Study: Creative Drives Nearly Half of Ad Sales

RADIO ONLINE | Monday, April 27, 2026 | 12:28pm CT

CumulusMedia | Westwood One

A new handbook from Cumulus Media's Westwood One Audio Active Group highlights the outsized role creative plays in advertising effectiveness, drawing on research from multiple measurement firms and marketing experts.

The "Creative Best Practices Handbook," authored by Pierre Bouvard, compiles findings from extensive audio ad testing conducted with firms including ABX, Veritonic and System1, along with insights from leading marketing researchers. The report underscores that creative execution is a primary driver of campaign success, citing a Circana analysis showing creative accounts for 49% of sales impact across media campaigns.

The study also points to a direct link between strong creative and improved ad recall, noting research from Ipsos ASI that shows higher-quality creative leads to greater "breakthrough," or memorability. In addition, attention measurement research from the Association of National Advertisers and Adelaide indicates that compelling creative is critical to capturing and sustaining audience attention and forming lasting brand memories.

Findings warn that ineffective or "dull" advertising can significantly increase costs, as brands must spend more on media to achieve comparable results. Separate research cited in the handbook shows that consistent creative approaches-across messaging, assets and execution-lead to stronger brand performance and improved business outcomes.

For audio advertisers, the report outlines specific best practices, including introducing the brand within the first two seconds of an ad and repeating it multiple times, using fewer words to improve standout and response rates, and focusing on a single clear message to enhance recall. It also emphasizes the importance of clarity, pacing and audibility in production.

Emotional connection is identified as a key driver of effectiveness, with research showing that campaigns built on emotion outperform rational messaging in building brand equity and long-term growth. The use of music and sonic branding-such as jingles and audio logos-is also highlighted as a way to boost recognition and listener engagement.

The handbook concludes that consistency, simplicity and emotional resonance are central to effective audio advertising, while dismissing concerns about ad wear-out, noting that data shows audiences are less likely to tire of ads than marketers assume.

Read the entire blog post here.