The most effective campaigns invest 11% of their media spend in audio
Campaigns with excess share of voice that invest in audio are significantly more effective than those without. With the most effective Australian campaigns investing an average of 11% of their total media spend in audio. These findings come from new analysis of every Australian Effie Award entry from 2018 to 2025, presented by Professor Mark Ritson at HEARD 2026.
What does the new research show about audio advertising?
The study found that audio campaigns deliver nearly twice the impact for new customer acquisition, brand distinctiveness and price insensitivity. Among the most effective campaigns, audio makes up an average of 11% of total media spend.
How much more effective are campaigns with audio?
Campaigns with excess share of voice that invest in audio are significantly more effective than those without.
Among these high performers, audio represents an average of 11% of total media spend.
+37%
Customer Acquisition vs 22% without audio
+40%
Brand distinctiveness vs 20% without audio
+23%
Price insensitivity vs 12% without audio
+51%
Deepening emotional appeal vs 41% without audio
Where does the data come from?
The research, drawn from the Advertising Council of Australia's (ACA) Effectiveness Database, was analysed by independent marketing consultant, Rob Brittain, and presented by Professor Mark Ritson. The analysis examined all Effie Award entries from 2018 to 2025, adding two years of data to previous findings.
The global picture at Cannes Lions
Globally, campaigns with audio outperform those without on profit, trust, price insensitivity and customer acquisition, with an average uplift of +22% across 14 measures. Audio's profit contribution also scales with media spend.
Professor Mark Ritson presented this new global evidence at Cannes Lions, reinforcing audio's role as the campaign catalyst. The research draws on the Effie x System1 global Databank of 1,262 campaigns spanning 17 years.
It also marked the first time the peak audio industry bodies of Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Ireland have joined forces to make the case for audio advertising as one global industry.
Audio is the catalyst, locally and globally
The original Australian Effie study, presented by Mark Ritson at HEARD '26, found that campaigns including audio significantly outperformed those that didn't. CRA then worked with Mark and Effie and System1 to extend the analysis to a global dataset for Cannes Lions, and the pattern held. Because the two studies use different datasets, the results aren't directly comparable, but together they tell a consistent story: audio is the catalyst in the media mix.
ABOUT THE DATA: The analysis draws from the Advertising Council of Australia's Effectiveness Database, comprising all Effie Award entries (n=595) from 2018 to 2025. These represent the pinnacle of advertising effectiveness in Australia, making it the gold-standard dataset for understanding which channel combinations drive business outcomes.