Many Americans continue to be cautious about going to the movies, concerts, and indoor venues, such as museums. Morning Consult’s Return to Normal Tracker for 6/11/22, however, found 62% of surveyed adults were comfortable going to the movies, 52% a concert, 57% an amusement park and 67% a museum.
As Americans increase their activities outside the home, radio is the on-the-go medium that entertains them while they travel to and from these and many other entertainment venues.
Five representative 2021 consumer/market surveys conducted by The Media Audit reveal the strong correlation between heavy radio listeners (180+ minutes during the average day) and their attendance at entertainment outside the home.
Adults 18+ in these five markets (see tables below) who are heavy radio listeners were 89% more likely, on average, to have attended a country music concert during the past 12 months than the market averages. Museum visitors also over-indexed more than the market average at 112.
Comparing Millennials and Baby Boomers who are heavy radio listeners and their attendance at five popular entertainment venues shows some interesting contrasts and why advertisers want to engage with these audiences.
Millennials are the prime consumer target audience. Advertisers who use radio and the promotion of products and services tied to their favorite entertainment outside the home are using those ad dollars more efficiently and effectively.
Although Millennials over-index for many of these entertainment choices in The Media Audit’s five representative markets, Baby Boomers over-indexed even more.
According to June 2022 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 81.7% of adults 50 to 64 and 93.6% of adults 65 to 74 had received a complete series of COVID-19 vaccinations. Many Boomers may remain cautious about attending public entertainment venues, but many feel safe enough to return to their favorite entertainment choices.
For example, in the table below, Baby Boomers in Pittsburgh who are heavily exposed to radio were 42% more likely to have visited a museum during the past 12 months than the market average. Visiting a theme park is often a favorite activity of Baby Boomers and their grandchildren, which is likely why Baby Boomers in Denver over-indexed at 69%.
With the start of the summer 2022 outdoor season, Americans are ready to enjoy themselves as they did before the pandemic. Movie theaters, concert venues, theme parks and even museums can expect substantially larger crowds of these adults with more discretionary incomes and the consumers many advertisers can reach with radio.