KMR’s NextGen Neuro product, which is powered by its SoundInsights research team, will help clients formulate more effective radio and audio ads.
NextGen Neuro uses neuromarketing techniques to measure the physiological and neural signals of an audience to gain insights into why customers make certain buying decisions.
Kagiso Media Radio is the first audio media owner in South Africa to use neuro insights in this way.
Melissa McNally, research and analytics manager at KMR, said her team developed the NextGen Neuro product after realising that there was a gap in the market for a service that allows brands to test their audio.
“While talking to clients and agencies, we found that understanding emotional engagement to adverts is becoming a more important metric to advertisers. Further to this, looking at how consumers want to have a voice when it comes to their brands, we were inspired at KMR to construct a listener-led approach to insights, where co-creation with audiences is promoted in order to create a deeper understanding,” she said.
Before launching the product, the SoundInsights team put the science to the test by conducting a case study using neuro testing to copy-test radio adverts.
Five radio advertisements from the automotive industry were used to test how things like jingles, the voices used in the advert, and unintentional stereotyping can affect engagement.
“Unlike traditional copy testing, we’re able to establish how the respondent feels about the advert through a physiological response. By using the NextGen Neuro testing, we can predict purchase intent and the general emotional engagement of copy,” said McNally.
Dr Jacolize Poalses (BMR), senior researcher and head of the Behavioural and Communications Division at BMR, confirmed that emotions drive consumer behaviour and that advertisements need to be both pleasurable and emotively engaging to succeed. She said the need to consider emotions as a crucial factor in consumer decision-making is recognised to such an extent that it is believed that a brand that engages us emotionally will win every single time.
Galvanic Skin Response and Facial Coding technology were used within a controlled environment to record skin conductance and facial expressions while being exposed to both relaxing stimuli (tranquil music) and test stimuli (radio advertisement audio clips).
According to Poalses, within a very short period, the application of consumer neuroscience provides more accurate, immediate biological responses which are not influenced due to participants overthinking the ‘’right’’ answer which they think we want to hear. The measurement of skin conductivity and facial expressions non-invasively renders a comfortable respondent experience.
Some of the pilot study’s key findings were:
Jingles work: Especially if they are memorable, but steer clear of being too cliché.
Gender matters, but tone, pitch, and pronunciation matters more: The calm female voice used in the one advert was cited as being favourable. However, there are some male listeners that still expect females to act within certain gender stereotypes, but this is not largely the case.
Age impacts emotional relevance: Younger listeners are less emotionally engaged with adverts, whilst older respondents are more likely to have more negative associations with an advert.
McNally said the results of neuro ad testing can help predict the outcomes of a new ad or improve an existing one.
“It can also be used at concept level or with finished copy, and the predictions can be used to tweak the ad before it goes live to reduce production costs and increase engagement. Neuro research could significantly impact the understanding of how attention works and what factors influence it,” she said.
Neuro research can impact the media landscape and revolutionise it by creating a deeper understanding of audiences for tailored content. It will also help content creators gain more insight into engagement and memorability of content.
“By using the NextGen Neuro testing, we can understand how your advert may land in market as we use a four-pronged approach to the research. Brands that appeal to multiple senses are more successful in triggering the brain’s buy button. To truly be successful, a campaign or marketing should contain every human sense,” McNally concluded.
Email Melissa McNally to find out how your business can use neuro insights to drive higher audience attention levels, with a more effective creative and a better ROI: az.oc.aidemosigak@massilem
Watch a replay video of Kagiso Media Radio’s webinar about #NextGenNeuro here: https://bit.ly/3DQ45jF
You can also download the presentation shared during the webinar here: bit.ly/3DLCnED
