Unwrapping Your Holiday Advertising Opportunities With Audio

The holiday season is upon us. The sun is setting earlier, snow days are near, and stores across the country eagerly are ready to press play on Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Holiday shopping is already on some consumers' radars, and we made it easier for advertisers to get in their ears with our holiday marketing ideas. 

Holiday Planning Starts Earlier than You Think

Nearly half of listeners say they take advantage of deals and sales all year round for holiday shopping, and 75% of consumers say they started their holiday shopping before December.³ And as they shop, over one in three say they listen to holiday audio while shopping for gifts in-store and online.³ 

Advertisers can tap into this early holiday excitement to influence spending with themed stations on Pandora. Popular throughout the year, listening on our holiday stations really takes off in the 90-day period leading up to December 25th. 

Popularity peaks during the week of Christmas—and it’s not limited to the Pandora Christmas station. Just take a look at some of our other popular holiday-themed stations:

Today’s Christmas

• 1.4M listeners in December 2023

• 432 average minutes per listener

Holiday Hits

• 1.9M listeners in December 2023

• 359 average minutes per listener

Influence Spending Before, During, and After the Holidays

Black Friday isn’t the only time consumers are leaned in and ready to shop. Instead, they’re fully engaged for weeks after Black Friday as they search for last-minute gifts. To make the most of this timing, brands can jingle all the way through the consumer journey to Christmas Eve and beyond. Christmas Eve had the second most engagements of any week in 2023, while listeners added 40% more stations on Christmas than any other Monday in December.⁴ These dramatic upswings in listening and engagement are an opportunity for brands to reach audiences as they celebrate with family and friends. 

Be a Part of Their “New Year New Me” Plans

If you’re not planning on connecting with your audiences all the way through New Year’s Day, you’re missing out—73% of Pandora listeners ages 18+ plan to celebrate New Years Eve/Day.⁴ And New Years Eve was the third most engaged Saturday of the entire year on Pandora.⁴

New Year’s holiday listening picks up promptly after Christmas Day. And our New Year’s Eve Party station saw some of Pandora’s highest engagements on 12/26, breaking the top 25 highest engaged stations on Pandora. And with consumers traveling home after the holidays, in-car listening spikes, too—82% listen to holiday audio in the car.³ 

Get in on the Sound of Celebration

This holiday season, SoundCloud is offering a three-day takeover leading up to NYE. Your brand can be the first full-page ad users see when they come into the app for three days in a row—your chance to reach a largely addressable audience (91%) and 25M monthly active listeners. 

In addition to platform takeovers, promoted tracks are there to help advertisers maximize reach and impact potential. Your brand can seamlessly align with new music and emerging talent in a native environment where SoundCloud users are accustomed to seeing their favorite content. 

Give Your Brand Messages the Gift of Podcasts

Podcast listening has grown 313% in the last 10 years.⁶ The on-the-go, listen-anywhere nature of podcasts is what keeps listeners hooked. And people are craving the authenticity and connection podcasts offer, and that includes your ads. With 135M listeners tuning in to podcasts each month,⁶ we’ve got opportunities on top of opportunities for you to get in their ears. 

Reach Influential Girl Bosses, Mom’s, Besties, and Aunties 

Did we mention we rank #1 with women?⁷ You can reach and influence these smart, hardworking, decision-making women with strong purchasing power during the holidays and beyond with us. What’s more, the SiriusXM Podcast Network reaches 59% more female listeners the next podcast network.⁷ 

Baked-in Brand Messages Get Better with Podcast Sponsorships

Andy Cohen and Amy Sedaris are celebrating their 10th annual on-air tradition with the Holiday Hangout—a live, caller advice show with hilarious stories, hosting hacks, gift advice, and more. Get into listeners' ears as they listen to their favorite duo. 

Your brand can be a part of the satellite sponsorship that lives on as a fully baked-in message in a bonus podcast episode. The promotion includes branded touch points across our platforms, your brand logo on the show tile’s art, and special shoutouts through Andy Cohen’s Instagram page. 

Hurry Down the (Advertising) Chimney Tonight

It’s never too early to start wrapping your brand campaigns in digital audio opportunities, and consumers are ready to hear what you’ve got. Send us a chat, and your brand is guaranteed to be on the nice list. 

And don’t forget to snag our digital audio insights for the holiday season. It’s (almost) better than milk and cookies—check out our Holiday Guide for more brand opportunities.