Sports Radio Delivers Proof of Performance for Advertisers

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, August 29, 2025 | 2:28pm CT

Kevin Greenwald

Sports fans have long been among the most loyal and engaged audiences, and sports radio has served as their gathering place -- a space for pregame excitement, community bonding in victory, and commiseration in defeat. That passion has always made the medium a reliable play for advertisers. Now, with new attribution tools, brands can see with hard data how that emotional connection drives business results.

According to Kevin Greenwald, Senior Vice President of Advertising & Audience Products at Audacy, Sports radio has evolved into a full-funnel performance channel. "Advertisers who invest in radio are winning big," Greenwald wrote in AdAge, noting that campaigns can now be tracked from brand lift to conversion.

Case Studies in Performance

Sportsbooks have been among the earliest adopters of these new measurement tools. One online operator saw a 16-point lift in awareness and a 26% increase in intent after partnering with Audacy's local sports stations.

Another sportsbook leveraged Claritas' new pixel-based and geo-tracking capabilities for broadcast radio during a 13-week campaign. The results:

• 26,000 new customers
• Cost per conversion nearly three times lower than budgeted
• Market and creative insights identifying the highest-performing stations and messaging

The campaign also demonstrated radio's unique creative agility. More than 2,000 versions of ads were tailored to daily matchups and local markets, a level of speed and flexibility that TV and video can't match.

Host-read endorsements added an additional lift, proving once again that trusted on-air personalities have the power to move listeners to action.

Beyond Sportsbooks

The impact extends to other categories with built-in fandoms. A quick-service restaurant chain boosted in-store visits by 8% through host reads, promotions, and fast-turn creative tied to gameday rituals. In Boston, a Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram dealership saw a 10% year-over-year sales increase after activating sports talent endorsements and digital promo codes on WEEI.

A Culture of Trust and Relevance

Greenwald argues that the true power of sports radio lies beyond metrics. It's about daily rituals -- tuning in during a commute, rehashing last night's highlights with local hosts, or rallying before kickoff. "When advertisers show up in these moments, they aren't interrupting the experience, they're becoming part of the culture that unites communities," he wrote.

With measurable conversion performance, unmatched creative flexibility, and trusted voices, sports radio has cemented itself as more than a reach play. For advertisers, it's a strategy rooted in both proof and passion - a way to win with fans on and off the field.