for well-known brands. However, well-known brands achieved significant advertising impact in terms of brand consideration and brand preference.

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Advertisers and agencies are now able to measure the impact of audio campaigns

This study enables advertisers to measure the impact of audio campaigns in terms of the various brand KPIs. It also makes it possible to apply concrete insights to improve follow-up campaigns.

‘In collaboration with Brand Metrics, we now offer evidence of brand effects of BNR audio campaigns. We’re also building a database that offers insights on the effects of audio as a medium type, required volumes per channel, and audio spot length. I’m proud that we can compare the combined audio types and offer them to advertisers, even on a small-scale basis for each campaign,‘ – Jacomien van Doorn, Head of Digital Sales & Development at FD Mediagroep.

‘There’s no Brand Metrics user more appreciated than one who pushes us into uncharted territory. Developing a scalable measurement solution for podcasts and audio, in a pioneering partnership with FD Mediagroep, has proved to be an interesting and important innovation for us as an organisation. Now that development is in place, it has enabled a major study like this, which clearly demonstrates the brand-building power of the audio medium’ – Anders Lithner, CEO Brand Metrics

You can read the most important insights from this study in the FD Mediagroep White Paper. Download the White Paper here.