Media multitasking and the effectiveness of combining online and radio advertising

Research on the effectiveness of cross-media campaigns has shown that combining online advertising with advertising in offline media can result in more positive consumer responses than using only one medium. However, when using computers, people increasingly engage in more than one media activity at a time (i.e. media multitasking), which might influence how consumers respond to advertisements they encounter in these media. Therefore, this paper investigates advertising effects during media multitasking. More specifically, the paper gives insight into the effectiveness of simultaneous exposure to online and radio advertising, because simultaneously surfing the internet and listening to the radio is a common media multitasking combination. Results of an experimental study with 111 participants showed that combining online and radio advertising resulted in more positive affective and behavioral responses than using only one medium. However, media multitasking seemed to have a negative influence on the recall and recognition of auditory information as combining media did not result in superior cognitive responses compared to using online ads alone.

► I examine effects of combining banners and radio ads during media multitasking.
► In an experiment, participants were exposed to banners, radio ads, or both.
► Regarding affective and behavioral effects, combining online and radio ads was best.
► Regarding cognitive reactions, combining media is not better than using banners alone.
► Multitasking interfered with the ability to recall and recognize auditory information.