Dentsu Study Reveals Audio Ads Outperform Video

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, August 8, 2023 | 10:53am CT

Westwood One

Dentsu, one of the world's largest media agencies, released a historic, first-ever study of media attentiveness that compared podcasts and AM/FM radio ads with all manner of visual ads. This week's Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group blog highlights findings from the Denstu study as well as multiple other studies done over the past few years on attentiveness.

• Over the last five years, a series of studies from the IAB, MARU/Matchbox and ABX reveal audio platforms and ad formats lead in consumer concentration with the lowest ad skipping

• Massive ABX creative effectiveness study of TV and AM/FM radio ads reveals "sight, sound, and motion" superiority is a myth: AM/FM radio creative effectiveness is 92% of TV at one-fourth of the CPM

• Attention is important: The more time ads are seen or heard, the greater the sales conversion

• AM/FM radio and podcast ads have the highest attentiveness of all media formats, surpassing online display, online video, social, and TV

• Attention cost per thousand: Podcasts are more efficient than TV and many digital platforms; AM/FM radio is by far the most cost-effective medium

• AM/FM radio is extraordinarily cost effective

• Audio generates +8% greater average brand recall versus Dentsu norms (38%)

• Brand choice: Podcast and AM/FM radio brand choice uplifts exceed Dentsu norms and are comparable with online video and social ads