Radio advertising is not usually regarded as a hotbed of creativity.

But a recent study by Westwood One, the audio-media company, and Veritonic, an analytics platform for audio content, found that compelling radio spots can deliver truly powerful results for brands.

Their analysis included 164 radio ads, each of which had been recognized at one (or more) of the:

  • Radio Mercury Awards (2015, 2016, 2017 winners; 2018 finalists and winners);
  • Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (2018 winners);
  • Clio Awards (2018 winners).

Specifically, the research tracked the emotional response and shifts in purchase intent among a panel of 6,003 consumers when hearing these best-in-class commercials. And its main learnings covered:

Purchase intent

The radio ads that won top honors out-performed Veritonic’s benchmarks when it came to boosting purchase intent.