Primetime, that 8-11 p.m. block of television programming, is traditionally when ratings are highest, meaning advertisers are most likely to get their largest reach during the week.
But are those peak viewing hours really the best time for brands to influence consumers? Just how prime is that time if those hours aren’t when Americans are actually going out and making purchases, dining out and running errands? Wouldn’t it be more prime to reach them just before they go out and make those buying decisions?
The good news is that brands can reach consumers when they’re making those decisions during audio’s primetime.
Audio on the go
Think about times when you’re out and about during your day—running to the grocery store, grabbing a coffee, shopping for new sneakers—you’re likely listening to something, either through car speakers or headphones. Audio naturally reaches consumers just before they make decisions about where to eat, where to shop and what brands to consider buying.
To better quantify how present audio is during key moments when consumers are most likely to be making purchases or shopping around, SiriusXM Media teamed up with Publicis Media and Edison Research to conduct a large-scale diary study on the mobility of audio. The study focused on media consumption and shopping behaviors, producing a detailed snapshot of an average day in the life of Americans throughout the week.
Daily habits and media behaviors
On a daily basis, a vast majority of Americans engage in on-the-go activities, with over seven in 10 driving or riding in a vehicle, two in three shopping either in-store or online, about half running errands and almost four in 10 visiting a restaurant, bar or coffee shop. People are most likely to spend time out of home during the daytime hours, with 10 a.m. to noon being the peak window when people are away from home.
From the morning up until the evening hours, audio consumption is higher than TV and video consumption, particularly between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
With so much activity happening while consumers are out and about, there are ample opportunities for purchases. About two in three Americans bought something in their diary day; typically food, household products or groceries, beauty or health products, pet products, or fashion items. These purchases are not always mapped out and planned–in fact, one in three consumers made a spontaneous decision to shop for or purchase a product during their diary day.
When looking at what forms of media Americans are turning to in their daily lives, audio reigns supreme as the top media activity. Audio is virtually ubiquitous, with 95% of Americans ages 18 to 54 listening to some form of audio in their day, followed by 93% browsing the internet, 91% using smartphone apps, 89% watching some form of TV or video services and 87% scrolling social media.
Introducing audio’s primetime
Knowing that audio is an important companion for virtually all Americans, the study digs deeper into how listening stacks up against TV, connected TV and video. The study found that from the morning up until the evening hours, audio consumption is higher than TV and video consumption, particularly between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In the 10 a.m. to noon window, for example, 51% of Americans ages 18 to 54 listened to audio compared to just 37% who watched TV or video. This pattern holds true when looking at those who shopped in stores and online, who dined out and who made any purchase, including a spontaneous one, during the day. The widest gap was for dining out: Two in three Americans who visited a restaurant, bar or coffee shop between 10 a.m. and noon listened to audio in that same timeframe, compared to just 43% who watched TV or video.
Just how crucial is that daytime window between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.? A vast majority of all purchases occur in that timeframe. Eight in 10 of those who shopped in person and 77% of those who shopped online on their diary day did so within that time frame. Three in four of those who dined out and 85% of those who ran errands did so in those hours.
Maybe primetime has been a bit of a misnomer all along. If brands are looking to reach people in the window of making a purchase decision, the hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. are truly primetime, and audio is where they can find them.
The audio advertising opportunity
Audio’s primetime aligns nicely with the key daytime windows when purchasing decisions are being made. From streaming audio to podcasts to radio, ad-supported audio is incredibly popular among Americans. When zooming in on ad-supported streaming audio, almost half of Americans ages 18 to 54 listen each day, presenting brands with a great reach opportunity.
“Over one in three say that audio ads are more likely to make them consider a product or service than other ads. And over half have taken action after hearing an audio ad while they were on the go, like eating at a specific restaurant or shopping at a specific store,” said Ted A’Zary, SVP, insights and strategy, Publicis Media. “These findings confirm audio’s influence and impact as a lower-funnel tactic. Consumers who are on the go are often listening to audio channels at elevated levels at the same time—making audio the last chance to reach those consumers before they spend.”
Brands that are looking to connect with consumers just before they’ve decided where to grab lunch, what movie to see or where to shop for a new outfit should look no further than audio.
