Radio is Most Trusted News Source

RADIO AUDIENCES MORE OPEN TO ADS THAN OTHER MEDIA CONSUMERS

In today's world of ever-increasing platforms, content, and claims of fake news, consumer trust is in high demand, but low supply. A recent Morning Consult poll reports encouraging news for the radio industry and advertisers - radio and trust still go hand in hand. According to data from Q1 2022, radio is the most trusted news source by Americans, with 64% of adults putting their faith in it. Radio news is more trusted than newspapers, network and cable news, and online-only news sites. And it is trusted by nearly twice as many people as social media. 

Not only is radio a trusted medium for the average American, it also earns high confidence across party lines. Radio is the most trusted news source for Republicans at 64%, surpassing all other media by double-digit margins. Independents, who have the least trust in news sources overall, still place most faith in radio news at 53%, more than 10 points ahead of cable news and online-only news sources. Democrats are generally more trusting of news sources than their political counterparts, with 72% deeming radio trustworthy. Even with such a high number, radio is the 3rd most trusted medium for Democrats, behind network news and newspapers. The news source consistently ranked at the bottom is social media - trusted by the least amount of people in each party.

Chart is interactive; click gray circle to enlarge. 

Radio is the ideal platform for advertisers, especially political campaigns, looking to make their voice heard and their message count amid trusted content. Radio, along with its streams, are trusted news environments with vested local connections to consumers across demographics and party lines. Radio provides the best chance for messaging to break through, resonate, and not be mistrusted by listeners. 

For more information from Morning Consult.

The Power of Sonic Branding

FINDINGS FROM VERITONIC'S 2022 AUDIO LOGO INDEX

Audio measurement company, Veritonic, explores the power of signature brand sounds with their annual Audio Logo Index. Analyzing nearly 100 audio logos from top U.S. consumer brands, including a dozen new entrants and some revamped logos, Veritonic once again proves that even a brief audio snippet can make lasting impressions on consumers. Veritonic judges effectiveness based on recall, correct brand and industry ID, and conveyance of brand attributes and emotional triggers - all combined into an overall Veritonic Audio Score. 

TOP BRANDS AND INDUSTRIES

This year sees a new entrant landing in the #1 brand position, Folgers, with a Veritonic Audio Score of 90. The lone CPG brand to crack the top 10 claims a spot held by insurance brands in past years. Despite missing out on the top spot this year, 3 insurance advertisers place in the top 5, and due to insurance brands' high creative resonance and brand association, the insurance category comes in as the #2 industry with a score of 75.

The standout industry this year is QSR/Restaurants, topping the industry performance chart with a score of 80, and having 4 brands in the top 10. QSR audio logos are recognized and recalled at a higher rate than other industries and have more positive emotional triggers. 6 out of the 7 QSR audio logos have Veritonic Audio Scores above the overall average of 64. 

Chart is interactive; click gray circle to enlarge. 

WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL AUDIO LOGO?

One key differentiator Veritonic has consistently found in the success of an audio logo is melody. On average, 78% of audio logos are melodic, and for good reason - consumers are twice as likely to correctly associate an audio logo if it is melodic vs  non-melodic. Brand mention, unsurprisingly, is also a big performance driver - audio logos that mention the brand name are 7x as likely to be correctly identified. Not many brands take advantage of this asset, only 29% of audio logos include the brand name. 

Beyond the development of the logo, consistency is essential to successful sonic branding. Utilizing an audio logo consistently across all marketing reinforces brand recall, creative resonance, and brand association. Brands with consistent audio logo implementations have Veritonic Audio Scores +36 points higher than those that do not - including +88 point higher ad recall, and +10 point higher creative resonance.  

For more information from Veritonic.