Study: Smoothfm listeners are more engaged with advertising

Listeners of Nova Entertainment’s smoothfm are more relaxed and more engaged with ads than the station’s four direct competitors: WSFM, Kiis, 2Day and Triple M.

Nova is calling the study – commissioned by Nova’s in-house integration team Create and conducted by Neuro-Insights – “the largest radio neuroscience study of its kind.”

The study found that smoothfm, one of eight Nova FM stations, has 8% higher engagement in content than its commercial competitors and that its key female audience is 10% more engaged with programming content. According to the study, these findings result in 160% stronger conversion into memory encoding.

Neuro-Insights conducted its research using 115 billion data point measurements by studying the brain patterns of 400 participants. The participants were played real time content from Smoothfm, WSFM, Kiis, 2Day and Triple M.

Kate Day, Nova Entertainment Head of Create told TMN the research was conducted in response to a request by the network’s clients and partners.

“From all our conversations with our clients and partners, we understand the value of audience insight and how important it is to know more about our audience. The investment in this study has been made in response to that request and is reflective of our ongoing commitment to provide not just market leading reach in 2015, but market leading audience insight,” Day told TMN.

“We’ll use these Neuro insights to help start conversations about the power and potential of Smoothfm and continue to drive awareness around the benefits of our unique relaxed format, as it relates to engagement and the potential to influence consumer behaviour.”

Nova Entertainment has used Neuro-Insights in the past to research its ‘never more than two ads in a row’ policy. The policy was loosened in 2010 with CEO Cathy OʼConnor saying at the time that it was “a response to advertisers who want greater flexibility.”

Smoothfm launched in May 2012 with specific programming curated around the feeling of relaxation.

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