From the beginning of 2009, British Airways (BA) ran a tactical 'leisure' airtime campaign designed to stimulate immediate web traffic and sales. BA identified radio as an important media channel to drive web traffic because of its high incidence of combined radio and online usage (20% of online occasions are accompanied by radio listening), and proven ability to influence people's web behaviour. As a real time medium BA used radio modally to engage listeners at relevant times - in this instance, Friday to Tuesday, when people were more likely to go online and book holidays

Get a better understanding of how radio could drive people online to the ba.com website and ultimately deliver sales

The BA radio campaign ran from late December 2008 to the end of January 2009 in London and the South east. BA used a variety of executions to highlight the different places that they fly to and the "must do's" for each destination. The ads aimed to whet the listener's appetite for places such ass New York, Orlando and Pisa; and drive people to ba.com for more details.

Results demonstrate the important role radio played in increasing top of mind awareness (ad awareness more than doubled) as well as positive perceptions of BA at an important time for online travel searches and ticket sales. This resulted in radio successfully achieving BA's core business goals for the campaign of increasing traffic to the BA website and stimulating online ticket purchases - further proof of radio's ability to influence consumers at all stages of the purchase funnel.

RAB commentary: This bespoke study clearly demonstrates how radio can drive ROI and have a demonstrable effect on a brand's bottom line. Not only does radio shift measures such as awareness, perceptions and consideration but it also delivers significant uplifts in response - in this instance, directing listener's to ba.com and ultimately driving ticket purchases, the lifeblood of a business like BA.