Commercial audio campaigns deliver significantly stronger business results than campaigns that do not use audio, according to new global research.
Analysis of 1,262 campaigns across 17 years found that campaigns including audio generated 75% higher profit. The study also reported 81% higher trust, 81% greater price insensitivity and 19% stronger customer acquisition.
The findings come from the Effie x System1 global Databank, which examined campaign performance across 14 measures. On average, campaigns using audio recorded a 22% uplift compared with those without it.
Professor Mark Ritson presented the research during a Cannes Lions session called The Secret to Profit and Trust: Audio. The presentation was organised by industry bodies from the UK, Ireland, Australia and the United States.
Radiocentre, Radiocentre Ireland, Commercial Radio and Audio, and the Radio Advertising Bureau in the US collaborated on the session. It marked the first time the four organisations had worked together to present an international case for audio advertising.
The research also found that audio roughly doubles the profit generated by emotionally driven campaigns. The impact increases further when campaigns use distinctive brand assets and are run consistently over time.
Professor Mark Ritson said: “The case for audio’s effectiveness is unequivocal; in every market we’ve studied globally: audio is the catalyst that makes your whole campaign work harder.”
Matt Payton, Chief Executive Officer of Radiocentre, said the analysis added to existing evidence that audio can increase advertising impact, business outcomes and brand trust.
The study began with analysis of Australian Effie data before being tested against a broader databank covering campaigns from the UK, Ireland, Europe and the US.
