As radio’s battle for the car continues, a new market study conducted by Quantilope and commissioned by Quu reveals that in-dash visual ads seen on infotainment systems significantly boost brand awareness, consideration, and usage for brands.
The research focused on Quu’s Visual Network and divided respondents into two groups: “Exposed” listeners who tune in for 9+ hours weekly, and “Unexposed” listeners who log less than 3 hours. Despite making up a smaller percentage of total listeners, exposed users account for two-thirds of a station’s total listening time.
Brand messages featuring logos and text were delivered to consumers via in-dash radio displays in cars with screen and text capabilities. Messages appeared approximately 4,000 times per month per station and averaged 2,000 minutes of screen time. These visuals were shown during programming without accompanying commercial audio, offering consistent brand presence without interrupting content.
Among adults with in-dash displays, 83% reported noticing what was on screen while listening to broadcast radio. This visibility translated into increases ranging from 50 to 89% in all five stages of the marketing funnel, not just the usual areas attributed to radio.
The study also found that visual radio ads increased slogan familiarity by an average of 57%, with the greatest gains in financial services (+136%) and convenience retail (+113%). Brand equity lifted across six consumer sectors: retail (convenience and automotive), CPG, insurance, financial services, and quick-service restaurants. In nearly all categories, exposed listeners outperformed unexposed counterparts by double-digit margins, demonstrating the value of combining audio reach with visual frequency.
Quu CEO Steve Newberry expounded, “Combining radio’s most connected and loyal audiences with the power of a Visual Quu on screen generated a huge lift in brand equity for advertisers across the entire marketing funnel. This study confirms that visuals displayed on dashboard screens move consumers from awareness to action.”
In 2024, Advertiser Perceptions found growing interest among agencies and advertisers in in-car visual ads synchronized with AM/FM broadcasts. Eighty percent now express interest in in-dash visuals, up from 64% in 2021, with 33% reporting they are “very familiar” with the technology, more than doubling from 15% just three years ago.
The full results of Quu’s study are now available.
Leave it to radio to spoil the intimate connection between station and listener by introducing display ads. Billboards on your dashboard. I’d expect people to turn to another content provider.
In dash ads poison the already mediocre in-car radio experience. But that’s just me.
Comments are closed.