Deloitte Digital has won round 1 of the 2022 Siren Awards for an engaging radio ad for Suzuki Australia describing a Suzuki car as “the most fun you can have on two wheels...doubled.” 
 
The ‘Motorbike of Cars’ ad, created by Charles Baylis and Matt Lawson, asks listeners to imagine the car as two motorbikes “stuck together with couches”.
 

Commercial radio advertising revenue for metropolitan stations jumped by 72.6% in the month of May to reach $59.605 million from $34.534 million a year ago, according to data compiled by Deloitte and released by Commercial Radio Australia.
 
The rise reflects a strong rebound for radio from the depths of the COVID-19 slump, as advertisers returned to the market.
 

The Australian Commercial Radio industry has announced eight creative agencies as finalists for the Gold Siren Award recognising the best radio ad or campaign of 2021.

GfK and Commercial Radio Australia have released the first 2021 category report on the topic of car buyers.
 
This report provides media agencies and radio sales teams an overview of some of the additional survey data available to them via Gold Standard software.
 
Key insights include:

Radio advertising revenue for metropolitan markets improved in the March quarter, but is still down by almost 15% for the current financial year according to the latest figures from Deloitte.
 
As Australia continues to keep the pandemic under control, advertising market conditions have continued to improve for commercial radio stations in 2021, with a positive result in the month of March helping metropolitan advertising revenue reach $153.418 million in the March quarter, a 3.76% decline compared to the same period a year ago.
 

Commercial Radio Australia have announced the appointment of Jo Dick as Chief Commercial Officer, commencing on 17 May.
 
The newly created role, reporting to the CEO, will be responsible for further developing and expanding the industry’s commercial strategy to ensure radio, and its rapidly expanding digital audio ecosystem, is top of mind with key buyers and advertisers and to identify opportunities for radio in the growing audio landscape.
 

M&C Saatchi has won round five of the Siren Awards for excellence in radio advertising for its ‘Ugly, but good for you’ campaign for Steggles turkey.
 
The ‘German Jog Techno’ commercial was voted overall winner and best single ad, while the four commercials in the series were awarded best campaign.
 

Rachel Corbett (Head of Podcast and Digital Content, NOVA), Henrik Isaksson, (Regional Managing Director, Acast), Corey Layton (Head of Digital Audio, ARN/iHeart), Tanya Nolan (Head of Audio News, ABC, Australia) and Jaime Chaux  (Head Of Digital - Commercial Radio Australia) joined moderator James Cridland to discuss how Australia is both collaborating and competing in the podcasting space.

IAB’s Advertising Audio State of the Nation Report Wave 5 released at IAB’s Audio Summit, shows digital audio and podcast advertising continues to rise in Australia.
 

Regional radio surveys will resume in 2021 following a hiatus last year with the results for the Western Australian city of Geraldton to be the first to be released on March 9. 
 
25 surveys are  planned for the year with other major centres to be surveyed this year to include Hobart, Darwin, Townsville, Gosford, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and Shepparton.