As Americans continue to cut the cord on cable TV, brands should consider doing the same with their advertisements in favor of more radio. AM/FM outperforms cable TV when it comes to reaching key consumer demographics, according to new data on media spending and audience engagement.
A meal kit company and a subscription management app were analyzed by the Harris Poll Brand Tracker and Nielsen Media Impact. Both brands allocate most of their ad spend to TV, with minimal budget dedicated to radio, according to Vivvix and Magellan.
The meal kit service brand spent 24.9% of its media budget on cable TV from 2019 to 2024, while only allocating 7.1% to radio (including national, local, and national spot). Data shows that radio listeners who listen for more than five hours per week outperformed comparable TV viewers in key brand engagement metrics. Specifically, 56.9% of radio listeners were familiar with the brand, compared to just 49.7% of TV viewers.
Similarly, the subscription management app allocated 60.6% of its media budget to cable TV, and only 3.9% to radio. Even so, radio listeners showed strong awareness of the brand, with 61.1% familiarity, compared to 57.8% among TV viewers.
When it came to the likelihood of a consumer trying the product, radio performed significantly better than TV. 39.7% of heavy radio listeners expressed an interest in trying the meal kit service, compared to just 27.4% of TV viewers. Lower-funnel metrics such as usage and recommendations further underscore radio’s effectiveness.
For the meal kit service, 26.9% of radio listeners reported using the product, compared to just 15.6% of TV viewers. When asked if they would recommend the product, 15.1% of radio listeners said they would, compared to just 9% of TV viewers.
The data suggested that shifting just 20% of the TV budget to OTA radio would have yielded a 17% incremental reach for the meal kit service brand and a 16% boost for the subscription management app.
These findings illustrate that radio continues to be a valuable platform for advertisers, delivering stronger engagement and consumer actions compared to cable TV. As advertisers look for more efficient ways to connect with audiences, radio remains a crucial part of any modern media strategy.
