At Commercial Radio & Audio’s (CRA) event, The Audio Edge, Jo-Ann Foo, senior director, Analytic Partners, discussed how radio drove significant omnichannel uplift for brands like McDonald’s Australia and Dan Murphy’s. These case studies showcased the pivotal role brand-focused radio ads play in boosting campaign performance, transforming the media mix beyond traditional price-driven approaches.
CRA collaborated with Analytic Partners to conduct radio trials for McDonald’s Australia and Dan Murphy’s, measuring how the shift from value to brand messaging could amplify cross-channel impact. Both brands experienced compelling results that highlight radio’s ability to enhance synergy across media platforms. Particularly when paired with the use of consistent sonic assets.
McDonald’s Australia: Driving ROI Across Channels. For McDonald’s Australia, the trial focused on shifting to brand messaging within their Surprise Fries campaign. The result was a 13% boost in return on investment (ROI), with radio also lifting TV performance by 14%, social media by 12%, and online video by 3%. This demonstrated radio’s ability to amplify a brand’s message across multiple platforms.
Dan Murphy’s: Enhancing Synergy with Brand Radio. Dan Murphy’s, which had never run brand radio ads before, saw exceptional results by incorporating radio into its “Nobody Beats Dan Murphy’s” campaign. The trial produced a 19% boost in Out-of-Home (OOH) effectiveness, an 18% increase in TV impact, and a 14% uplift in online video performance, showing radio’s potential to enhance cross-channel performance.
Here are the highlights from Jo-Ann Foo’s presentation, in her own words:
“One of the key things that we wanted to have a look at was how did radio, the addition of more brand radio, add to the wider campaign. We saw a 13% uplift in overall performance with just a slight increase in brand radio.” [McDonald’s Australia results]
“Brand messaging outperforms performance messaging 80% of the time. Things like your big brand messages versus your value or promotional messages…This is consistent across markets globally.
“With Dan Murphy’s, we added radio to the mix, and similar to McDonald’s, the results were impressive. We saw a 19% uplift in Out-of-Home (OOH), an 18% increase in TV, and 14% in online video effectiveness.
“One of the things that we see consistently across market is the synergy radio creates. Multimedia campaigns, where radio is part of the mix, consistently deliver higher returns compared to single-channel approaches.
“Radio is accessible for most brands—it doesn’t require a huge investment, but it can really drive synergy across other channels. Incrementality is key, and radio brings that incremental reach to campaigns.”