Why Use Radio?

Radio continues to be a strong and effective advertising channel for businesses – it is a broadcast medium that can be accessed anywhere, anytime, by anybody. The engaging and social nature of radio and its powerful connection with its audience makes radio the perfect way to build brand awareness and stimulate digital activity.

2020 Listening Summary infographic »

The Australian radio audience continues to grow. In 2020, the five metropolitan capital cities saw nearly 11.1M listeners tune in to commercial radio each week, an increase of nearly 10% in the last five years.

Reach

Radio reaches 95% of Australians within the 5 metro capital cities each week [1]
Live Australian radio accounts for a dominant 61.3% of all audio listening each week[2]
Live Australian radio holds 74.2% share of all commercial audio listening – nearly 10x the share of ad-supported streaming services [2]
69% of the population have one or more radios in their home. [3]

Engagement

Listeners are 9x happier and more energised when listening to the radio[4]
Two thirds of radio listeners are open to advertising messages, the highest across any form of media[4]
Almost 2 in 3 radio listeners engaged with one or more of radio's other platforms in the last year (websites, social media, podcasts, apps, events or direct contact with the station). [5]

Innovation

Live Australian radio is available via DAB+ digital radio in the five metro capital cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth; as well as Hobart, Darwin, Canberra and Mandurah
75.6% of new vehicles sold with DAB+ digital radio in past year [6]
The automated holdings system now allows media agencies to interact with all radio stations’ traffic management systems electronically without the paper trail.

Trust & loyalty

9 in 10 radio listeners would miss their favourite radio show if it was taken off air permanently [7]
Radio listeners are twice as likely to have just one favourite radio station, when compared with other media [7]
Nearly 7 in 10 listeners agree that radio educates and informs them [8]
Radio is the media most associated with being spontaneous, human, accessible, personal intimate and trustworthy. [9]

Return on investment (ROI)

Radio advertising delivers an average ROI of +17%; more than online (14%) and TV (13%) [10]
Radio and online is a strong two channel combination, delivering an average ROI of +23%. [10]

Strong call-to-action

Radio advertising has an immediate effect. Over three quarters (78%) of those who heard the ads took some form of digital activity within 24 hours[11]
People are 6x more likely to go to an advertiser's website if they’ve heard them advertise on radio. [11]

Immediacy

A radio campaign can be launched with a short lead time. Radio commercials can be scripted, recorded and placed on-air within 1 week
Radio campaigns can be tailored to suit current affairs, news, weather or trends. Stations can change spot placement or live read timings with short notice.

Local and targeted

56% of listeners tune in to the radio for news, local events and traffic reports [8]
A radio campaign can be scheduled to air at a certain time of day, reaching target audiences at a time when the message is most relevant.

For more information, please email Briony McLean or call 02 9281 6577.

This data may not be used for, or in association with, any commercial purposes without Commercial Radio Australia’s prior consent.

Sources

[1] GfK Radio Ratings, SMBAP, Survey 6 2020 – Survey 4 2021, Total Radio Listeners, Cume %, Mon-Sun 12mn-12mn, All People 10+

[2] 2019 GfK Share of Audio

[3] 2020 The Infinite Dial Australia

[4] Colmar Brunton 2014 – Brand Search and Purchase

[5] GfK Radio Insights 2017 – Multiplatform Engagement

[6] Total new DAB+ enabled vehicle sales for 12 months to 30 June 2021, as sourced from VFACTS and Glass's Information Services Report, reported as a percentage of total new vehicles sold, as supplied by FCAI (Australia)

[7] GfK AudienScope 2014 – Radio: A Love Story

[8] GfK Radio Insights 2018 – Listening Drivers

[9] GfK Radio Insights 2017 – Trusted and Authentic

[10] Colmar Brunton 2015 Media Spend ROI Study

[11] Colmar Brunton 2012 Connect With Radio