Radio Listeners Nearly Twice As Likely To Be Auto Buyers.

As AM/FM radio continues to dominate audio listening in cars, it’s not surprising that radio remains an effective medium for auto-based advertisers.

“As a trusted medium that reaches millions of adult listeners on a weekly basis, radio can not only drive demand for auto dealers but also impact sales,” RAB Senior VP/Insights Annette Malave says in RAB’s “Radio Matters” blog. “Auto dealers have a better sales opportunity using broadcast radio to target auto buying intenders.”

Backing up this claim is a finding from market research firm Provoke Insights, based on a survey of 1,500 adults ages 21-65, showing that radio listeners are buying vehicles at nearly twice the rate of non-radio listeners (17%, vs. 9%).

Provoke’s results also show that among adults planning to purchase a vehicle, 40% of radio listeners took only days to do so, while 31% of non-listeners took weeks. “Using radio to reach auto buying intenders may sway them to one auto dealer or automotive brand vs. another,” Malave says. “The opportunity to drive auto sales is greater among radio listeners versus non-listeners.”

Related to the above, Provoke finds that of adults who purchased a vehicle in the past month, 80% planned and did research. “This is an important factor that auto dealers should address in their messaging and present themselves as an aid in that important decision-making process,” Malave says.

There are other findings of this survey that dealers should consider. Of the 17% of radio listeners who were also vehicle purchasers, the majority were male, although, as RAB’s Malave notes, women are often the influencers when it comes to vehicle purchases.

Additionally, three-fourths (75%) of auto buying planners purchased the brand or nameplate they have bought in the past, showing that, as Malave says, “when it comes to brand loyalty, those who planned their auto purchase do not stray.”