The Numbers Behind Radio’s Power - And Why Most Advertisers Are Still Sleeping on It
There's a perception problem with radio.
Ask most business owners where they'd allocate a fresh marketing budget and they'll name social
media, Google, maybe connected TV. Radio rarely comes up first. It's seen as old-fashioned.
Something their parents' generation used to drive sales.
The data tells a very different story.
4x the Reach of AdSupported Spotify
Commercial radio reaches four times more listeners than ad-supported Spotify.
That's not a marginal advantage. That's a structural one. While streaming platforms get most of the
cultural conversation, the audience numbers remain overwhelmingly in radio's favour. When you advertise on commercial radio, you are speaking to more people — far more — than almost any audio alternative.
And critically, you're speaking to them in a consistent environment. The same listener, the same station, the same trusted relationship they've built over years of morning commutes and afternoon drives.
The SecondHighest ROI of Any Media Channel
Commercial Radio Australia ranks radio as the number two medium for return on investment across all media channels.
Think about that in context. Above social media. Above display advertising. Above most of the channels that dominate marketing budgets today.
ROI is the only metric that ultimately matters — not reach, not impressions, not engagement rates. The question is: for every dollar spent, what comes back? On that measure, radio sits near the top of every media plan it's part of.
The Budget Allocation Insight
Here's the finding that should get the attention of every business owner managing an advertising spend: reallocating just 11% of a campaign budget toward radio can significantly increase overall campaign effectiveness.
Not a wholesale shift. Not a reinvention of your media mix. Eleven percent.
This is the nature of radio's compounding effect. It reinforces messages delivered through other channels. It builds the familiarity that makes digital ads work harder. A campaign that runs across social and radio consistently outperforms the same campaign running on social alone — because audio reaches people in environments where screens can't.
1 in 3 Australians 25–54 Stream Their Favourite Stations
The streaming conversation around radio is often framed as competition. It isn't. It's expansion.
One in three Australians aged 25 to 54 stream their favourite station — which means the audience for commercial radio now extends well beyond the car. It follows the listener to the kitchen, the gym, the office, the commute on public transport.
The reach of radio hasn't shrunk with digital. For many demographics, it's grown.
Audio Is Uniquely Positioned to Influence Behaviour
Commercial Radio Australia's own research puts it plainly: audio is uniquely positioned to influence behaviour. It connects emotionally, adapts in real time, and reaches audiences in the moments that matter.
Those moments matter because they're unguarded. When someone is driving, cooking, running - they're not in scroll mode. They're not filtering. They're present in a way that screen-based media rarely captures.
This is what makes audio advertising so effective when it's done well. The message doesn't compete with visual noise. It arrives in a quiet space and, if it's crafted properly, it lands.
The Medium That Earns Its Place
Radio isn't the safe choice. It isn't the nostalgic choice. It is, by the data, one of the highest-performing channels available to Australian businesses — and it remains consistently underweighted in most advertising budgets.
At Brand New Day, we've seen what well-crafted radio advertising does for businesses that commit to it.
The numbers from Commercial Radio Australia confirm what great radio has always been: a direct line to an attentive audience, at scale, in a medium built for emotional connection.
Get in touch and let's talk about what radio can dofor your brand.
Sources: Commercial Radio & Audio Australia (commercialradio.com.au)
