One of the “3 Rs” of successful advertising is Recall. To be effective, a potential customer must be able to recall a business or product when it comes time to make a purchase. No recall equals no sale.

A recent study conducted by Nielsen shows how advertising recall affects the auto industry. This study can provide important insights to any Maine small business owner who sells expensive goods or services. The key premises provided by Nielsen will also lead to the conclusion that advertising on Portland radio is the most effective way to produce the recall necessary to drive sales.

According to Nielsen’s Auto Marketing Report 2018, “when it comes to automotive brand building, quality of awareness is more important than quantity. Brands with high unaided awareness—that is, brands that are more top-of-mind—have a serious edge over all others before the consumer ever sets foot inside a dealership.”

So, in the Nielsen study, only 23% of people who could recall an auto company’s brand message accounted for 90% of everyone who intended to purchase that brand. This is 10-times the purchase intent of those people who needed prompting to recall a brand message.

This is where advertising Portland radio comes in.

Local Ad Recall, a research company that measures the effectiveness of advertising, found that brand recall was 516% higher for companies that advertised on the radio vs. companies that did not. In other words, Maine businesses that advertise on Portland radio have a much better chance of being remembered by prospective customers than companies who don’t advertise on radio.

A different study from Nielsen, found similar results for other types of companies other than automotive. Across several different business categories, on average, radio advertising improved recall by 82%. The businesses measured were a health and beauty company; an information technologies company; an auto aftermarket retailer; a motorcycle company; and a mobile app company.

Although, the Nielsen studies are national in scope, local Maine auto dealers can confirm the value of advertising on Portland radio. This includes Stacy Dodge, owner of Bill Dodge Auto Group. Her group comprises dealerships for 8 different brands including BMW, Infiniti, GMC, Kia, Cadillac, Hyundai, Nissan, Buick, and three Pre-owned Super Centers.

“We have been using radio as a primary marketing source for about 10 years now.” said Ms. Dodge. “We have seen very measurable results and are able to target our audiences more effectively.”

Ms. Dodge goes on to say, “It is extremely important to be able to keep your ads current and there is a very quick turn around with radio. A new program or incentive can be announced to us in the morning and we can be on the air with a current ad reflecting the most recent information in the afternoon.”

“We are also more effectively able to market specific brands to a specific audience which is sometimes harder, and more expensive, to do with other mediums, said Ms. Dodge. “Radio is a very cost effective way to get your message out to the people you want to hear it.”

Tucker Cianchette, owner of Maine based Tucker Chevrolet and Tucker Chevrolet, credits Portland radio as part of his mix for success. “We advertise on radio, says Mr. Cianchette, “because it allows us to get a personal message to a very large audience from every demographic. This is Maine’s version of a billboard.”

Marc Greenberg, owner of Marc Motors Nissan and Marc Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram is a long-time advertiser on Portland radio. When asked why he continues to invest in radio advertising, Mr. Greenberg succinctly offers, “Because it works.”

Maine’s car dealers’ results seem to echo the findings of the Nielsen studies. Recall is critical component of advertising and radio can generate the recall necessary to produce sales results.

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