As radio sharpens its pitch for prospects in today’s competitive, fragmented media world, it would do well to talk up the value of its cross-platform listeners. This is the subset of your audience that consumes content over the air, online and via podcasting. These audio superfans are twice as likely than average to make a purchase after hearing audio ads, according to an Audacy X-Platform Audio Survey, conducted by Suzy Insights in June 2023.
“The universe of people who flow between linear radio, streaming content and podcasts all day long is growing by leaps and bounds,” Audacy Chief Marketing Officer Paul Suchman writes in a sponsored content op-ed in Ad Age. Referencing The Infinite Dial 2023 from Edison Research, he says these super listeners have grown by 66%. Tech-savvy multitaskers and digital natives, they’re an attractive group for advertisers. They skew younger (60% are GenZ and Millennials), are financially comfortable (67% more likely to have household incomes over $110K), and highly educated (52% more likely to have a college degree).
Importantly for advertisers, cross-platform listeners are highly trusting and engaging.
“Brands that utilize cross-platform audio—over-the-air (OTA) radio, streaming and podcasts, together as part of their media strategies—are realizing better campaign performance, better full-marketing funnel metrics and most importantly, better outcomes for their businesses,” Suchman writes in “How Cross-Platform Audio Delivers For Advertisers.”
To back up those claims, he offers a case study of a Hyundai campaign that ran consistently for a year across radio, podcasts and streaming. It included host-read ads targeting auto intenders in key lifestyle groups. Using creative testing from Veritonic, Hyundai evaluated sonic branding, voices and messages. The results: a 7.4 point lift in purchase intent and a 10.4 point jump in favorability among female listeners.
In another example, a campaign for a major sportsbook ran radio and podcast ads, allowing the client to test single channel and cross-channel audiences to compare the performance of their cross-platform strategy. The unnamed brand saw a 7% lift in awareness, a “significant increase” in favorable attitudes, and a 24% lift in intent among existing consumers and 14% lift for prospective audiences.
Most significantly, cross-platform listeners outperformed their single-channel counterparts by a landslide, which Suchman said proves “the undeniable power” of cross-platform audio advertising.
“While incorporating one audio channel will bolster every media plan, those that include radio, streaming and podcasts are real game-changers for return on spend and for creating exceptional outcomes for your business,” he concludes.
Read the piece HERE.