Global research presented at Cannes Lions says campaigns using audio deliver higher profit, trust and customer acquisition.
The Effie x System1 global Databank study found campaigns including audio generated 75% higher profit than those without it, alongside 81% higher trust and price insensitivity, and a 19% increase in customer acquisition.
The findings were presented by Professor Mark Ritson during a Cannes Lions session organised by Commercial Radio & Audio in Australia, Radiocentre in the UK, Radiocentre Ireland and the Radio Advertising Bureau in the United States.
It was the first time the four industry bodies had made a joint international case for audio advertising.
The analysis examined 1,262 campaigns over 17 years. Across 14 measures, campaigns using audio recorded an average uplift of 22% compared with campaigns without audio.
The research also found that audio nearly doubled the profit generated by emotionally driven advertising. It said the effect increased when advertisers used distinctive brand assets and ran campaigns consistently.
Ciarán Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer of Radiocentre Ireland, said: “For brands, the Effie and System1 data is clear: audio drives significantly stronger profit, deeper trust and the price resilience that protects margins.”
Mark said: “The case for audio’s effectiveness is unequivocal; in every market we’ve studied globally: audio is the catalyst that makes your whole campaign work harder.”
The presentation, titled The Secret to Profit and Trust: Audio, was held at LBB & Friends Beach in Cannes. It was followed by a discussion involving Little Black Book’s Brittney Rigby and System1 Chief Growth Officer Andrew Tindall.
