The peak audio industry bodies of Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Ireland have joined forces at Cannes Lions to present global evidence of audio advertising effectiveness. For the first time, CRA, Radiocentre, Radiocentre (IRE), and RAB united to bring Professor Mark Ritson to the stage for a session titled The Secret to Profit and Trust: Audio.
Drawing on the Effie x System1 global Databank of 1,262 campaigns spanning 17 years, the research proves that commercial audio significantly lifts campaign performance across key commercial levers. Campaigns utilizing audio outperform those without on profit by seventy-five percent, trust by eighty-one percent, price insensitivity by eighty-one percent, and customer acquisition by nineteen percent. Across 14 measures, the average uplift for campaigns with audio was twenty-two percent compared to those without.
The data also highlights a strong creative case. Audio nearly doubles the profit generated by emotionally driven campaigns, and its effect compounds when paired with distinctive brand assets and run consistently over time. The original study was commissioned in Australia, where CRA analyzed Effie data with independent marketing consultant Rob Brittain and Mark Ritson. This modeling has now been scaled globally and tested against a new databank from the UK, US, Europe, and Ireland.
Mike Hulvey, president and chief executive officer of RAB, stated, “These findings reinforce what our industry has long known – audio doesn’t simply complement a media plan – it amplifies it. Whether the objective is driving profit, building trust or acquiring new customers, audio consistently strengthens campaign performance.”
Professor Mark Ritson added, “The case for audio’s effectiveness is unequivocal; in every market we’ve studied globally: audio is the catalyst that makes your whole campaign work harder. For a relatively modest investment, it’s an unfair advantage hiding in plain sight. It’s the kind of evidence you cannot unhear.”
The presentation at LBB and Friends Beach was followed by a discussion with Little Black Books Managing Editor AU/NZ Brittney Rigby and System1 Chief Growth Officer Andrew Tindall. Commenting on the findings, Tindall said, “Across the globe, the data consistently proves emotional audio campaigns roughly double their profit. Pair that emotion with distinctive sonic brand assets and run it consistently, and the effect compounds again.”
Source: RAB