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| Westwood / Cumulus' Peirre Bouvard |
A new series of studies from NCSolutions, TikTok, and Podscribe, highlighted in the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group blog by Pierre Bouvard, challenges traditional media buying assumptions, emphasizing creative quality as the primary driver of sales.
NCSolutions found that creative accounts for 50% of a campaign’s sales impact, far exceeding the 21% advertisers estimated in a February 2025 Advertiser Perceptions study, which overrated targeting’s role at 11% actual impact.
A TikTok-backed Tracksuit study showed brands with high aided awareness achieve nearly triple the purchase conversions of low-awareness brands, underscoring the importance of being “known before you’re needed.”
Podscribe’s analysis of 20 billion podcast impressions across 240 advertisers revealed smaller podcasts (under 750,000 monthly impressions) deliver double the conversions of larger shows due to higher audience engagement, resulting in lower cost per acquisition (CPA).Common ad tactics like single-show vs. run-of-network placement, host-read vs. producer-read ads, and ad lengths (30-75 seconds) showed similar cost efficiency when adjusted for CPMs.
Host-read ads generate 15% more conversions than producer reads, yet cost per acquisition costs are similar due to CPM differentials
Ebiquity’s “Profit Ability 2” meta-analysis noted nearly 60% of advertising profit impact occurs between 14 weeks and two years post-exposure.
Genre and product category also influence conversion success, with performance varying across categories despite similar CPA rates among top podcast genres. Creative strategist Chris Smith advised focusing messages concisely, noting, “A radio spot is not a hotel—you don’t have to fill all the space.”
Pierre Bouvard is Chief Insights Officer of the Westwood One Audio Active Group®.
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