LONDON: Wickes, the home improvements chain, has successfully raised brand awareness among two separate audiences and generated double digit ROI with its long-running sponsorship of Absolute Radio’s Breakfast Show – a pattern it hopes to continue as a new presenter takes over.

Since 2011, Wickes has sought to reach early-rising trade customers across the country with product messaging in the first half of the show and later-rising DIY customers with brand messaging in the second half.

Knitting it all together has been award-winning presenter Christian O’Connell, delivering a combination of scripted and off-script content. (For more, read WARC’s report: How Wickes successfully leverages radio sponsorship.)

When O’Connell announced in January he was leaving to move to Australia, there was initially some doubt as to whether the sponsorship would carry on with the new presenter, Dave Berry, but Wickes subsequently confirmed it would continue.

“It’s important the brands you’re working with are on the same page,” Berry told the annual Radiocentre conference last month.

“What’s great about Wickes staying on is you can see the relationship the Breakfast Show had with them and the things the show could do that Wickes were totally on board with because they trusted Christian and the team.

“We already have some plans we think will work nicely with Wickes,” he added. “For both parties to be creative and to be brave is key.”

According to Absolute Radio, 87% of listeners like the partnership and a similar proportion (88%) agree the sponsorship makes them remember Wickes when thinking about DIY.

It has also delivered double figure revenue ROI for every £1 invested – a year-on-year increase which out-performed all spot radio.

Sourced from WARC