Katz Study: All-Christmas Listeners More Likely To Be Big Holiday Shoppers.

Are listeners of stations gone all-Christmas more apt to make cash registers jingle this time of year? That's what the results of Katz Radio Group's 2021 holiday music survey suggest. Katz's survey, conducted among 1,200 adults in the U.S. at the end of November, shows that fans of holiday music and radio listeners are more likely to be big holiday shoppers than the average adult.

According to the survey, more than half of holiday music fans, and 40% of radio listeners, do a lot of gift shopping, vs. 37% of surveyed adults overall. “Stations playing holiday music provide environments that connect brands to prime holiday consumer targets,” Katz's report says. “Brands that choose to advertise on radio during the holidays, especially on stations playing all-holiday music, are tapping into a festive environment that maximizes consumer engagement and emotional connection. In turn, they are reaching active consumers open to messaging and ready to shop and celebrate.”

The survey also shows that four in five adults enjoy holiday music, with that level of enjoyment consistent across all age groups. Even better news is that nine in ten adults 18-34 are fans, with more than half saying they enjoy holiday music very much. Nearly four in five adults say listening to holiday music is a tradition for them and their families, with three-fourths saying it reminds them of their childhood, with the same proportion also saying it helps put them in a better mood.

Radio is part of that enjoyment for nearly all those fans: 96% say they like when their local radio station starts playing holiday music, and four in 10 are able to name a local station that is playing these songs.

For many consumers surveyed by Katz, holiday music provides the soundtrack for many activities, even if not holiday-related. Most notably, seven in 10 listen while driving and more than half while shopping at stores.“Listeners are in the holiday spirit at home, in the car, at work and while out running errands,” the report says. “Advertisers have ample opportunity to reach consumers in different mindsets, primed for relevant messaging.”