Car Commuting Time Is Back, And Podcasts Are Along For The Ride.

In-car listening to podcasting is becoming more important, according to a new survey that shows 85% of are back to commuting to work. That is a far cry from the 48% level recorded in April 2020 when lockdowns resulted in many people working from home. The survey, conducted by Quantilope, shows 15% are working from home.

That puts a focus on what media commuters are using in the car, and the latest Edison Research Share of Ear data shows that podcasts rank second only to AM/FM radio. But the gap is wide. Commuters 18 and older say when they listen to ad-supported audio, radio gets 86% of their listening time, compared to 6% for podcasts. But podcasts have doubled the share of the ad-supported channels on SiriusXM, and more than twice the share of either ad-supported listening to Spotify or Pandora.

“For marketers and media agencies the message is clear: out-of-home media audiences have roared back as billboards, digital signage, and AM/FM radio offer mass reach at full pre-pandemic levels,” Lauren Vetrano, VP of Advertiser Measurement & Insights at Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group, says in a blog post. “The return-to-work trend has less of an impact on digital audio such as Spotify, Pandora and podcasts, which are primarily consumed at home.”

At the same time, marketers and media agencies have also returned to office work. Based on results from an Advertiser Perceptions study commissioned by Cumulus Media and Westwood One of more than 300 media agencies and brands also conducted in April, 57% say they are working in the office all or most days vs. 22% three years ago. That is a turnaround from a few years ago when there was large gap between average Americans and brands/agencies working out of home. That gap has steadily shrunk over the past year, to where both groups have close to an equal out-of-home share.

“Despite the marketing industry historically working from home more than average Americans, the new studies reveal the two groups are now mostly aligned with their commutes,” Vetrano says.

The data shows the average American is commuting to work 4.7 days, compared to 4.2 for marketers and media agency employees. But Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer at Cumulus Media and Westwood One, says among media workers who say they’re going to the office five days, that has jumped from 22% to 50% in the most recent reading. “Friday is a different story, with only 63% of marketers and media agencies showing up to the office on that day,” he notes in a video detailing the findings.

The return to the office has also resulted in an uptick for in-person activity. The survey shows 74% of marketers and media agencies say they have resumed in-person meetings with media vendors, and 76% are now attending conferences and events. “Both of those are post pandemic highs,” Bouvard notes.