Customer and sales growth thanks to radio advertising - IKEA and EssenceMediacom set a clear focus on the audio medium with Swiss Radioworld

IKEA has been running audio campaigns in cooperation with Swiss Radioworld for some time now, with measurable success: thanks to radio and digital audio, the furniture store has seen a significant increase in customers and sales.

Küsnacht, September 16, 2024 - Audio is booming: according to figures from the annual IGEM-Digimonitor study on Swiss media usage, radio and music streaming reach 80% of the Swiss population every day. IKEA has also been relying on audio advertising for some time in cooperation with audio agency Swiss Radioworld.

Audio advertising with measurable positive ROI
Compared to the previous year, IKEA 2023 recorded around 66% more visitors to its Swiss stores in the third tertial (September - December 2023) thanks to audio advertising. Sales increased by 33%. IKEA has thus established a correlation between spending on audio advertising and a direct increase in store visits.

Lukas Maximilian Dittmer, Integrated Media Manager at IKEA Switzerland, comments: "We have long been convinced of the impact of radio, and the figures confirm this. We know from internal studies that our cost per visit for radio advertising is in the lower double-digit range. Audio advertising therefore cost-effectively brings visitors to our stores."

On behalf of Swiss Radioworld, Sales Director Darko Dunjic says: "As Swiss Radioworld, we are of course well aware of the potential of audio advertising. We are proud that IKEA has also recognized this potential and are delighted with our customer about the excellent results."

Focus on creative messages and targeting
For its national and area-specific audio campaigns, IKEA focused in particular on addressing the target groups directly. The spots were tailored to the interests and needs of IKEA customers. For example, topics such as living, furnishing and sustainability were addressed, products were specifically advertised and tailored targeting was used. By incorporating seasonality and location-based information as well as action-oriented messages, listeners were encouraged to shop in the stores or online.

Michael Diehr, Senior Communication Manager at the agency responsible, EssenceMediacom, explains: "Thanks to targeted, creative messages and sophisticated media planning, we were able to significantly increase the flow of customers into the stores. Our campaigns for IKEA are a prime example of what a good partnership can achieve. This is a clear breakthrough for IKEA and for us."

IKEA, EssenceMediacom and Swiss Radioworld will continue to implement further projects in the future. "Audio advertising has become an integral part of our media strategy. We are currently working with our agency to design the next radio commercials," says Dittmer.