Radiocentre has opened a clearing advice service it claims will help brands navigate the complicated digital audio advertising ecosystem.
The industry body for commercial radio will advise on the compliance of ads running on digital ad platforms run by commercial radio operators, this includes streamed pre-roll ads, Global’s DAX and Bauer’s InStream service.
The unit will initially run on a six month trial period so that member stations and subscribers can submit draft ad scripts for these platforms as they would for the Clearance service. The advice will come under the CAP Code rather than the broadcast-specific BCAP Code.
It claims to have evolved its clearance services to reflect a consumer shift towards digital audio – also followed by advertising. The service will not be immediately available to those running work on streaming services like Spotify, SoundCloud, Audioboom and podcasts.
Radiocentre chief executive, Siobhan Kenny, said: “Digital audio advertising has been a big growth area for commercial radio in recent years, so it makes sense for our current clearance service to evolve and provide advice in this area too. By offering this service we can continue to support compliance and the high levels of trust in radio and audio advertising.”
Late last year, Radiocentre and The&Partnership conceived a bold campaign to influence media buyers about the lasting power of radio advertising.
RadioCentre cites figures claiming that 90% of the adult population tune into radio at least once a month with commercial radio recording a bigger audience than the BBC for a fourth consecutive quarter with 35.5m weekly listeners.
Spotify claims greater reach than commercial radio but the group has expressed doubt, saying it failed to illustrate the bigger picture.