Maximize tune-in impact with custom creative: Insights for entertainment brands

New Veritonic Creative Measurement tests confirm the high conversion power of TV and movie campaigns on NPR, providing entertainment brands with a clear roadmap to maximize impact using tailored and custom creative. To determine best practices for tune-in sponsors, in-house production team NPM Creative ran four tests across radio, podcast, and custom creative spots. The tests included standard :15 radio and podcast spots, as well as mockups of Immersive and Spotlight custom products. Findings concluded that NPR listeners take action on the tune-in campaigns they hear on NPR radio and podcasts, and provided insight on tailoring sponsorship copy content and utilizing custom creative.

1. NPR listeners tune in after hearing sponsorship messages

NPR listeners are avid fans across a wide array of genres — most notably comedy, action, and drama, with thrillers and fantasy close behind. While factors like cast and plot drive initial interest, the most critical takeaway for sponsors is the direct translation into action: nearly half of NPR listeners frequently visit theaters to see movies they hear about on NPR, underscoring the powerful conversion potential of tune-in campaigns.

2. Tailoring tune-in sponsorship creative for the NPR audience maximizes impact

The public media audience responds best to specificity, and entertainment sponsorship aligns with this trend. Four key insights emerged during the creative testing:

• Highlight celebrity influence: Mentioning well-known actors drives improved performance metrics.
• Prioritize genre-specific details and vivid plot points: Evocative descriptions of the narrative or category drives higher engagement scores.
• Emphasize critical praise for podcast audiences: Mentions of reputable publications triggered notable increases in listener favorability and curiosity.
• Adopt cinematic, high-impact phrasing: Phrases like “it isn’t just a movie, it’s a moment” or “grand finale” were effective in boosting intent and engagement.

3. Custom Creative increases scores

The NPM Creative team also tested how the use of custom creative impacted scores for tune-in spots with entertainment-specific mockups for two custom products:

• Immersive Audio spots utilize custom sound design to enhance brand stories with sound effects that transport listeners to a new environment – an ideal fit for film & TV.
• Spotlights highlight unscripted, authentic brand voices to allow brands to tell their own story to the NPR audience.

The scores for these custom examples exceeded Veritonic’s benchmarks in the entertainment category and saw favorable opinions from listeners.

These tests confirm the high conversion power of TV & movie campaigns on NPR, with almost half of listeners tuning in after hearing a message. Entertainment sponsors can maximize impact by tailoring their creative with specific, evocative details, including celebrity mentions and plot points, and by leveraging custom creative products to significantly boost key performance metrics and achieve results exceeding industry benchmarks.