2013 Jacobs Media/NPR Halo Effect Research included, an element that is especially powerful for local stations — the notion that companies can be perceived to support the local community as a result of sponsoring public radio content, something that is very important to many listeners (the research involved a dial test, focus group, and one-on-one interviews in three different markets).
Building on the research findings, these four specific evergreen copy practices are are recommended to maintain the strength of the Halo Effect:
1. Focus on Brand/Community Messages, not Products
Messages that best resonate with listeners focus on:
- Community support
- Linking company values with listener/public radio values
- Corporate responsibility
Messages with a strong product focus start to cross the line into “advertising” – inconsistent with expectations for public radio sponsors.
2. Keep Credits Short
Longer credits (more than 10-15 seconds) lead to loss of listener attention and perceptions that the announcements are more like “commercials.” The research demonstrated a drop off in listener appeal during a 30-second credit.
3. Use the Expected Tone – Calm, Authentic
A unique strength of public media sponsorship versus commercial advertising is the calm, respectful tone. Commercial media advertising is perceived as pushy, aggressive and shouting, while public media sponsorship is described by the research study respondents as calm, subtle, even-keel, respectful of the listener and stating messages simply. This complements the following listener perceptions about sponsors:
- Many sponsors are perceived to be small entrepreneurial businesses.
- Most sponsors are applauded for taking a different approach by sharing their message on public media than they might on commercial media.
4. Use Adjacencies – but Reinforce Trust
There is a high level of trust in NPR and local public media stations – not one listener participating in the research felt that journalistic integrity is compromised in public media, even when sponsor credits are aligned with the content of a program. In fact, some listeners expect this type of marketing and consider it smart. Others had not noticed specific adjacent placement despite being frequent listeners, again reinforcing the trust they have in public media. There’s an expectation that NPR would always objectively cover a news story even if it was about a sponsor.
Learn More
The latest NPR Halo Effect research and other tools are available for station use in Greater Public’s Halo Effect Toolkit.