Features

Nova’s new campaign tells listeners to stop thinking

Turn off your mind, and turn on your radio. This is the simple message behind Nova’s new national brand campaign, launched this morning off the back of their best survey to date, which follows the network’s most successful year in radio.

The campaign launches today, across the five capital cities that Nova broadcasts in, on digital platforms, through television commercials, and with an aggressive outdoor campaign that combines digital screens, furniture, both large and small format billboards, and good old fashioned printed street posters.

It aims to position radio generally, and Nova specifically, as a salve for modern life. We are bombarded with unsolicited — often contradictory — advice served up to us by unsympathetic algorithms, according to Nova’s chief growth officer Adam Johnson.

“Like all great campaigns, it’s built on a human insight: We are faced with endless choices these days,” Johnson says.

“Choice is a good thing for sure, but sometimes we can have too much choice. And, in an algorithmic world, we’re not always deciding, we’re being shown what we’re going to watch next, or what comes next in our newsfeed.

“And it’s all a bit much. Listening to your favorite shows on Nova is one less decision that you need to make. Don’t worry about it – we’ve got it, we’ll take it from here. Just press that one button, launch that one app or ask your smart speakers to do that one thing.”

Nova’s campaign comes off the back of its most successful year to date, in which it won the Melbourne breakfast radio wars, and saw its sister station Smooth dominate FM ratings in Sydney and Melbourne.  It started 2025 with the highest audience numbers in its 24-year-history, now reaching over 6.5 million listeners across five capital cities.

Stills from the TV campaign

The new campaign is therefore both a victory lap and a call to action.

“Within metro radio, we are the leading brand and therefore, like all leading brands, it’s incumbent upon us to remind people why the category’s great – and why people should listen to more live audio.” Also, as Johnson says, if more people tune into radio, “we benefit disproportionately than everybody else, as the biggest brand.”

Nova is also leaning into its youthful appeal with the campaign, tapping Brisbane-born, Melbourne-based graffiti artist Sofles to work on the assets. Sofles has also worked on corporate campaigns by Lego, ESPN, Marvel, Westfield, Amazon, and Red Bull.

“Despite being the biggest, Nova’s also one of the youngest brands,” Johnson says. “The campaign comes from a real place of being a challenger brand with a level of edge to it, which we’re quite keen to bring back really – to celebrate that counterculture flavour that Nova’s always had, and bring that to life.”

Adam Johnson

Johnson says live radio is also one of the few places where the content is truly unpredictable, despite the familiar voices and tight playlists.

“Live radio is the last bastion of spontaneity in media,” Johnson says. “You genuinely don’t know what what song is coming next, or what the team are going to talk about next, or what that amazing caller interaction is going to be coming.

“We believe that’s worthy of celebration. And in a world where a lot of brands are focused on their breakfast show or whatever, we have an opportunity to to elevate where our overall brand, and medium, sits in people’s minds.”

 

ADVERTISEMENT

Get the latest media and marketing industry news (and views) direct to your inbox.

Sign up to the free Mumbrella newsletter now.

"*" indicates required fields

 

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing.