Commercial Radio &Audio (CRA) has revealed updated findings on audio's impact on campaign effectiveness at HEARD 2026. 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 conclusion: 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.
The new research shows audio campaigns deliver nearly twice the impact for new customer acquisition (37% with audio vs 22% without), brand distinctiveness (40% vs 22%) and price insensitivity (23% vs 12%). Audio also connects with both head and heart, deepening emotional appeal (51% vs 41%).
Professor Mark Ritson said: “Audio is the catalyst in the media mix. Eight years of beautiful data confirms it: allocate11% to audio and you trigger a disproportionate effect across every key brand and business measure. This isn't theory. You're not spending more - you're making everything you already spend work significantly harder."
CRA CEO Lizzie Young said: "This data demonstrates audio’s ability to impact so many different brand and business objectives, proving audio’s contribution to driving profitable growth for brands. I couldn’t agree with Professor Mark Ritson more - it is beautiful data.”
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.
ABOUT HEARD 2026
HEARD is CRA's annual audio advertising showcase. Held at ICC Sydney on 18 February2026, the event brings together Australia's leading marketing decision-makers, media agency strategists, and brand leaders for peer learning, data-driven insights on the future of audio advertising.