THE SCOURGE of “bad” radio ads may be banished from Irish airwaves following a €100,000 investment by broadcasters in a new advertising measurement tool for media buyers.

The Independent Broadcasters of Ireland and RTÉ Radio have united to launch Radio Gauge, an online research service that tests the effectiveness of radio advertising campaigns.

Broadcasters are hoping the availability of campaign testing under Radio Gauge will help convince advertisers that it is often the message, and not the medium, that is to blame for an unsuccessful ad campaign.

“The problem we have in radio is that when companies that don’t use it very often are finally persuaded to have a go, they generally don’t make a great fist of it, so their initial feedback from the medium is quite underwhelming. And that gets us into a negative cycle where people aren’t learning to use it better,” said Jason Brownlee, who founded the research tool and has tested more than 500 radio campaigns in different countries since 2008.

Common mistakes made by radio advertisers include not maintaining a consistent creative strategy, not matching the music and voices used in radio ads to TV ads, and failure to use “established sonic brand” devices, he said.

“[Advertising] agencies have a problem. Their radio ads are bad,” said Scott Williams, chairman of the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland. The brand-testing tool should be welcomed by media buyers “who are under pressure to demonstrate value for every euro spent on advertising”, noted Antony Whittall, commercial director of RTÉ Radio.

The IBI and RTÉ Radio are inviting advertisers to take part in one of four waves of consumer research during 2012.

It is free of charge to advertisers, in the hope that the feedback will encourage the companies to maintain their investment in radio advertising.