Next Level Research

Most groups around Australia do perceptual market research, online or auditorium music tests, the run of 8 second song hooks, show content and a bunch of questions to boot… pretty standard fare but NOVA Entertainment have again taken their audience research one step further.

NE commissioned Neuro-Insight to conduct one of the largest radio neuroscience studies on radio listener’s behaviours for their smoothfm brand.

If you are not across what neuroscience is –and keeping it real simple – it looks at the subconscious reactions of a person. Their decisions, real behaviour and engagement.

For NE the results of the study has been squarely aimed at the advertising/agency market for the group and smoothfm brand but it did go into benchmarking smoothfm against its direct competitors.

NE recruited and balanced their sample in line with their format with them actually listening in real time to both smoothfm and competitors content including longer form programs, commercials and more over four key dayparts.

Kate Day, NOVA Entertainment Head of CREATE said, “We have scientifically validated the strength of the smooth environment for advertisers. Whilst the general benefits of engagement are clear across radio as a medium, smoothfm is proven to provide advertisers with a greater opportunity to ensure their messages will cut through and ultimately influence consumer behaviour.”

Some of the key findings that Nova Entertainment have released highlighted:

• smoothfm has 8% higher engagement in content and smoothfm’s strength with the female demographic was also proven with the audience 10% more engaged with programming content than commercial competitors.
• smoothfm’s format proposition as the “easy place to relax”, it was also proven that the mind-set of relaxation has a significant influence on engagement. The relaxation seeker is 23% more engaged with smoothfm programming content than the station’s commercial competitors.

“Like any media brand, our goal is always to deliver the greatest audience reach possible, but these results speak to the quality of the smoothfm audience. The proven potential of this highly engaged audience and unique format is compelling”, said Kate Day.

NOVA Entertainment is currently presenting findings of smoothfm’s neuroscience research study in Melbourne and Sydney over the next two weeks.