THE INFORMATION-CONTENT OF RADIO ADVERTISEMENTS

This study analyzed the content of 1,046 radio advertisements, 99% of which were found to contain at least one information cue. One third contained three or more cues. The number of cues per advertisement varied by advertisement length, product category, and geographic appeal. We would expect that radio advertisements be more informative than television and magazine advertisements, and as informative as newspaper advertisements, because radio is a local medium. Yet, the findings place radio advertisements at a higher level of informativeness than they are generally held in the minds of consumers.