Study: radio listeners respond positively to fewer spots
For all who think Less is More isn't a factor on radio listening, Navigauge released an analysis of audience behavior in and around spot breaks proving it does. The study is the industry's first independent analysis (using completely passive electronic monitoring) of how commercial stopset structure affects listener retention during and after the breaks. Over 46,000 stopsets and more than 127,000 spots were examined over a three-month period in Atlanta.
The study shows the longer the break, the lower the percentage of the qualified audience that makes it through the entire break and back to programming. Less than two-thirds of the qualified audience that tuned prior to the start of the first commercial break is retained after four commercials - regardless of their length - are aired. Just under half the qualified audience is retained when six or more spots run. With that said, regardless of the number of elements in the commercial break, first position 30-second spots retain more audience than the first position 60-second spots.
To conduct this analysis, Navigauge used its patented passive in-car monitoring technology coupled with the Aircheck on-air content data to examine more than 46,000 spot breaks consisting of more than 127,000 different individual commercials airing on the top 20 stations in Atlanta during September, October and November.
Highlights Include:
* Roughly 88% of qualified pre-commercial break listeners make it through a single commercial, or "Island" spot, and back to the programming. And, as the number of commercial elements in a break increases, the number of qualified listeners retained decreases.
* In shorter element commercial breaks (4 or fewer), roughly 80% of the qualified audience is still tuned following the second commercial; approximately 70% following the third commercial spot.
* The longer the break, the more likely audiences are to tune out before the completion of the first spot. This may indicate that those who listen to stations with longer stopsets have become conditioned to these longer breaks and take the start of the first commercial as their cue to leave.
* While the rate of lost audience slows, additional commercials within a break erode the initial qualified listening audience.
* Regardless of the number of elements in the commercial break, first position 30-second spots retain more audience than first position 60-second commercials (i.e. if a stopset has three commercials and begins with a 30-second spot, the audience attrition is 6%; if a 60-second spot is in the first position, the audience drop-off is 15%)
"Since they are within an arm-length of the tuning buttons, the in-vehicle radio audience is the most discriminating listener that can be studied," says Tim Cobb, Navigauge CEO. "The results from our analysis indicate that premium pricing for commercials early in the stopset are justified.
Are you reading this from a forwarded email?
