Upwave Brand Effect Case Study Shows Benefits of Streaming

RADIO ONLINE | Monday, April 10, 2023 | 11:44am CT

Westwood One

Since 2016, AM/FM radio audio streaming has grown to be a major media channel available for marketers and brands. Two recent studies from Edison Research both reveal streaming's strength in reach and time spent listening. This week's Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group blog outlines the two studies and looks at the results from an Upwave brand effect study done for a shoe brand.

• Edison Research's Infinite Dial study: Advertisers can use audio streaming to reach a growing audience of habituated users: According to Edison Research's recently released Infinite Dial study, the longest-running study of consumer digital media use, online audio streaming has experienced a significant listening surge in 2022 as 70% listen weekly.

• Head snapper: AM/FM radio's 25-54 streaming audiences are +44% larger than ad-supported Spotify and Pandora combined: Among 25-54s, the ad-supported audiences of Pandora (5%) and Spotify (4%) are quite small. AM/FM radio's streaming share of 13% is +44% larger than Pandora and Spotify combined, according to Edison Research's "Share of Ear."

• Shoe brand case study: AM/FM radio streaming worked: The shoe brand's AM/FM radio streaming takeover led to consistent brand metric gains among the exposed audience. Those who were exposed to the shoe brand's AM/FM radio streaming takeover saw +38% greater aided awareness, +78% greater familiarity, +25% greater ad recall, +15% greater consideration, and +17% higher purchase intent compared to those who did not hear the campaign.

• Compared to Upwave campaign norms, the shoe brand's AM/FM radio streaming campaign drove significantly higher lift in top of funnel metrics.

• The shoe brand's campaign was successful among men with greater lift levels across all brand metrics versus Upwave campaign norms.

• Millennial 18-34s saw higher levels of brand metric lifts versus Upwave campaign norms for the shoe brand. Younger consumers experienced higher levels of aided awareness (15.3%), familiarity (13.8%), ad recall (5.5%), consideration (6.5%), and purchase intent lift compared to (3.8%) the typical campaign.

• Edison: A whopping 28% of men 25-54 AM/FM radio listening occurs via the stream, nearly three times the proportion of women 25-54.

• Affluent consumers (those with a household income of $100K+) saw higher lifts in aided awareness, familiarity, ad recall, and purchase intent for the shoe brand versus Upwave campaign norms.

• Those who were purchasing the shoe brand for their child or children saw the highest levels of brand metric lift versus Upwave norms and those purchasing for their significant others or themselves.