Marketers must shift their mindset around traditional radio to address shifting habits of how audio is consumed in today’s ever changing connected world.
Today, over half of daily listening time among people in prime advertising demos (A18-54) is to newer forms of audio2—much of which features a personal and personalized experience that barely existed 15 years ago.
Yes, AM/FM Radio still commands significant reach (49% of the four hours a day that adults 18-54 spend with audio), digital audio’s share of daily time spent listening to audio has now surpassed AM/FM Radio to 51% of daily time spent with audio.
While the decline in traditional radio listening cannot be denied, AM/FM radio is still king in the car. The vast majority of commuters still turn to radio during drive time and as a result, overall radio listenership rises on workdays and falls on weekends and holidays. These trends must be closely monitored as well, however, due to the growth in “connected car” ownership giving drivers more options for listening to digital audio in the car.
The key to effective media plans using audio messaging is to explore all of the options available and deliver a balanced approach based on the target market, the advertiser objectives and the audio consumption patterns of the defined target. Much like with video/TV, most media plans should include some components of digital audio to deliver effective reach.
