The Radio Ad Effectiveness Lab (RAEL) has released its second study revealing the impact on various measurement criteria when radio is added to the media mix. "The Benefits of Synergy: Moving Money Into Radio" was conducted by The PreTesting Company and released at a press conference in NYC yesterday morning. Findings are geared to help advertisers and agencies develop multi-media campaigns that reflect the way consumers absorb media.

Specifically, the study charts what happens to several effectiveness measures when radio is used to replace a balanced portion of the investment in television or newspapers. The results demonstrate that a media mix that includes radio can be more powerful than television-only or newspaper-only campaigns.

In a test environment, the switch from two television or two newspaper exposures to a mix that included one television or one newspaper plus two radio exposures yielded significantly better measures of effectiveness on almost all scores, especially unaided recall, aided recall, and first-choice brand selection.

In this controlled test of advertising synergy, the results were striking, revealing that a media mix that includes radio can be more powerful than television-only or newspaper-only campaigns. The study compared the effects of two TV ad exposures to the effects of one television ad combined with two radio exposures. The study also did the same thing with newspapers - - comparing two newspaper exposures to one newspaper ad plus two radio exposures.

Highlights:

* Swapping out one of two TV ads for two radio ads increased unaided brand recall by 34%.

* Replacing one of two newspaper exposures with two radio ads almost tripled unaided brand recall.

* When two radio ads replaced one of two TV exposures, more people chose the advertised brand as their first-choice product. The newspaper swap-out was even more striking.

* And consumers that heard two radio ads (and only one TV ad) could play back a campaign's main message just as well as those exposed to two TV ads.

* Trading one of two newspaper ads for two radio exposures gave much better message playback than seeing two newspaper ads.

RAEL also believes this study is another in a succession of studies that demonstrate how well radio advertising can communicate an advertiser's message. There was a wide array of ad campaigns in this study, ranging from sexy-looking cars to tasty-sounding sandwiches, and across the board, radio was able to communicate the main messages just as well as the "more visual" media of television and newspapers.

"With the information from the study, advertisers and agencies can fine-tune their media plans to the way consumers react to the various media," explained Gary Fries, RAB CEO and Co-Chairman of RAEL. "In particular, the study shows that radio advertising significantly impacts communication with consumers who are already reached with other media."

"The results of this study will be important to advertisers seeking to maximize ROI through multi-media solutions," explained Janice Finkel Greene, EVP/ Associate Local Broadcast Director, Initiative Media. "The results of this study done in the U.S. will have larger applications and carry more weight than inferences drawn from earlier studies done in the U.K. and elsewhere."

Matt Feinberg, SVP/Network Radio, Zenith Media added, "The studies from RAEL reveal how to use Radio for consumer touch points. The first RAEL Study by Wirthlin demonstrates how radio connects and interacts with consumers. The Synergy Study identifies the impact on consumers when Radio is factored into the overall media mix."