Frequently Asked Questions
The FAQ section is conveniently split into 7 sections making it much easier for you to find the information that you're looking for. The categories are based around the complete planning process found in the 'Media Planning and Marketplace' section of the Website. General Questions are related to the whole site.
If you cannot find the answer that you're looking for please e-mail the agency dialogue team. Click Here
1. Radio Marketplace
2. Consumer Understanding
3. Strategic Development
4. Radio Planning & Creative Issues
5. Stations & Programming
6. Campaign Analysis
Who are the RAB designed to help?
Can I get hold of a wall map showing the UK Commercial stations?
What is RAJAR, and where can I find more information on it?
Who do I contact for copy clearance of radio adverts?
Can you give me the names of independent radio production companies?
How much does it cost to advertise on the radio?
How can I find out about training courses at the RAB?
How many Commercial stations are there in the UK at the moment?
Why is radio known as a frequency medium?
Are there any creative guidelines when it comes to radio advertising?
Are there any creative awards for Commercial Radio?
Where can I get copies of radio ads?
Where can I find a glossary of radio terms?
Where can I find the latest revenue/forecasts/share figures and charts for Commercial Radio?
How do I find listening figures for Commercial stations?
Who are the biggest spending advertisers/sectors/buying points on radio?
How do I find listening figures for Commercial stations?
How does radio listening compare to TV across the day?
Why is radio known as a frequency medium?
Why is radio known as an intimate medium?
What are the most useful roles that radio can play?
Do longer ads work better?
How does radio perform against certain demographic audiences/advertising sectors?
Are there any examples of good radio case studies on the RAB website?
What about using radio for direct response?
What is the Millward Brown/Radio Multiplier research?
Is radio an effective advertising medium?
How does radio listening compare to TV across the day?
Should I test my radio campaign?
Why is radio known as a frequency medium?
Why is radio known as an intimate medium?
What are the most useful roles that radio can play?
Why are not all RAJAR Commercial stations on the RAB website?
What is RAJAR, and where can I find more information on it?
How do I go about choosing stations for a radio plan?
How do I find listening figures for Commercial stations?
Where can I find a glossary of radio terms?
< How much does it cost to advertise on the radio?
How frequently should my ad be on air?
Are there any creative guidelines when it comes to radio advertising?
Are there any creative awards for Commercial Radio?
Where can I get copies of radio ads?
Do longer ads work better?
Should we use a regional accent in a radio ad?
How do I get contact details for a Commercial radio station?
How can I find out about radio programming schedules?
Where can I find radio station maps?
Can I listen to some radio stations live via the internet?
How many Commercial stations are there in the UK at the moment?
How do I go about choosing stations for a radio plan?
How do I find listening figures for Commercial stations?
Why are not all RAJAR Commercial stations on the RAB website?
Can I get hold of a wall map showing the UK Commercial stations?
What are Wealth Warnings and what's the current situation?
How accountable is my radio campaign?
What is the Millward Brown/Radio Multiplier research?
Is radio an effective advertising medium?
Should I test my radio campaign?
