Westwood One’s Post

Steve's Pest Control Inc. offers Madison Avenue a master class on creating future demand and how building a brand is the main driver of long-term growth and profit: https://bit.ly/3LXok3b #westwoodone Key findings: - Through its long-term use of AM/FM radio advertising, Steve’s Pest Control dominates unaided brand awareness; Across all stages of the consumer journey, Steve’s Pest Control leads the market - Compared to other categories, Steve’s Pest Control owns its category as the best-known brand - Every advertiser has two jobs: Creating future demand and converting existing demand; Steve’s Pest Control excels at creating future demand - According to System1 creative testing, Steve’s Pest Control’s AM/FM radio ads achieve nearly a three star, one of the best testing AM/FM #radio ads in the U.S.; AM/FM radio ads are most associated with Steve’s Pest Control

To understand the magnitude of the brand Steve's Pest Control Inc. built with long-term advertising on AM/FM #radio, the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group® commissioned MARU/Matchbox to conduct a study of 98 consumers in the Columbia-Jefferson City DMA in December 2023. Click below to watch a 20-minute video of Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer of the #CumulusMedia | #WestwoodOne Audio Active Group®, outlining what Steve's Pest Control can teach Madison Avenue about how #advertising really works:

Nielsen reveals the vast majority of #podcast and AM/FM #radio listeners have purchased online in the last three months. https://bit.ly/3zMqLmc #westwoodone - AM/FM radio and podcasts are ideal medium platforms for retailers and e-commerce brands: Heavy #audio listeners are more likely to shop online. Heavy AM/FM radio and podcast listeners also spend more on online than TV viewers. AM/FM radio listeners and heavy podcast listeners over-index on Amazon Prime membership and purchase intent. - AM/FM radio makes your TV better – “20 gets you 50”: Nielsen Media Impact optimizations reveal shifting more media weight to AM/FM radio generates significantly more reach, especially among younger demographics 18-49. -AM/FM radio does an extraordinary job in increasing campaign reach among light TV viewers who are far less likely to see retailer TV ads. The rule of thumb is “20 gets you 50”: a 20% shift of a TV media budget to AM/FM radio generates a 50% increase in reach. - #Audio holiday AM/FM radio campaigns work: Consumers exposed to an Amazon holiday AM/FM radio campaign have higher brand equity (awareness, ad recall, prior purchase, and purchase intent). Nielsen sales effect studies reveal AM/FM radio campaigns for retailers generate significant return on advertising spend: $15 dollars of incremental sales for every dollar of AM/FM radio advertising.

This week, Amazon has debuted its 10th #PrimeDay event, giving Prime members exclusive access to millions of deals. Since the inception of Amazon Prime Day, the #audio audience has been the engine of #ecommerce purchases. Click below to watch a 15-minute video of Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer of the #CumulusMedia | #WestwoodOne Audio Active Group®, outlining how AM/FM #radio and #podcast audiences have powered Amazon Prime Day and why retailers should give audio a starring role in their holiday media plans:

This week, Amazon will debut its 10th Prime Day event. From July 16 at 12:01 a.m. PDT through July 17, Prime members will get exclusive access to millions of deals. Since the inception of Amazon Prime Day, the audio audience has been the engine of e-commerce purchases. #CumulusMedia | #WestwoodOne Audio Active Group® blog examines how Amazon Prime Day is powered by AM/FM radio and makes the case for retailers giving audio a starring role in their holiday media plans. Key Takeaways: ◾ AM/FM radio and podcasts are ideal medium platforms for retailers and e-commerce brands: Heavy audio listeners are more likely to shop online. ◾ AM/FM radio makes your TV better - “20 gets you 50”: Nielsen Media Impact optimizations reveal shifting more media weight to AM/FM radio generates significantly more reach, especially among younger demographics 18-49. ◾ Audio holiday AM/FM radio campaigns work: Consumers exposed to an Amazon holiday AM/FM radio campaign have higher brand equity. CUMULUS MEDIA | Westwood One | Cumulus Podcast Network

YouTube is the most utilized podcast listening platform in the U.S.: 31% say it is the platform they use the most, followed by Spotify (21%) and Apple (12%). https://bit.ly/4cETmbB #westwoodone Key takeaways: - YouTube is used most among #Podcast Newcomers, Podcast Pioneers, and heavy podcast consumers - YouTube podcast audience profile: Male and younger than the Apple Podcasts audience - As the world’s entertainment search engine, #YouTube is the dominant podcast discovery platform where audiences are more likely to find podcasts - Those who discover a podcast on YouTube say they stick with the platform for video, comments, community, entertainment, recommendations, and platform features - However, the YouTube podcast audience is not exclusively tied to the platform - Watching and listening to podcasts are equally favored - Podcast Newcomers are more likely to prefer actively watching podcast videos; Those who began listening to podcasts 4+ years ago favor the audio-only experience - YouTube dominates association as the platform where podcasts can be watched and heard - Not all genres work for watchable podcasts: Consumers who prefer to watch are more likely to like News/Current Events and Sports #podcasts; Among those who prefer to listen, True Crime is the leading podcast genre - The vast majority of the Apple and Spotify platform audience uses the smartphone, while 38% of YouTube’s podcast audience uses laptops and TV

In 2021, YouTube was the third most accessed destination for #podcasts. In 2022, it tied Spotify as the platform used most among weekly podcast listeners. Now across three studies in 2023 and 2024, #YouTube has pulled away from the pack and leads as the most used #podcast audience platform in the U.S. Click below to watch a 12-minute video of Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer of the #CumulusMedia | #WestwoodOne Audio Active Group®, outlining the latest findings from CUMULUS MEDIA and Signal Hill Insights' Podcast Download - Spring 2024 Report that focus on YouTube and watchable podcasts:

In a typical day, ad-supported digital audio reaches a third of America; AM/FM radio reaches two-thirds of America; Combined, digital audio and AM/FM radio reach 75% of the U.S. daily. https://bit.ly/3XOZkSB #westwoodone Key takeaways: - Between ad-supported #Spotify and AM/FM radio, most people only listen to AM/FM radio - Between ad-supported #Pandora and AM/FM radio, most people only listen to AM/FM radio - The U.S. ad-supported audio clock: #Podcasts and AM/FM radio represent nearly 90% of tuning minutes - With a towering in-car share of 86%, AM/FM #radio is the primary way to reach consumers on the path to purchase; The proportion of AM/FM radio in-car listening has surged, returning to pre-pandemic norms - Among registered #voters across the political spectrum, AM/FM radio is the dominant ad-supported audio platform