As the film industry grapples with the financial implications of President Donald Trump’s floated, but still unsettled, proposal to impose 100% tariffs on films made outside the US, movie marketers may be missing the mark at home by not advertising more on AM/FM.
A new research report from the Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group finds ad-supported audio, particularly over-the-air radio, delivers stronger reach, awareness, and impact for theatrical and streaming movie releases than TV and social media, drawing from research by Maru, Nielsen, Edison Research, Vivvix, Lumen, and Veritonic.
This comes as the White House clarifies that no final decision has been made on President Trump’s proposed 100% tariffs on foreign-made films, prompting industry confusion over potential implementation. Trump justified the move as a way to revive domestic film production but promised to consult with the industry before proceeding.
Maru’s findings show that 93% of frequent moviegoers are reached by ad-supported audio, surpassing reach delivered by TV, social media, or video streaming ads. Heavy audio listeners were also more likely to attend movies on opening weekend, express intention to watch upcoming releases, and self-identify as “big fans” of major movie franchises.
Despite this strong performance, movie advertising campaigns still heavily rely on linear TV. Vivvix data shows that two-thirds of media budgets for films in 2024 were spent on TV, with minimal investment in audio.
Nielsen’s scenario modeling shows how that might be a missed opportunity – something that has been touched on by industry professionals before.
For example, reallocating just 20% of the linear TV budget from the Wicked promotional campaign to AM/FM radio would increase reach among adults 18–49 from 38% to 83%. A similar adjustment for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 resulted in a 4x increase in reach.
Among streaming campaigns, Nielsen evaluated Hulu’s July 2024 TV campaign, which reached 34% of the target demographic. Shifting 20% of that budget to AM/FM radio would have boosted reach by 76%. The benefit was especially notable among younger audiences and light or medium TV viewers.
Additional studies support the claim that audio ads are not only more effective in reach but also in attention. Lumen research shows that consumers often look away from video ads but stay engaged with audio content, leading to higher brand recall. Veritonic’s creative testing found that plot-driven audio ads were twice as effective at driving movie-viewing intention compared to mood-based ads. Meanwhile, Focaldata noted that rushed or noisy audio ads with fast-talking narrators or loud background music performed poorly, while slower-paced, narrative-focused ads performed best.
In an entertainment landscape increasingly shaped by economic volatility, shifting audience habits, and looming policy changes, every marketing dollar must deliver and AM/FM appears to give a much-needed edge.
The full report is available via the Audio Active Group.
