Cadbury tops the charts as System 1 reveals its top radio adverts in its new Listen Up! report, all based on emotional response data from its Test Your Ad platform.
Each of the adverts were given a ranking from one to five stars, with Cadbury receiving 4.2 stars, while Asda, Terry’s Chocolate Orange, M&S, Costa, Baileys and John Lewis all appeared in the top seven.
As part of ranking the adverts, System 1 looked at ten years of effectiveness data from Radiocentre, and found that effective radio adverts drive consumer behaviour change, build brand trust, with positive and festive campaigns becoming more famous regardless of audio spend.
System 1 also shared five points of best practise for radio effectiveness – brand early and often, be consistent, tell a story, leverage dramatic intimacy and use music.
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Speaking about Cadbury’s winning ad, VCCP planning director Nathan Velayudhan said: “Cadbury’s Xmas radio ad is not your typical approach to Christmas advertising – it’s not tear-jerking, reach-for-the-tissues stuff – but it’s proven to be both emotive and effective all the same,” said VCCP planning director Nathan Velayudhan, speaking about the winner.
“This is because it’s not a one-way narrative, but rather forms part of an interactive Xmas activation – Cadbury Secret Santa – which gives people the chance to send chocolate secretly to someone special for free,” he continued.
“This activation has achieved huge public interest, propelled by advertising that is executionally consistent across radio, TV, OOH, digital and social channels.”
He added that the activation builds on the brand’s non-seasonal communications and has helped drive sales results.
“These adverts expertly apply the strategies that System1 and Radiocentre outline in our first-of-its-kind report on audio creative effectiveness, Listen Up!,” said System 1 global partnerships director Andrew Tindall.
He continued: “Christmas is a powerful time for radio; these are some of the most effective audio ads we’ve ever researched. They are full of references to wider culture, character, story and emotion. They also are creatively consistent with their TV counterparts – key to extending reach and boosting effectiveness.”
