Digital Audio Offers Brands a "Killer Combination"

Digital audio users stream more than four hours of streaming audio per week an hour more than their AMFM radio listening time according to a new study by Pandora Edison Research and Publicis A significant number of users are shifting their valuable time from radio to digital streaming with 46 percent of streamers reporting less time spent with AMFM radio Streaming audio is also creating entirely new listening occasions with 81 percent of streamers reporting they are adding completely new time to streaming audioPortability is one of the biggest drivers With streaming apps users can play their favorite music or spoken word content across locations and devices Digital audio offers companionship for daily activities like cooking cleaning and working out while podcasts are valued in stationary moments such as eating driving and workingStreaming is a more personalized user experience than AMFM radio noted Pandora39s Senior Director of Sales Research Melissa Paris quotYou can listen to whatever you want whenever you want wherever you are and through various devices There is a high level of choice and ondemand accessquot she said quotThen pair that with the freedom of personalization and that39s really the killer combination for streaming audioquotIn the last six months that quotkiller combinationquot has been attracting more followers As the COVID19 pandemic changed Americans39 daily routines and their media consumption digital audio is attracting new users and more time from existing users noted Larry Rosin president of Edison ResearchFor instance millions of Americans now work from home and they may never return to offices That means they might spend less time listening to radio in the car or at work Conversely with more time at home and more flexibility they can explore more digital audio Plus athome connected devices such as smart speakers and smart TVs have created new ways to listen to streaming audio The chances are good these new behaviors could become longterm consumption habits Rosin saidquotIt39s now clear that the before during and after of this COVID19 period is going to be seen as much more significant than we thoughtquot he saidDigital audio39s recent growth can be attributed to two types of streamers quotlighterquot users who have typically discovered services such as Pandora more recently and frequent or quotheavyquot users who have been users for more than five years and frequent or quotheavyquot users who have been users for more than five yearsHeavy users only represent about onethird of streaming audio users but they consume 75 percent of time spent with streaming audio These streamers tend to be younger with half falling in the 18 to 34year old demographic and they39re early adopters of new tech such as smart speakers They listen to more than eight hours of streaming audio per week Edison reported and say they use streaming audio to be inspired seek companionship and to escape They often access digital audio on the go and in multiple locationsIn contrast lighter users represent more mainstream consumers who listen mostly at home They reported using streaming audio to be entertained and discover new musicWith this kind of information on hand Pandora sellers can better make their case to brands and recommend the best targeting content and solutions Paris said While advertisers and agencies are allotting more dollars to audio in general she said streaming services still spend a lot of time with brands and agencies explaining their products and their value relative to radio and other channelsquotThere39s still a lot of education we have to do to help them really understand the power of streaming audio and how they should be utilizing it and really just how to best leverage the growing spacequot Paris said adding quotStreaming audio is a medium they can39t ignore anymorequotAmong streaming39s biggest weapons she said are targeted and personalized ads based on demographics activities and even moods Another selling point is streamers39 receptivity to brand messages About half of respondents said audio ads are less disruptive than other spots and 43 percent said messaging feels more relevant than those on other platforms Heavy users are a particularly accepting audience as they are 21 percent more likely to recall a brand or message and 15 percent more likely to discover a new brand through hearing an audio adquotThe data makes a compelling case to shift dollars from radio to streaming audioquot Paris added quotStreaming audio ads are less disruptive and messages are more likely to break through given that the ad loads are so much lighter than on broadcast radioquotBrands should also look at streaming audio as an alternative to other media Rosin said In a cluttered ad market where consumers39 attention is increasingly divided between digital video and TV presenting an opportunity for audio sellers to siphon off ad dollarsClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Digital Audio Offers Brands a "Killer Combination"

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Alli Romano

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