With continued strong key demo reach, and listeners with higher purchase intentions across the board compared to TV viewers, AM/FM radio is not only the “the center of the total audio universe” – to quote Nielsen's “Audio Today, 2022: How America Listens” report – but should also be the focus of audio-driven ad campaigns, suggests Westwood One in its analysis of Nielsen's research.
“With consumption at all-time highs, the audio landscape has never had more potential for advertisers as the United States emerges from two years of the pandemic,” Cumulus Media Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard says, citing the results of the report profiling Americans' use of AM/FM, podcasts, streaming and satellite audio.
Focusing on AM/FM's reach among Millennials 18-34 and adults 35-49, demo groups in demand by advertisers, Bouvard points to radio’s monthly reach with each group– 87% and 93%, respectively – comparable with or ahead of smartphones and TV. With the focus squarely on 18-34s, the analysis notes that listeners of only digital audio and satellite represent just 12% of the U.S. population, making AM/FM radio’s 87% reach seven times larger than the digital-only audience.
The results of Nielsen's March 2022 study of 1,000 American adults to gauge consumer sentiment on the economy, work, shopping and activities, as the U.S. rebounded from two years of COVID, show both AM/FM radio and podcast listeners more willing than the average American to take public transportation, attend indoor and outdoor events, travel by air, work in an office setting and shop at stores in person.
Also notable from the study's results are the greater purchase intentions of heavy AM/FM listeners vs. heavy TV viewers, whether taking a trip, undertaking a major landscaping project, or purchasing new technology, a major appliance or a home entertainment item. Additionally, heavy AM/FM radio and podcast listeners are also more likely than heavy TV viewers to buy a house, or buy or lease a new or used vehicle, in the next 12 months.
“AM/FM radio and podcast listeners are fueling the post-pandemic economy with higher purchase intentions across key shopping categories than heavy TV viewers and the average American,” Bouvard says. “As such, AM/FM radio needs to also be the centerpiece of any audio marketing campaign looking to build a brand, drive sales and reach consumers at scale.”