Radiocentre launches free event for financial advertisers

As lockdown relaxes, Radiocentre, the industry body for commercial radio, is hosting a special free-to-attend livestreamed conference on Tuesday 7 July for the finance sector aimed at helping the marketers who work in the industry.

Tuning In Finance will show how financial brands can bank on advertising to help speak to customers by reaching commercial radio’s 36m weekly listeners.

Tuning In Finance is a one-hour event and will be introduced by consultant Chris Clark, the former Chief Marketing Officer at HSBC, known for overseeing the adoption of the famous ‘World’s Local Bank’ positioning, as well as developing the iconic air-bridge advertising programme during his 16 years with the banking giant. Hits Radio presenter and music artist Fleur East will also be discussing the role of radio partnerships with brands and how it fits with programming, while Global’s Creative Director, Jo McCrostie, will be on hand to deliver a session on creative tone and the speed with which a radio ad can go from brief to broadcast.

Other sessions will focus on the FCA-confirmed industry guidance on terms and conditions introduced earlier this year, as well as category specific research from Radiocentre and the benefits of audio branding.

The finance industry has historically been one of the top advertisers on radio, spending more than £100m in 2018. The return on investment for financial brands on the radio is strong, with previous Radiocentre research showing that it had an average ROI of £2.30 for financial advertisers. This strong performance may be down to the way radio reaches beyond the in-market audience and builds emotional connection with finance brands.

Siobhan Kenny, Radiocentre CEO, said: “The finance sector has of course been heavily affected by the coronavirus crisis. We want to help the industry get back in business by reminding them of the effectiveness and the speed to market of radio advertising. In just one hour, marketers can get a whole range of useful tips to help get consumers back in banks.”

Financial brands have the opportunity to reach people while they are carrying out household admin and are likely to be more alert to messages relating to their personal finances. Research shows that reaching people during related activities improves ad engagement by 23% as a result of the ads being more personally relevant.

Radio’s ability to drive online response is also important to the sector, particularly with the growth of online banking. Similarly, previous research found that listeners exposed to radio campaigns are 70% more likely to browse advertised insurance brands.

Tuning In Finance will begin at 9.30am and follows May’s Tuning In Livestream event – a full morning conference that saw 1,000 virtual attendees hear from speakers including Geoff de Burca, Chief Strategy Officer at MediaCom, and Magic Breakfast’s Ronan Keating and Harriet Scott.

The webinar is free to attend and registration is open now.