RAB Highlights Broadcast Radio’s Marketing Power In Connected Vehicles.

The automobile remains one of the few media environments capable of delivering sustained consumer attention at scale, according to Radio Advertising Bureau Senior VP of Business Development Tammy Greenberg, who says broadcast radio’s dominance in the dashboard is being strengthened by advances in connected-car technology.

In a contributed article for ANA, Greenberg argues that AM/FM radio’s position in vehicles gives advertisers access to audiences in a setting largely free from the distractions that characterize other media. “In a world defined by fragmented attention, the car remains one of the few places where attention is sustained, routine is predictable, and engagement is largely uninterrupted,” she writes.

Citing Edison Research’s Share of Ear data, Greenberg notes that AM/FM radio accounts for 84% of ad-supported in-car listening, while research from Jacobs Media shows consumers value it because it is “easy and convenient” and provides the local voices and information they seek with the push of a button.

The rise of connected dashboards is also creating new marketing opportunities by pairing audio with visual messaging. Greenberg points to Quu research showing in-dash campaigns can significantly boost brand familiarity, consideration and purchase intent, while Xperi’s DTS AutoStage platform logged nearly 42 million hours of HD Radio listening across 6.5 million vehicles in a single month.

She argues those usage patterns demonstrate that “in-car listening isn’t occasional; it’s habitual,” giving marketers the ability to reach consumers during commutes, errands and other daily routines while also benefiting from improved measurement and location-based insights.

“As media continue to evolve,” Greenberg concludes, “the car continues to offer something increasingly rare: the opportunity to be heard, seen, and remembered — all within the same moment.”