Audio’s Human Connection Makes The Difference For Advertisers.

With AM/FM radio still boasting a monthly reach of 88% of Americans, according to Nielsen —connecting with consumers at scale, to give it an advantage over many other traditional media — what’s behind the success of audio media overall, making it so effective for brands?

A report from iHeartMedia boils it down to one key factor: the ability of broadcast radio, podcasts and streaming audio to build a direct, trusted relationship between creators or live hosts and their audiences, to foster credibility and engagement. 

When audio powers conversations, communities, fandoms and shared moments that shape culture every day, it works for advertisers by combining scale with personal connection, the report says, allowing brands to show up in moments when consumers are engaged, attentive and receptive.

According to the report, audio’s ability to deliver this human connection — which many media channels struggle to replicate — matters more now than ever, as consumption has become increasingly fragmented across platforms, devices and content formats, resulting in consumers spending more time filtering out messages that feel irrelevant, automated or disconnected from their lives.

At the same time, marketers continue to face the challenge of reaching large audiences while earning attention and trust. This creates a unique opportunity for audio, which offers consumers experiences that feel real, personal and human, the report says. 

With broadcast radio’s ability to reach more people today than it did 20 years ago, based on Nielsen’s research — which also shows that Americans under 50 spend more time, and Gen Z nearly twice as much time, with AM/FM radio vs. TV — this creates an environment where listeners invite hosts into their daily lives, creating a level of familiarity and trust that is difficult to achieve through many other advertising environments, and brands benefit as their messages feel less interruptive and more relevant, credible and memorable.

In terms of radio vs. TV, the report notes that the latter’s reach has declined significantly, making it a tougher sell for advertisers. Nielsen shows TV’s reach of U.S. households has fallen from 87% in 2014 to 47% in 2023, while television viewing among adults ages 18-49 declined by 61% over the last six years.

So how can advertisers use audio to improve the performance of a campaign? According to Nielsen Media Impact, shifting just 10% of a mid-range television buy to radio can increase consumer reach by 47%. Likewise, podcasts add 12 percentage points of higher brand familiarity for connected TV campaigns, and streaming audio ads also increase aided recall by six percentage points and unaided recall by four percentage points when paired with CTV campaigns. The main takeaway for brands, the report says, is that the ability to complement and strengthen other media investments makes audio a valuable force multiplier for modern marketers.