The RAB was set up in 1992 to assist UK National advertisers and their agencies towards effective planning on Commercial Radio in the UK. If you fall into this category and need advice (not found on the RAB website) on different aspects of planning a radio campaign then please contact the RAB on 020 7306 2500. Back
Go to the section called Stations & Programming, either A-Z of stations or Who Sells Who. If Commercial stations do not pay a levy to the RAB then they are not featured on the RAB website. If the Commercial stations are based in the UK and are awarded a license by the Radio Authority then they will be featured on the Radio Authority website: radioauthority.org.uk or phone them directly on 020 7405 7062. Back
The Case Study Database holds over 170 case studies, where you can search by sector, creative device, spot length used, other media used etc.- click here. Back
If you are a National advertiser or their advertising agency then you can contact the RAB on 020 7306 2500 for A1 sized AM and FM wall maps. Back
The Commercial stations featured on the RAB website are members of the RAB i.e. pay the RAB a levy. It does not matter whether they are on the RAJAR survey. Back
RAJAR Radio Joint Audience Research provides the key quantitative data on radio listening and is a joint venture between the Commercial and BBC radio stations, and therefore provides the one industry currency for all radio broadcasters and the advertising industry. For more information go to the RAJAR section - Radio Planning, or the RAJAR website. For subscription rates contact RAJAR on 020 7903 5350. Back
Go to the Radio Marketplace section of the RAB website. Back
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Wealth warnings are the long legal caveats that appear at the end of many radio financial ads. For the latest information go to Wealth Warnings. Or contact the Radio Advertising Clearance Centre (RACC) on 020 7727 2646. Back
To find stations against particular regions of the country then go to the Stations & Programming part of the website under a section called Station Maps. For information on deciding how to choose stations according to reach or efficiency figures go to the RAB guide: Guide to media planning on radio. Back
Go to the RAB Guide: Direct Response Radio. You can also search for relevant radio case studies on the Case Study Database. Back
Commercial stations operate the Radio Advertising Clearance Centre (RACC), which examines and approves, scripts for radio commercials in line with Radio Authority requirements. For details call the RACC on 020 7727 2646 or go via the Commercial Radio Companies Association (CRCA) website Back
Click on the Stations & Programming part of the website to look at data by individual stations, or look at the RAJAR website, under the Quarterly Summary section. To find data on audiences other than Adults 15+ on RAJAR, you need to be a RAJAR subscriber. You can contact RAJAR directly on 020 7903 5350 Back
Go to the RAJAR website, under a section called Glossary of Terms, or alternatively click here. Back
The RAB cannot recommend radio production companies, however members of the Association of Radio Specialists (A.R.S) provide expertise on making radio commercials - casting, directing, music, production and script consultancy. Back
How much does it cost to advertise on the radio?
The RAB was set up to assist National Advertisers and their agencies in planning and researching radio campaigns. We are not involved in the buying of any radio airtime so do not have access to radio rate cards. However we can use the rates provided confidentially by those above advertisers and agencies to incorporate into a radio campaign. For those not falling into this category we recommend phoning the stations directly - under Stations & Programming tab. Back
JICRIT is a unique collaboration between the Commercial Radio industry and the advertising industry as represented by the IPA.
JICRIT was established with the objective of producing an e-commerce system to make the planning and buying of radio easier and more accountable.
The system that has been created to achieve these objectives is called J-ET, and it uses established internet-based technology to deliver the right information to the right people in the right format. The top ten radio buying points are already subscribing to J-ET, while it is also being used by nine radio sales points.
Go to j-et.com for more information. Back
The RAB provide free training courses to advertisers and agencies. For more information go to Training & Conference section. Back
The frequency weights recommended are guidelines only, they can be found in RAB Guide: Frequency weights. Alternatively you can look at radio examples from the Case Study Database. Capital Radio Advertising have also developed a frequency estimator based on their own case studies more information can be found on their website, capitaladvertising.co.uk under capital radio advertising and research.
Bear in mind, listeners are a captive audience they rarely switch stations physically. Having worked out an average opportunity to hear (OTH) for your advertising, remember that this is an AVERAGE some listeners will be hearing those ads a lot more. If in doubt do more, not less.Back
There are 253 local and regional commercial analogue stations together with the 4 National stationsBack
If you want to do your own analysis then information can be found by subscribing to RAJAR data (you can contact RAJAR directly on 020 7903 5350). Otherwise the RAB have produced RAB Guides on listening habits by different demographic audiences go to the Consumer Understanding section in Media Planning and Marketplace. The RAB have also produced RAB Guides on listening behaviour by different advertising sectors go to the aforementioned section. Back
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Go to the Millward Brown: Radio and TV guide and presentation. Back
This is one of the most frequently asked questions we get at the RAB particularly from advertisers who have previously focused their ad spend on other media, such as TV.
The success of a radio campaign can be influenced by a number of factors, not least the quality of the creative in the first place. However at a generic level a number of major studies have proved radios effectiveness:-
Firstly the Ironing Board Studies and, most recently, Newslink Recall study, demonstrate that people do remember ads even when doing other things (ironing, reading, surfing the net etc.). Not surprisingly they also proved that creativity made a tremendous difference to effectiveness some ads were 300% more memorable than others.
Newslink Recall went one stage further and showed that recall could be significantly increased by scheduling creative to times when listeners may be engaged in relevant activity
The Radio Multiplier Study is the biggest single piece of research commissioned by the RAB in response to the most frequent concerns raised by advertisers - namely radios effectiveness compared to and in conjunction with TV. It was done through Millward Brown in 1999/2000 and took the form of a continuous tracking study running over a period of 6 months across 17 different brands Back
Click here.
