More than six out of 10 locally produced radio commercials in the United States fail to meet effectiveness standards, with automotive and legal spots performing worst, according to a new study by yaman.AI.
The six-month analysis reviewed 5,693 commercials across 108 U.S. markets, including the top 10. The study, led by Yaman Coskun, founder of yaman.AI and former CEO of Yamanair Creative, found that only 39% of local spots scored eight or higher on a 10-point scale measuring factors like emotional resonance, brand recall and call-to-action clarity.
“As radio stations nationwide grapple with AI adoption in creative departments, we’re seeing a troubling trend in commercial quality,” said Coskun, a former creative director with more than 20 years of experience in radio.
Automotive and legal ads worst performers
Using AI analysis, yaman.AI scored commercials on emotional impact, message clarity, brand recall and call-to-action effectiveness. The methodology evaluated both creative execution and technical production quality.
The analysis from February to July 2025 revealed notable performance gaps by industry category: healthcare ads averaged 7 out of 10, home improvement ads 6, automotive and retail ads 5, and legal ads 4.
The study attributes the poor performance to a growing trend of radio management handing AI tools directly to sales staff, bypassing human creative teams in an effort to cut costs.
“Radio’s emotional power is built by humans for humans,” said Coskun. “The low-hanging fruit is enhancing creativity by equipping human talent with AI, not replacing them. AI is not an excuse to fire people — it’s a revolution to empower them.”
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