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Marmite Audio Ads:
Do Consumers Love Them or Hate Them?

Anna Kupriyanova
Marketer
Companies run ads for different reasons with different goals in mind, but a common benchmark that separates a "good" ad from a "bad" ad is how well it captures consumers' attention. An ad that's gone unnoticed can't be considered "good". Who wants their marketing budget to go down the drain and into obscurity?
In this case study we are taking a look at two of Marmite's audio ads. A long one (lasts about 1 min) aims to get people to take the Marmite gene test and find out whether they are a lover or a hater. A short one (around 30 seconds long) is informational, without a clear call to action. To get quick consumer feedback we used Fastuna's research solution Audio Test.
METHODOLOGY
Stimuli: Two Marmite radio ads, different in length and message.
Target: United Kingdom, male, female, from 18 to 65 years, 100 respondents per ad sample size, 200 respondents in total.
Research Solution: Audio Test — a ready-to-use research solution by Fastuna (online survey).
Do consumers like your audio? Is it clear? Does it stimulate to action? How can you improve it? With the Audio Test research solution, you can test advertising or informational audios lasting up to two minutes. Getting actionable results only requires 15 minutes of your time.
Audio Test solution: ad comparison table
Although different in length and message both ads scored relatively high in general perception. People mostly like them, but it's important to delve deeper into the report in order to extract actionable insights.
Audio Test solution: breakdown of two ads by 9 criteria
This chart instantly draws our attention to two key differences in consumer assessment of the ads. The shorter ad lacks clarity, while the longer ad lacks relevance. The shorter one doesn't drive people to learn more, while the longer one does. These are insights that can be used to make adjustments and increase ad effectiveness. It is also advisable to take into account some opinions that consumers share in the final part of the report:
I'm just really tired of media and advertising in the UK that harks back to the Britishness of yesteryear. Despite the wide variety of characters in the recording, they seem like something out of the 1930s. But I guess that, "middle England" centrality is what Marmite is trying to convey? — Male, 57 (on the longer ad)
I couldn't understand some of the wording. It's a bit strange and the voice is annoying. Also assuming that Marmite is for breakfast and it affects mood? Bizarre — Female, 51 (on the shorter ad)
To sum up — you don't have to go blind into creating an ad. Testing it out with your audience only takes 15 minutes of your time and lets you refine before you invest too much time and money into something that doesn't resonate with consumers.
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