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The Power of Audio See it. Hear it.

CMO Perception vs ROI Reality

When compared to other channels, radio drives impressive engagement throughout the entire funnel.
0%
more effective at driving awareness than TikTok
0%
more effective at driving consideration than OOH
0%
more effective at driving Conversion than BVOD
0%
more effective at driving Loyalty than TIKTOK
GRAPHS

The ROI reality check for marketers.

Nielsen's 2025 data exposes a critical blind spot in media planning: AM/FM radio delivers $2.00 ROI for every dollar invested, yet only 46% of marketers perceive it as effective.

This perception gap creates competitive advantage for those who follow data, not opinion.

Duncan Stewart, Director of Research, Technology, Media & Telecommunications at Deloitte, concludes: “Why do people think that nobody listens to radio anymore? Because there is a narrative that new media kills old media, so nobody bothers to look at evidence that doesn’t fit the narrative.”

While marketers chase perceived winners like Connected TV ($1.15 ROI) and Search ($1.16 ROI), radio quietly outperforms them by 74% and 72% respectively. Even video - rated effective by 65% of marketers - returns just $1.56 per dollar spent.

The business case is clear: Radio ranks second in ROI performance, yet faces the least competition for audience attention due to widespread marketer skepticism.

Sometimes the best opportunities hide in plain sight - or in this case, in plain sound. The data suggests it might be time to turn up the volume on radio while your competitors remain distracted by perception over performance.

Source: 2025 Nielsen Global Annual Marketing Survey: Nielsen Global Compass Media Mix Modeling Benchmarks (USD$)