Television may capture 91% of ad spend for nasal and allergy relief products, but radio is generating stronger brand equity within the vertical despite getting a fraction of the ad dollars TV commands, according to new Cumulus Media/Westwood One research.
Quantilope surveyed 1,000 adults 35+ from March 23 through 27 on behalf of the Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group, sorting respondents into three heavy-consumption groups: AM/FM, podcasts, and TV. Each was then measured against a general population baseline for awareness, familiarity, favorability, consideration, and usage of ten nasal irrigation, congestion, and allergy relief brands.
Radio’s biggest fans posted 70% aided awareness of category brands, well ahead of the 58% general population baseline and edging out even TV’s heaviest viewers at 63%. Podcast loyalists led on familiarity (27%) and favorability (43%), while radio listeners weren’t far behind on either measure. Where the pattern turns stark is usage: 8% of radio’s heaviest listeners and 9% of podcast devotees said they currently use a category brand, more than triple TV viewers’ 2%.
That gap looks even more lopsided next to the money. MediaRadar and Magellan AI data covering January through March 2026 shows the category pouring 91% of its media budget into TV, with radio collecting just 9% and podcasts scraping by on half a percentage point. Big spenders in the category, including NyQuil, Mucinex, Sudafed, Flonase, Afrin, Sinex, Naväge, NasalFresh MD, NeilMed, and Sinupulse, are all outperforming their TV-driven reach among audio’s heaviest consumers.
When Quantilope played each brand’s actual radio spot back to respondents, the reaction split sharply by media habit. Podcast listeners liked the ad 75% of the time and radio listeners 71%, compared with 59% of the general population and just 53% of TV viewers. Audio’s heaviest consumers were also more convinced by the ad’s substance: 61% of podcast listeners called the brand trustworthy versus 43% of the general population, an 18-point swing, and 76% found it credible against 57% among the gen pop.
The ad also moved people to act. Podcast listeners said they’d research the brand further (70%), read online reviews (73%), or buy in-store (59%) at meaningfully higher rates than TV viewers, who lagged on every single follow-through measure, including a 20-point gap on reading reviews.
Among people who’ve actually used a nasal or allergy relief brand, radio tuning skews toward Oldies/Classic Hits (46%), Classic Rock (42%), and Rock (41%), with Top 40, Adult Contemporary, and Country all clustered around a third of listeners. On the podcast side, Music (29%) and News/Current Events (27%) lead, followed closely by Entertainment/Culture, Comedy, Politics/Government, and History, all around 22%.
The full study can be found via the Audio Active Group.
