Click here to view a 13-minute video of the key findings.

Click here to download a PDF of the deck.

Over the last ten years, a vast array of marketing science studies have documented how AM/FM radio advertising can build local businesses and national brands. You can review a summary of these findings here: The Business Case for AM/FM Radio Advertising: Be Known Before You’re Needed

How does AM/FM radio generate such impressive business outcomes? AM/FM radio’s significant reach helps advertisers grow mental availability and create positive brand memories.

The objective of advertising is to increase mental availability, the propensity of a brand to be noticed and thought of in buying situations

In 66 Ways To Screw It Up: How Not to Plan, the most useful marketing strategy book ever written, authors Les Binet and Sarah Carter explain:

“The single most important factor driving brand preference is ‘mental availability’: how well known a brand is, and how easily it comes to mind. Brands with low mental availability tend to struggle, rejected in favour of more familiar rivals. Or not considered in the first place. Brands with high mental availability don’t have to push so hard to sell, so tend to have higher market shares and better margins.”

Ty Heath: The brand that’s remembered is the brand that is bought

The job of advertising to creative positive memories, reports Ty Heath at the B2B Marketing Institute: “The brand that’s remembered is the brand that is bought. The goal is not to create a lead, the goal is create a memory. Lead generation is short term. Memory generation is long term. Win the mind to win the market. Mind share equals market share.”

Brand memories are formed with mass reach advertising, a key driver of growth

In their book System 1: Unlocking Profitable Growth, John Kearon, Orlando Wood, and Tom Ewing explain, “Growth is driven by increasing sales to non-buyers and light users. Your brand needs to become more mentally and physically available to these people. Brands should focus on winning new customers, rather than trying to increase existing customer loyalty. Contrary to popular belief, targeting a wide audience and including non-users is not a waste of money. It’s a key driver of growth.”

Les Binet and Sarah Carter: Reach trumps frequency

How Not To Plan: 66 Ways to Screw It Up from Les Binet and Sarah Carter offers these recommendations:

• “Always aim to get more customers from all segments of the market. It’s the main way brands grow.
• Talk to everyone who buys your category. Talk to them regularly. Advertising memories fade.
• Go for reach, rather than frequency. Reach as many category buyers as possible.
• Don’t target too narrowly. It may be efficient, but it’s rarely effective. Tight targeting means low sales and profits.”

Given that reach is the most significant media sales driver,  smart media planners need to identify strategies to grow campaign reach.

AM/FM radio makes your media plan better by increasing reach

Here are the seven slides that reveal how AM/FM radio elevates the media plan:

1. AM/FM radio is America’s number one mass reach media among persons 25-54

If reach is the primary driver of media effectiveness, AM/FM radio is the ideal addition to the media plan that targets persons 25-54.

AM/FM radio leads all U.S. media in monthly reach according to Nielsen, Edison, and MRI Simmons. Surprisingly, podcasts, a very effective form of audio, rank number four in total U.S. monthly reach just behind Facebook, beating YouTube.

2. Among 18-34s, AM/FM radio is America’s number one mass reach media

Think AM/FM radio is not be up to the task of reaching 18-34s? Think again!

AM/FM radio leads all media for 18-34 monthly reach! Note that podcasts are a strong number two, surpassing YouTube, linear TV, Instagram, and Facebook.

3. AM/FM radio generates significant incremental reach to social media platforms

MRI-Simmons reports adding AM/FM radio to social media platforms generates impressive lifts in reach.  AM/FM radio generates:

• +25% greater incremental reach to Facebook
• +55% audience increase to Instagram
• 2X greater reach to TikTok

4. AM/FM radio generates incremental reach to YouTube

MRI-Simmons reports adding AM/FM radio to YouTube generates a +38% lift in incremental reach.

5. Podcasts and AM/FM radio are the primary drivers of audio reach

Edison’s “Share of Ear” study of ad-supported audio reveals the combined persons 18+ daily reach of Pandora and Spotify is only 12% of Americans. Adding podcasts causes reach to surge to 29%. The introduction of AM/FM radio lifts daily reach to 74%.

AM/FM radio reaches the 45% of Americans daily who are not reached by digital audio.

6. AM/FM radio makes your TV better

Nielsen Media Impact is a popular media planning and optimization platform. A Nielsen Media Impact analysis of a CPG brand’s TV campaign reveals the overlay of AM/FM radio generates significant increases in reach. The younger the demographic, the greater the lift in reach produced by AM/FM radio.

Overall, AM/FM radio increased reach for the CPG brand among persons 18+ by 51%. Among 18-24s, AM/FM radio triples the TV reach. Among 25-34s, AM/FM radio lifts reach by 2.5X. Among persons 35-44, AM/FM radio doubles reach. Among adults 45-54, the overlay of AM/FM radio increases TV reach by +54%.

7. AM/FM radio elevates the entire media plan

A pharmaceutical brand’s media plan with TV, display, paid social, print, digital video, out of home, and streaming audio generates a monthly reach of 38%. A media plan is not complete without AM/FM radio.

According to Nielsen Media Impact, shifting just 10% of the pharmaceutical brand’s media plan to AM/FM radio generates an impressive +33% increase in reach. Campaign reach surges from 38% to 50% with the same investment.

The pharmaceutical brand’s optimized media plan includes AM/FM radio as it adds significant unique reach. At 10% of the media plan, 14% of the unique audience is generated by AM/FM radio.

Key takeaways:

• AM/FM radio is America’s number one mass reach media among persons 25-54 and surprisingly, among 18-34s
• AM/FM radio generates significant incremental reach to social media platforms and YouTube
• Podcasts and AM/FM radio are the primary drivers of audio reach
• AM/FM radio makes your TV better
• AM/FM radio elevates the entire media plan with significant incremental reach

Click here to view a 13-minute video of the key findings.

Pierre Bouvard is Chief Insights Officer of the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group^®.

Contact the Insights team at CorpMarketing@westwoodone.com.