iHeartRadio Australia Boosted Monthly Active Users by 17% With an Innovative Cross-Channel Campaign

For traditional media brands like radio, a dedicated following of longtime listeners doesn’t easily translate into engagement with newer platforms like mobile apps. Faced with that challenge, the iHeartRadio Australia team grew their app audience to over half a million monthly active users (MAUs).

With a focus on forming human connections with their listeners, they leveraged Braze to extend the reach of their popular audio programming via communications across channels such as in-app messaging (IAM), push notifications, and electronic direct mail (eDM), which utilizes cross-channels like email blasts, social media, and SMS. Their overall eDM open rate is 10% above the industry average.

Listen Up: iHeartRadio Australia Reinvents the Giveaway

To increase MAUs within a specific audience, iHeartRadio Australia was looking for a way to stitch together traditional media with digital channels to create an interactive campaign across all touchpoints. They targeted listeners of KIIS 1065, Sydney’s number one radio station.

Their goal was two-fold:

• Increase the number of KIIS 1065 listeners who engage with the station via the iHeartRadio app
• Raise iHeartRadio brand awareness among the station’s listeners

The iHeartRadio team devised the “KIIS 1065 Cash, Cars, and Stars” contest, which asked listeners to correctly identify five celebrity voices in order to win a car. More than just a classic promotion, the cross-channel campaign—which ran in August 2019—blended time-tested radio tactics with innovative uses of IAMs, eDMs, and push notifications.

Throughout the contest, clues about the identities of the celebrities were hidden within the iHeartRadio app. The iHeartRadio Australia team created and executed the clues via Braze using News Feed Cards and IAMs. Radio announcers supported the campaign by encouraging listeners to use the app to find the clues.

Taking it one step further, the iHeartRadio team extended the scope of the contest to create a truly special consumer experience. Listeners were asked to show up at specific locations around Sydney in order to get exclusive clues. Once there, the promotional team scanned the user’s unique code found within the app. This triggered an eDM or News Feed Card sent with a clue. iHeartRadio also used eDM and push notifications to drive overall campaign awareness.

“Braze is an integral tool in growing our audience on iHeartRadio and deepening audience engagement with our radio station brands,” said Josh Jones, Customer Loyalty and Insights Manager at iHeartRadio Australia. “Braze allows us to effortlessly plan and schedule a large volume of campaigns with the flexibility to evolve and optimize each campaign to align with On Air activity.”

iHeartRadio Australia’s Results: High Engagement and a Boost in Monthly Active Users

The contest saw strong engagement, not only within the app but with people running all around Sydney for clues. During the campaign, there was a 17% boost in MAUs, 11% uplift in time spent listening via the iHeartRadio app, and a 37% click-through rate (CTR) for clues delivered in the News Feed via Braze.

Additionally, KIIS 1065 saw its highest ever numbers for unique listeners and time spent listening in the iHeartRadio app. Overall, the iHeartRadio app experienced the most MAUs ever during the month of August 2019.

Final Thoughts

By embracing digital with an expanded cross-channel contest, iHeartRadio Australia was able to provide a comprehensive consumer experience—on air, on app, and face-to-face—that transformed listeners into active app users and built brand loyalty for years to come. This campaign demonstrates how traditional media like radio can combine established methods with a creative digital strategy and tech partners like Braze to ensure success in the face of an evolving customer landscape.

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