In fall of 2017, a major construction equipment rental firm ran an AM/FM radio campaign with the goal of building their brand. To test the effectiveness of the AM/FM radio campaign and evaluate the major construction equipment rental firm’s audio creative, Westwood One commissioned a study from MARU/Vision Critical.

Respondents of the study were among the major construction equipment rental firm’s target demo: men 18+ and working in construction, extraction, or building industries. To best understand the effectiveness of the campaign, two waves of the study took place – one prior to the beginning of the campaign in October and one after the campaign had aired in December.

Did the AM/FM radio campaign work? Yes! Here’s what we found:

AM/FM radio was the perfect media environment for the major construction equipment rental firm to reach their target consumers.

Heavy AM/FM radio listeners were more likely to consider using the major construction equipment rental firm and be in-the-market equipment buyers. Among heavy AM/FM radio listeners, 55% reported that they would be making a construction equipment purchase or rental in the coming year, +12% than the total respondents. By using AM/FM radio in the media plan, the major construction equipment rental firm was reaching construction equipment decision makers who were extremely likely to make a purchase or rental in the near future.

The AM/FM radio campaign was effective in boosting consideration and strengthening ad recall.

Tom Goodwin, EVP Innovation at Zenith Media USA, offers a simple approach to grow sales: “First, making sure the product is top of mind and that awareness is high; second, that the brand is liked and understood.”

An important step in that process is consideration. For the major construction equipment rental firm, AM/FM radio boosted consideration +6% from the pre-period in October compared to after the campaign in December. 56% of in-the-market equipment shoppers were likely to consider using the firm for an upcoming project after the campaign aired, up from 53% just three months earlier.

Ad recall goes hand in hand with consideration. To be considered, a brand needs to be remembered. Ad recall was highest among heavy AM/FM radio listeners at 50% compared to in-the-market equipment shoppers (33%) and construction workers (33%).

AM/FM radio worked. Brand images for the major construction equipment rental firm were stronger among heavy AM/FM radio listeners.

A powerful way to measure AM/FM radio campaign impact is to examine brand image improvement among heavy AM/FM radio listeners. Compared to the total sample, brand images for the major construction equipment rental firm were +25% greater among heavy AM/FM radio listeners.

29% of heavy AM/FM radio listeners believed that the brand delivered equipment they needed on time and on budget. Positive perceptions were higher overall among heavy AM/FM radio listeners versus the total for images on safety, knowledge, and the size of the company.

The major construction equipment rental firm’s AM/FM radio ads tested well above creative benchmarks.

Overall the major construction equipment rental firm’s ads performed well against important creative metrics. Creative is critical in driving sales and for brands. Resonating on an emotional level produces positive results in long-term sales, share, pricing power, and loyalty.

When tested, both of the major construction rental firm’s ads had above average creative scores for likeability, memorability, relevance, and engagement. The major construction rental firm’s AM/FM radio ads performed well and effectively in service of the campaign too.

AM/FM radio was a powerful driver of consideration, ad recall, and brand images for the major construction equipment rental firm’s brand. By tapping into a rich concentration of in-the-market consumers and utilizing audio creative optimized to elicit an emotional connection, the major construction equipment rental firm’s AM/FM radio campaign was a success in brand building.

Key takeaways:

• AM/FM radio was the perfect media environment for the major construction equipment rental firm to reach their target consumers.
• The AM/FM radio campaign was effective in boosting consideration and strengthening ad recall.
• AM/FM radio worked. Brand images for the major construction equipment rental firm were stronger among heavy AM/FM radio listeners.
• The major construction equipment rental firm’s AM/FM radio ads tested well above creative benchmarks.

Lauren Vetrano is Director of Content Marketing at CUMULUS MEDIA | Westwood One.

Contact the Insights team at CorpMarketing@westwoodone.com.