“Audio in the media mix is the catalyst” for more effective campaigns, Mark Ritson told HEARD conference delegates this afternoon in Sydney.

Presenting research about audio’s impact on campaign effectiveness,  drawn from the Advertising Council of Australia’s (ACA) Effectiveness Database, Ritson said: “Eight years of beautiful data confirms it, allocate 11% to audio and you trigger a disproportionate effect across every key brand and business measure. This isn’t theory. You’re not spending more – you’re making everything you already spend work significantly harder.”

The latest update on this research, analysed by independent marketing consultant Rob Brittain and presented by Ritson, examined all Effie Award entries from 2018 to 2025, adding two years of data to previous findings.

The conclusion: campaigns with excess share of voice that invest in audio are significantly more effective than those without. Among these high performers, audio represents an average of 11% of total media spend.

The new research shows audio campaigns deliver nearly twice the impact for new customer acquisition (37% with audio vs 22% without), brand distinctiveness (40% vs 22%) and price insensitivity (23% vs 12%). Audio also connects with both head and heart, deepening emotional appeal (51% vs 41%).

Elsewhere in the conference, Guzman Y Gomez’ ad campaigns were discussed as one example of how audio can significantly enhance a campaign with the company’s ‘sound on’ approach.