Brand personification in radio advertising. Analysis of the presence and use of the figure of the spokesperson

s Introduction: As a form of brand personification, this article analyses the presence of the figure of the spokesperson in its various forms and their use in radio advertising. Methods: Quantitative content analysis has been performed on the advertising spots broadcast by the 12 national commercial radio stations with the highest audience shares in Spain (of which three are full-service and nine are themed stations). The sample of adverts featuring spokespeople was composed by 3,890 units. The type of spokesperson has been correlated with other variables such as type of advertiser, product category, type of message and subject pronoun. Results and conclusions: Radio, as a medium, is more inclined to make use of voices representing low-profile personalities to the detriment of celebrities who are featured in advertising in other media.