June 26, 2023

The Power of Podcasts: See How New Balance Drove 342% ROAS with Audio

By Audacy Insights Team

What’s the best-kept secret in media? Nope – it’s not the latest TikTok trend. It’s the fact that Audio is a leader in driving impact at every stage of the marketing funnel, including the coveted purchase stage. Audio drives listeners to convert and buy products better than any other channel – even media darlings like social media, digital and online videos.

And that’s important. Because performance-focused media planners need platforms like Audio that hit the two-for-one sweet spot: high performance that’s highly trackable.

That’s why, when New Balance was ready to roll out its dynamic TWO WXY v3 basketball sneakers in a big way, its agency Mediahub turned to Audacy to put together a targeted podcast campaign that boosted awareness, tracked skyrocketing sales, and delivered killer return on ad spend.

1 leading shoe brand + 1 powerful Audio campaign = 342% ROAS

New Balance hit the ground running with a podcast campaign to launch their new TWO WXY v3 basketball sneakers. They activated Audacy’s Sports Podcast Network to reach Gen Z athletes and fans interested in performance and standout trends.

The brand shot – and scored, flying past all targets and national goals, winning a glowing reputation as the brand that delivers an edge both on and off the court, and, of course, achieving a star-studded 342% return on ad spend. Talk about nothing but net, and a game strategy that is clearly going for the win.

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New Balance continues to focus on a full-funnel marketing approach. By leaning into Audacy’s Audio platform, podcasting portfolio, and sports talent, we had the opportunity to authentically connect and engage with listeners to drive desirability, consideration, and ultimately sales for a new product line, which was successfully proven out with Audacy’s Audio attribution study.”

– Jacqueline Davis, Media Supervisor, Mediahub

How to ride high with lower-funnel conversion goals

Here are three things to keep in mind when you’re planning your next Audio campaign for lower-funnel conversions:

#1 The power of the pod: Podcast fans are not only listening to host reads, but they’re also acting on the message and making purchases based on the testimonials of the voices they love.

#2 Channel Efficiency is Key: Performance isn’t enough. TV audiences are dwindling, while digital CPMs are rising, so you also need efficiency – and when it comes to paid media options, Audio rules.

#3 Measure Like You Mean It: Advanced Audio measurement is available to track your campaigns–no matter the KPI. At the top of the funnel where you’re looking to drive brand awareness and recall, look to brand lift studies. When you move to the middle of the funnel, brand lift studies still work great to track consideration and favorability. Web lift tools also help track engagement and interest. And down at the bottom of the funnel, conversion is king. Sales conversion analysis helps track ROI. Foot traffic studies determine how many ad-exposed customers walked into your retail location. And you can even track app conversions with first time deposit, app download, and app engagement metrics.

Want to dive deeper with brand success stories? Check out our State of the Audio guide, and hear how brands including Instagram and Hyundai are turning to Audio to drive success throughout the funnel.