With more time at home, Americans are taking a closer look at their immediate surroundings – and wondering how they might improve them. Heading into the long Memorial Day weekend, three Home Centers & Hardware Stores were among radio’s top advertisers.
Lowe’s continues to amp up its presence, landing at No. 1 for the week of May 18-24 with a chart-topping 68,382 spot airings, according to Media Monitors which tracks advertising in 85 markets. Arch rival The Home Depot is No. 8 with 34,189 occurrences and Ace Hardware is No. 19.
“Americans are taking on more home improvement projects while stay-at-home orders are in effect,” said Media Monitors President and CEO Philippe Generali. “There’s an opportunity for manufacturers to advertise their products directly to consumers, who are very receptive at the moment.”
Relying on radio to market to home-improvement minded consumers extends to other categories and products. HomeAdvisor, the website offering home improvement recommendations, is No. 15, while Goettl Air Conditioning & Plumbing is No. 66. And within the Farming, Lawn & Garden Equipment, Products & Services vertical, John Deere is riding high at No. 47 and Scotts is No. 49.
In January, J.D. Power found 35% of consumers were planning spring home improvement projects, with painting leading the list. Spending on such projects increased by 23% in April, according to analysis conducted by Raleigh, NC-based Coastal Credit Union of their members’ credit card and debit card spending. With consumer interest in painting projects increasing, CertaPro Painters ranks at No. 85 this week with 4,503 spots.
Americans are also working on self-improvement. Subscription-based language learning app Babbel jumps to No. 2 with 61,938 spot detections, up from No. 6 one week earlier, and Arizona State University Online is No. 76.
Although home improvement has become a higher priority for sheltering-in-place Americans, the latest data shows they’re also getting out a little more. As the number of miles traveled per day continues to climb, approaching levels that preceded stay-at-home pandemic restrictions, four Auto Parts, Services & Towing clients are on the latest radio top 100. The category is led by O’Reilly Auto Parts at No. 9, AutoZone at No. 21, Advance Auto Parts-Carquest Auto Parts at No. 39, and NAPA at No. 90.
Meanwhile, COVID-19-related PSAs remain prominent on the airwaves with the National Association Of Broadcasters campaign clocking in at No. 30, iHeartRadio COVID-19 at No. 32 and the Mental Health Coalition at No. 61.
For the week of May 18-24, 2020, the top 10 on the Media Monitors list are Lowe’s at 1, Babbel at 2, Progressive at 3, US Census Bureau at 4, iHeartRadio at 5, Commencement Speeches For The Class Of 2020 at 6, GEICO at 7, The Home Depot at 8, O’Reilly Auto Parts at 9 and Allstate at 10.