Why broadcast still matters: The psychology behind audiovisual influence

If you’ve ever caught yourself humming an old advert jingle, turning up the volume to catch a trusted voice or pausing your day to watch a live news event, you’ve felt the power of broadcast media.

In a recent eMedia Monitor Knowledge Share session,media intelligence consultant Steph Bridgeman spoke with behavioural scientist and bestselling author Patrick Fagan about why TV, radio and podcasts still move us, and why organisations shouldn’t overlook them in their communications strategy.

Here are four key takeouts from that conversation, and what they mean for communicators today.

1.Pictures speak faster than words

Fagan reminded us that the human brain evolved to process images long before it mastered language. “We process visuals automatically and emotionally,” he said — a phenomenon known as the picture superiority effect.

That’s why moving images and soundtracks are so persuasive: they hit us emotionally before we can think critically. Video doesn’t just show us information; it feels like real life.

This matters for anyone managing brand reputation or corporate messaging. The impressions people form from what they see and hear on screen or air often stick long before a press release or blog post reaches them.

2.Repetition and emotion create memory

“Think of the advert melody you can’t shake, the repeated headline you hear every hour, or the campaign slogan you can recite word-for-word. Annoying? Maybe. Effective? Definitely.”

Repetition, Fagan explained, “strengthens connections in memory”, especially when paired with emotion or surprise. Broadcast naturally builds repetition: the same story or advert runs again and again, reinforcing recall and trust.

Emotion amplifies the effect. A heartfelt interview or stirring soundtrack can leave a deeper mark than any press clipping.

For communicators, it’s not just about being heard once — it’s about knowing how often and how emotionally your message lands.

3.The New Trust equation: Authentic voices

Fagan noted that audiences are shifting from polished institutions towards “authentic” voices — podcasts, livestreams, and unscripted chats.

It’s part of a cycle of trust: when people lose faith in traditional sources, they seek out others who sound like them. Three people chatting casually on a sofa can feel more credible than a corporate studio.

But the psychology of trust hasn’t changed. We still connect through tone, emotion, and empathy, and audio delivers those beautifully.

That makes it vital to track conversations across both established and emerging broadcast formats. Understanding where your story appears — and how it’s told — helps organisations navigate this new media landscape.

4.The hidden tricks of persuasion

In his book “Hooked: Revealing the Hidden Tricks of Memorable Marketing”, Fagan explains three psychological stages of influence:

1. Grab attention – through surprise, emotion, or contrast.
2. Keep engagement – by making content simple and curious.
3. Nudge behaviour – by framing messages around social proof (“everyone’s doing it”) or scarcity (“limited time only”).

These shortcuts work because our brains crave ease. Broadcast storytelling, through voice, imagery and rhythm, naturally uses them.

As Steph Bridgman reflected, even media professionals fall for these “hidden tricks”. The key, she said, is to use them ethically: to engage, not manipulate.

For organisations, that also means paying attention to how these persuasive techniques appear in coverage, from tone of voice to framing and frequency.

OuttakesBroadcast Is Changing, Its Impact Isn’t

The platforms have evolved, from TV and radio to YouTube and podcasts — but the human psychology behind them hasn’t.

Audiovisual storytelling still drives emotion, trust and memory more powerfully than text alone.

For communicators, that makes broadcast intelligence more valuable than ever. It reveals how stories travel, how audiences feel, and how reputations are shaped in real time.

That’s where eMedia Monitor comes in, providing global monitoring of audiovisual sources such as TV, radio or podcasts, that helps brands, governments and agencies stay alert to what people are really seeing, hearing and feeling. Its real-time alerts and analysis turn behavioural insight into practical awareness, showing how narratives evolve across channels and markets.

Because while the media mix keeps shifting, sound and image still rule the senses — and understanding their influence starts with knowing where, and how, those stories are being told.

Based on insights from a recent eMedia Monitor webinar featuring behavioural scientist Patrick Fagan in conversation with media intelligence consultant Steph Bridgman.