The aim of this study is to analyze how certain voice features of radio spokespersons and background music influence the advertising effectiveness of a radio spot from the cognitive, affective and conative perspectives. We used a 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 experimental design in 16 different radio programs in which an ad hoc radio spot was inserted during advertising block. This ad changed according to combinations of spokesperson's gender (male–female), vocal pitch (low–high) and accent (local–standard). In addition to these independent factors, the effect of background music in advertisements was also tested and compared with those that only had words. 987 regular radio listeners comprised the sample that was exposed to the radio program we created. Based on the differences in the levels of effectiveness in the tested voice features, our results suggest that the choice of the voice in radio advertising is one of the most important decisions an advertiser faces. Furthermore, the findings show that the inclusion of music does not always imply greater effectiveness.

The widespread use of music in advertising derives from the belief among advertisers that music confers a significant commercial advantage; music has also aroused interest among researchers trying to determine its potential to add value and enhance advertising effectiveness. So, this article analyses the influence of music and congruency with the radio advertising message on spokesperson’s credibility and advertising effectiveness. We designed radio programs in which an ad hoc radio spot was inserted into a commercial block (no music/music) and tested them on a sample of 987 radio listeners. The results show the potential of music in terms of advertising effectiveness and credibility and show the need for planning to go beyond its function as to avoid silence or attract attention and to ensure its consistency with the ad message.

No abstract

This exploratory investigation studies the presence of journalists as advertising endorsers in news or talk radio stations when a mention or testimonial is embedded within programme, the characteristics of these advertisements, and the degree of their involvement with the message and the product and brand. The research analysed all programming contents from a sample of national stations, focusing on type, subject and length of endorsement, role of endorser, and frequency of brand mention and call to action. The results show that many cases do not respect the codes of conduct of the sector and bypass the distinction between editorial and commercial contents.

Objective: The excessive growth of the food supplements’ industry highlights the need to focus attention on all aspects involved in their proper consumption; one that takes centre stage is advertising. The aim of this research is to analyse the presence of false and misleading claims in food supplements advertising. To this end, a relationship is established between the different types of health-related claims and the substances on which they are based, whether authorised or not by EFSA. Design: This empirical work conducts a content analysis of all radio mentions broadcast throughout 2017 on news/talk radio stations. Setting: Spain. Participants: All radio mentions broadcast on news/talk commercial radio stations in Spain with the highest audience levels. The corpus is composed of 437 advertisements. Results: Results indicate that 80.3% of function claims included in the analysed advertisements are not authorised by EFSA, while 20.4% of disease claims are not allowed by EU regulation. Likewise, almost half of the substances referred to (43.7%) are illicit: 54.1% in function claims, 57.3% in disease claims, and 73.7% in the case of reduction of disease risk claims. Conclusions: This work reveals consistent failures to comply with European regulation on food supplements advertising. The widespread use of unauthorised health claims and substances is aggravated by the indirect recourse of illness as a persuasive argument, descriptions of alleged benefits as product attributes, and the omission of essential information. This leads to dangerous misinformation and can pose serious health risks. Stronger legal mechanisms are needed for effective consumer protection.