The Secret to More Profitable Marketing? Audio.

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

What if one media channel could make every other part of a marketing campaign work harder?

Guess what? There is new global research suggesting that’s exactly what audio does. An analysis of more than 1,260 Effie Award-winning campaigns found that brands included audio as part of their campaign were significantly more likely to generate profit, build trust, increase pricing power and acquire new customers. More importantly, the research proves that audio doesn’t simply contribute to campaign success – it amplifies it.

The study marks the first time the commercial audio industries in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Ireland have collaborated around a single global dataset to examine audio’s impact on marketing effectiveness. Using campaign analysis from System1, a global leader in creative effectiveness research, the findings reveal a consistent pattern across countries, industries and campaign sizes: audio acts as a catalyst that helps the entire marketing campaign perform better.

Marketers often evaluate media through impressions, clicks and other campaign metrics. This research focused on something far more important: business outcomes.

Campaigns that included audio were:

• 75% more likely to generate profit.
• 81% more likely to build consumer trust.
• 81% more likely to reduce price sensitivity, making consumers more willing to pay for the brand rather than simply choosing the lowest price.
• 19% more likely to acquire new customers.

Those results remained consistent regardless of market, industry or campaign size, demonstrating that audio strengthens marketing performance and delivers results across virtually every advertising category.

One of the study’s most important findings is that audio doesn’t compete with other media – it enhances them and boosts the impact of other media included within the marketing mix.

Whether campaigns were small, medium or large, adding audio improved performance. Even more compelling, the profit advantage increased as campaign investment grew.

Rather than functioning as another line item on a media plan, audio multiplies the effectiveness of the overall campaign.

The research also reinforces something marketers have long suspected: consumers don’t make decisions based solely on information. They respond to emotion.

Campaigns generating stronger emotional responses consistently delivered better business results. Longer-running campaigns amplified those results even further, suggesting that sustained emotional storytelling creates lasting value for brands.

This is where audio excels. Audio, and specifically radio, connects with listeners in a personal way. Music, voices and storytelling activate memory and emotion differently than visual media alone. In fact, the study found that when emotionally engaging creative also included audio, campaign performance nearly doubled.

Beyond generating emotion, successful campaigns share another important characteristic: consistency.

System1 refers to this as “fluency” or how quickly consumers recognize and process a brand. Consistent messaging and distinctive brand assets help consumers recognize brands faster, making them easier to remember and more difficult to substitute.

The research found that distinctive brand assets alone roughly doubled profitability. When combined with audio, business results improved by as much as 164%.

The takeaway is clear. Brands don’t need to constantly reinvent themselves but building recognizable, consistent creative creates stronger commercial outcomes. Good and tested radio creative has and always will be the key to a brand’s success.

The study also highlights the importance and impact of the length of a campaign.  While short-term campaigns produced measurable improvements, longer-term campaigns consistently delivered greater business impact. (This is probably a more important consideration for brands during uncertain economic times. Consistent broadcast on-air activity during uncertain times will keep a brand top-of-mind among consumers – protecting brand affinity.) Brands that combined emotional creative, distinctive branding and audio over time generated the strongest long-term results.

Rather than viewing audio as a tactical addition, marketers should consider it a long-term investment in brand growth.

Professor Mark Ritson summarized the research by describing audio as “the catalyst that makes your whole campaign work harder.” This may be the study’s most important takeaway. Ritson is one of the marketing industry’s most respected voices.  He is a brand consultant, educator and longtime columnist and is known for his practical, research-backed insights that help organizations build stronger brands and achieve better business results. 

For marketers, the findings suggest that audio/radio is far more than another media choice. It is a strategic component that improves campaign effectiveness, strengthens brand trust and drives measurable business results.

For radio sellers, this research provides more than another proof point. It changes the conversation. Rather than positioning radio, in all its forms, as simply another place to advertise, sellers can demonstrate how it strengthens the performance of an advertiser’s entire marketing plan.

As media options continue to multiply, one conclusion stands out from this global research: campaigns that include audio don’t just perform better. Those campaigns work harder for the brand.

A one-sheet of the study and complete slide presentation can be found here.