Perception is everything, and that couldn’t be truer for radio advertisers whose goal, like most marketers, is brand lift and increased profit. Measuring key brand metrics that affect perception is vital, as is understanding how media channels drive consumer awareness, attitudes, favorability, intent and preference. Insight into these areas allows marketers to assess each contribution to brand lift and gain more from their campaigns. For American Family Insurance, the power of radio to positively grow these metrics was undeniable.
In a recent study, Nielsen looked at radio campaign effectiveness, measuring the impact of radio advertising on brand perceptions about American Family Insurance. For this analysis, Nielsen worked with the Katz Radio Group to measure the brand impact of a radio campaign on insurance decision makers (ages 25-64). The analysis included insurance decision-makers who tuned in to one or more stations airing American Family Insurance commercials and compared their engagement with the company to that of decision-makers who did not listen to those stations.
The results of the study showed that radio increased brand health metrics, particularly among decision-makers seeking new insurance, in the areas of favorability, recommendation and intent to request a quote from American Family Insurance.
The study found that insurance decision-makers who heard the campaign were 25% more likely to request a quote from American Family Insurance than those who didn’t hear it. And brand-switchers who were exposed to the campaign were nearly twice as likely to request a quote, highlighting radio’s ability to influence the insurance company’s best prospects. Additionally, those who heard the radio campaign were 44% more likely to recommend the American Family Insurance brand than those who did not hear it.
Radio delivered incremental value for American Family Insurance by elevating awareness of all other American Family Insurance advertising, too. For example, those exposed to the radio campaign were four times more likely to recall the brand’s online campaign compared to the control group.
The study also demonstrated the importance of well-executed radio commercial scripts. The American Family Insurance ads tested were all well-liked by respondents. When asked to describe the ads, listeners chose “informative,” “believable” and “enjoyable” among the top descriptors.
The Nielsen study revealed that the American Family Insurance radio campaign raised all key brand perceptions among insurance decision-makers. In fact, there was more than a 20% increase in the perception that American Family Insurance offers competitive rates and is easy to do business with when compared to the control group.
Nielsen’s Campaign Effect study measured the advertising effect of the American Family Insurance radio campaign, which ran in six markets and had a sample size of 1,020. The study used test control methodology to assess the impact of the Katz Radio Group campaign on the American Family Insurance brand. The American Family Insurance radio campaign ran from Nov. 10, 2014, to Dec. 28, 2014, and the study survey period ran from Dec. 10 to Dec. 22, 2014. The sample for the English-language survey included an exposed group, which were those that listened to one or more stations in the campaign markets, and a control group, radio listeners within the campaign markets who did not listen to the stations on which the campaign aired.
For more information, download our American Family Insurance case study.