A new Quantilope study, commissioned by the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group®, shows that AM/FM radio advertising effectively builds strong unaided brand awareness for local businesses in Lake Charles, Louisiana, helping them become "known before they're needed" in key service categories: plumbing, HVAC, and automotive repair.
The study surveyed 100 consumers from August to October 2025 and measured unaided awareness (top-of-mind recall without prompts).
Key results highlight radio's impact:
- Plumbing services: Able Plumbing leads the market with 14% unaided awareness, surpassing national brands like Roto-Rooter, Lowe’s, Ace, and Home Depot. Notably, 29% of consumers cannot name any plumbing service provider.
- HVAC/heating and air conditioning: Burnworth’s AC ranks as the top local brand; 25% of the market cannot name any provider in this category.
- Automotive repair: Meads Automotive is the leading local brand (ahead of national names like AutoZone in some metrics); 23% (or about one in five) of consumers are unable to name any car repair service.
Unaided awareness serves as a vital indicator of brand strength: advertising creates lasting memories that drive sales, and stronger brands convert ad exposure into purchases far more effectively (often at rates several times higher).
Companies with high mind share sell more across price points, command better margins, and capture demand when consumers need services.
Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer at Cumulus Media | Westwood One, emphasizes that AM/FM radio's broad reach, high frequency, consistency, and memorable creative enable local advertisers to dominate mental availability and turn "mind share into market share."