The RAB have produced a step-by-step guide for researching the effectiveness of radio campaigns from setting the research objectives through to the research method and questionnaire. Back
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Go to the Radio Marketplace section where you will be able to find the latest and archived top 20s from all the above categories. Back
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Commercial Radio industry to promote excellence in creative radio advertising. The principal behind the awards is that they are run for creatives and judged by creatives. More details can be found within this website, Back
If you work in the advertising industry then the Radio ads archive is the source to download examples of radio commercials. It holds thousands of commercials, covering most current national campaigns, the best of past ads and award-winners from around the English-speaking world.
Ads can be selected on the database by many different criteria, e.g. time length, brand or product sector, use of humour etc.
Not all UK radio ads are placed on the website. Only if they are from a National campaign, or they are provided to the RAB by a company called IMD (Independent Media Distribution), who distribute radio ads on behalf of agencies or production houses to radio stations. Full details on this service can be obtained directly from the company IMD 020 7468 6868.
Its also worth listening to some of the monthly and annual Aerial award winners in other words those radio ads which have been recognised by the industry as creatively excellent. These can be accessed via radio-ads.co.uk, or directly at aerials.co.uk. Back
On the Stations and Programming part of the website under Listen to Stations Live on Air. Back
Station maps for all RAB member stations whose audience is measured by RAJAR, are held under Stations and Programming part of the website.
Users of the mapping function start with a full UK map, then drill down by clicking on a specific region, then a local area to see a list of stations broadcasting in that area. Clicking on an individual station brings up a map of that specific stations area: this includes major roads, urban areas and place names. Back
The Programming database stores details of specialist programming output which RAB member stations submit. This allows advertisers and agencies to identify relevant opportunities for precise placement of advertising and sponsorship.
For full station programme schedules it is recommended that you contact the stations directly - contact details can be found under Stations and Programming, Stations A-Z.
The database is intended as a first-base guide for planning purposes: it cannot hold details of every type of station output, nor does it cover audience details for programmes. Back
This is a very difficult question to answer. Various studies have included research into the effectiveness of different spot lengths, the most recent being the Newslink Recall Research study which showed that 60 second spot lengths achieved 27% higher recall than 40 second spots and 50% higher recall than 20 seconds.
It is worth noting however that, although the body of research does suggest that longer spots get greater awareness, other factors played a greater role e.g. position in break, creative content, activity-related advertising.
The findings also dont take into account cost comparisons a 60 second spot may get more awareness but it is also more expensive. Bear in mind also that studies like Newslink Recall dont take into account frequency and awareness build over time. Our case study database includes a Unilever case study which contrasts using 30 second spots only with a mix of 30s and 10s. Interestingly, whilst the 30 second spots only built awareness at a faster rate, both ended up reaching the same levels of awareness over time. Back
Regarding accents - this is a topic which surfaces from time to time, usually as the result of an agency/client discussion (or even dispute!). We don't have an answer, but here is a digest of what we've picked up:
Regional accents for regions:
There is a knee jerk reaction that says one should have a Scottish accent for ads in Scotland etc, but we have no evidence at all that non-Scottish accents have a negative effect (unless they sound plummy) - we do have anecdotal evidence that pretend Scottish accents offend the Scots... one piece of advice we had from a radio specialist was that if you are "playing the regional card" you should use a regional voice (so the Welsh Gas Board might do this).
There was apparently some research evidence some time back that Scottish accents were seen to be more trustworthy - this is why the Scottish Development Agency ran a radio campaign telling businesspeople about this finding, to get them to locate their call handling centres in Scotland
A completely different answer to the question was also put forward - which is that radio is all about tone of voice, and listeners are conscious about how they are being spoken to, i.e. the manner and attitude actually more than any regional accentuation. In theory if you get the tone of voice right, regionality can be the icing on the cake - optional garnish.
There is a chapter in a book called ON AIR about the ideal voice, but this mainly concerns pitch and tone (it also concludes, interestingly enough, that men's voices are generally closer to the national Ideal Voice than women's are, which might explain why men dominate so on the airwaves) Back