Insite | Visual Radio Ads Boost Purchase Intent

A new national study from Quu Inc., conducted by research firm Quantilope, has revealed that visual radio ads displayed on vehicle dashboards lead to major increases in brand awareness, favorability, and consumer action — particularly among heavy radio listeners.

The study, conducted in March and April 2025, tested Quu’s Content Partnership sponsorship, available via the Quu Visual Network (QuuVN), which delivers in-dash messages during radio programming without accompanying commercial audio. Across 374 radio stations in 75 U.S. markets, national brand messages averaged over 2,000 minutes of monthly screen time per station and roughly 4,000 impressions.

Among key findings:

• 83% of consumers said they pay attention to what’s on screen while listening to radio.
• Visual radio displays drove an 89% increase in purchase intent, along with major lifts in brand familiarity (50%), favorability (58%), consideration (56%), and usage (64%) among heavy listeners (9 plus hours/week).
• Slogan familiarity rose by 57% on average, with some categories — like quick service restaurants — seeing as much as a 136% boost.

“This study confirms that visuals displayed on dashboard screens move consumers from awareness to action,” said Steve Newberry, CEO of Quu. “Combining radio’s most connected and loyal audiences with the power of a Visual Quu on screen generated a huge lift in brand equity.”

The research covered six product categories: convenience retail, consumer packaged goods, insurance, financial services, automotive aftermarket retail, and quick service restaurants. In every segment, listeners exposed to visual radio ads significantly outperformed unexposed light listeners (fewer than 3 hours/week) across all key metrics.

Sam Rogers, EVP of QuuVN, emphasized the broader implications: “This research sends a strong message to advertisers, especially national brands, that visuals displayed on the radio dramatically increase purchase consideration, intent, and usage. Brands have a powerful opportunity to supercharge campaigns by adding visual radio ads to their media mix.”

With more than 80% of vehicles on U.S. roads capable of displaying text — and over half supporting images — Quu sees visual radio as a growing frontier for brand engagement. For more information about the study or Quu’s Content Partnership sponsorship, visit QuuVN.com.