Nielsen: Just Because it’s Easy to Measure Doesn’t Mean it’s Effective
A new Insights piece from Nielsen looks at radio and podcasting’s value to advertisers. Titled, Everyone. Everywhere., it begins, “In the era of constant digital scrolling and fragmented attention, it’s easy for marketers to be lured by the ‘new and next.’ We often prioritize platforms based on how easily we can track a click, sometimes 
forgetting that ease of measurement doesn’t always equal effectiveness. Yet there is a legacy powerhouse that continues to outperform nearly every other medium in the one metric that matters most: actual human reach. That’s radio.” The piece underscores radio’s reach, zeroing in on the fact that radio doesn’t just reach older demos, every month it reaches the 87% of adults 18-34 – the demo often described as “digital only.” Additionally, the report says, “Americans spend nearly four hours a day with audio. Of the ad-supported time advertisers can actually buy, radio and podcasts account for 82%, while streaming music services account for only 16%. An audio plan built without both radio and podcasts misses most of the audience.”
But what about digital’s ease of attribution? The report says a survey of marketers ranked radio last out of 10 channels in perceived effectiveness, “yet it delivered a weighted ROI of $2.00, second only to social media at $2.22 and ahead of TV, display, search and CTV. Podcasts performed well too, at $1.49, comparable to TV and display. The lesson is to scale into digital without substituting away from high-reach, high-return platforms like radio.” See the rest of the story here.
for millions in ad investment were surveyed about why audio lags in media investment and why brands stand to benefit from a larger feature in media plans. The study reveals that audio has what brands need most: spectacular reach, high levels of attention, tremendous audience, and powerful performance. As an example, Audacy points to a skin care brand that used a podcast and streaming campaign to drive increased sales. 
planners). Suchman writes that this argument “is among the ultimate tussles between media planners and publishers. While some may lean more heavily toward video, we at Audacy respectfully disagree.” He makes a five-point argument in audio’s favor saying it wins in reach, time spent using, is more immersive, activates all senses, and drives recall.