Sports Radio Expanding Beyond Traditional Ad Categories.

Audacy is making the case that sports radio can deliver results for advertisers well beyond the categories traditionally associated with the format, pointing to growing use by legal services, healthcare providers, grocery stores and insurance companies.

Sports radio has historically attracted advertisers in categories such as beer, snacks and automotive. While those industries remain active, Audacy says in a new Insights article, brands in a broader range of sectors are using its sports stations to reach highly engaged consumers.

“If the strongest brand-media-consumer partnerships are built on a foundation of trust, few media environments deliver like sports radio,” writes Jon Blum, Audacy Senior VP of Strategy/Partnerships/Analytics. “Listeners develop lasting relationships with their favorite hosts, stations, and teams. Avid young fans are more active with sports radio than they are with sports on linear TV or YouTube.”

Audacy says sports radio distinguishes itself from other sports media through insider perspectives, live commentary, analysis and the communities that develop around hosts, stations and teams. Audacy said fan engagement can remain particularly strong following disappointing results, with more listeners tuning in the day after a difficult loss than after a major win.

That engagement can also carry over to advertisers, according to the company. Audacy says campaigns on its sports stations can be used to support objectives ranging from product launches and app downloads to appointment bookings and sales.

The company said its sports radio properties boost purchase and usage by 40% and that seven in 10 fans say they trust sports radio sponsors. Audacy also pointed to host endorsements as a key component of the format’s advertising effectiveness.

“There’s nothing quite like the power of a host or influencer endorsement to turbo-charge a radio campaign,” Blum writes. “And sports radio hosts excel at testing, recommending, and authentically endorsing products and services to their loyal audiences. When hosts talk, fans react. One in two fans are happy to support brands recommended by their favorite sports radio personalities.”

Audacy says sports radio can also provide advertisers with access to teams, athletes and coaches through in-person events and brand activations. Those events are designed to connect advertisers directly with fans and help build longer-term awareness and brand loyalty.

The company also highlighted expanded measurement capabilities that allow advertisers to track campaign performance across digital and physical channels.

“More than ever, we’re able to demonstrate radio’s worth,” Blum explains. “Advertisers have access to a full suite of radio measurement tools. From web lift traffic time-based, spike analysis, pixel-based attribution, in-store foot traffic, and custom brand lift studies, we can demonstrate radio’s effectiveness at driving results.”

Audacy says advertisers can also use their own analytics platforms, including Google Analytics and Google Search Console, to evaluate the impact of radio campaigns.

The company is positioning the second half of the Major League Baseball season and the approaching college football and NFL seasons as opportunities for advertisers to increase their presence on sports radio, particularly brands outside the categories traditionally associated with the format.