Unlock the Power of Audio for On-the-Go Advertising

Thanks to the mobility of audio, prime time no longer sits in that traditional 8PM to 11PM TV slot. Instead, as our groundbreaking Mobility of Audio Report shows, prime time has moved from the eyes to the ears—and it happens while listeners are on the go. In our latest LinkedIn Audio Event, Ted A’Zary, SVP, PMX Marketplace Intelligence at Publicis Media joined our experts Melissa Paris, VP Sales Research, SiriusXM Media and Taylor Hubbarth, Senior Sales Director, SiriusXM Media, to break down everything you need to know about this new era of prime time—and how you can use audio to drive real-time action with consumers. Tune in below as they:

• Dig into the research to show how consumer behaviors are shifting to redefine prime time media

• Offer data-backed insights into daily consumer activities and media consumption

• Explain how to leverage audio as a strategic touchpoint during key daytime hours

Hit play on the full interview below, then check out some highlights from the conversation..

Key Findings

Highlight: “Almost four in 10 respondents went grocery shopping during their day. Now, I am personally one of those people who is constantly dropping into stores multiple times a week, grabbing one or two ingredients I might need for dinner that night. But I grew up in a household where we were very planned out. We did exactly one heavily planned, heavily scheduled grocery store trip each week. So I thought maybe I was an outlier. But it seems like I'm not. And about four in 10 people grocery shop on a daily basis, which I think was pretty surprising to me.” - Melissa Paris

Listeners Spend Time with Audio Daily

Highlight: “We feel like we got a really detailed and much more evocative image of how people spent their day... So 68% of the people that were part of our study shopped on their diary day, 50% of those people shopped in person, and 41% shop online. Sixty-four percent of the people in the study purchased something, and one out of three made a spontaneous purchase of something that they hadn't planned on purchasing. We found that 37% went to a restaurant, a bar, or a coffee shop, and 25% went to a QSR, specifically. Forty-eight percent went out and ran some errands. And out of that, 48%, as Melissa said earlier, 38% or four in 10 went grocery shopping on their diary day. And then we also asked a lot about media activities and, we’re really happy to find out that audio was the number one daily media activity for all of our respondents, which really tracks with all of the other research we see showing how important audio is in consumer's daily lives. So we found that 95% listen to any audio format during the day, while 89% watched video or TV. We also know from the Share of Ear study that Edison does every year that Americans 18-54 spend over 4.5 hours with audio daily.” - Ted A’Zary

Audio On-the-Go

Highlight: “For consumers and listeners in general, audio can be a constant companion throughout the day. And I think that's really especially relevant in the car. The car is a place where visual media just isn't an option. And if you're in the driver's seat, especially, it's not a safe option. Obviously, visual media is not a great option in the car. And in today's world in terms of having so many different audio platforms, so many different audio content choices at our disposal in the car today and everywhere, there really is just something for everyone on the consumer side of things. And I think for brands, the car for many consumers is quite literally the last place they are, but the best place to reach them before they go into a store, before they go into a QSR or a coffee shop or they go grocery shopping. So audio is that unique last opportunity to get in front of them before they're making a decision about what to buy, what to eat, what to shop for. So I think the car is very important for a majority of Americans each day.” - Melissa Paris

The New Prime Time

Highlight: “The most impactful insight and portion of the study in general is just the overall importance of this 8AM. to 5PM time frame. And again, that's what we're rebranding as the new prime time of eight to five. So just to bring to light how important this day part really is, there were a really surprising number of occasions that happened between 8AM and 5PM. So just to break down four key ones for everyone: 

• We saw that 85% of respondents who ran errands during their day did so between 8AM and 5PM

• 80% of those who shopped in-store did so between 8 and 5 

• 77% of those who shopped online did so between 8 and 5. That was the surprising point that Ted already pointed out. But just going to rehash that again, 77% of people who shopped online did so between 8 and 5. 

• And finally, 75% of those who visited a restaurant bar or cafe did so between 8 and 5. So those are all really big numbers. Lots of activity happening in that day time window. 

On top of that is that we're able to make the case that this time frame could also be called audio's prime time, because what we found is that a really staggering portion of respondents who did those activities that I just talked about in that window also listen to audio in the same two-hour window when they did the activity.” Melissa Paris

Audio: The Daily Companion

Highlight: “Over 50% of our audience was listening to audio in every single day part between 6AM and 3PM, and these are in smaller chunks. So, from 6AM to 8AM, 8AM to 10AM, 10AM to noon, and then noon to 3PM is when each of those day parts, over half of our respondents, were listening to audio. While just under half were listening from 3PM to 5PM. We also found that consumers are more likely to be listening to audio than watching TV or streaming video every single day between 6AM and 5PM. When all of these activities are happening, when people are listening to audio, it's not just that they're listening to audio, but that they're a lot harder to reach with TV or streaming video during those hours. So audio is the way that you can reach them.” - Ted A’Zary

In-the-Moment Decisions Matter

Highlight: “We don't plan our mealtime decisions when we're dining out the way we do when we're grocery shopping or cooking. On the QSR front, when we're dining out, that decision is actually made in an instant. We know that about three in four of our listeners decide what to eat in the moment. Consumers weren't just listening to audio during their diary day, but listening to audio in the same time frame that they actually visited a restaurant. And that's referring back to that stat that we reviewed earlier, that 72% of those who visited a restaurant bar or cafe between eight and five also listen to audio in that exact same time frame. Audio is with them when they’re at that point of purchase and making that crucial meal time decision. So, in the moment is important for QSR.” - Taylor Hubbarth

Audio Ads Make an Impact

Highlight: “We found that 63% of respondents who listen to ad-supported digital audio have taken any action after hearing an audio ad. Over half have taken an action after hearing an audio ad while on the go, like shopping at a specific store or buying a specific specific product while out. Additionally, almost four in 10 respondents said that audio ads are more likely to make them consider a product or service compared to ads on other media—64% have taken any action after hearing an audio ad while they were on the go within the QSR space. And that's a pretty big overindex as compared to the total audience ages 18-54; It actually over indexes at 130. You can see how important on-the-go is for QSR. Within the QSR category, we see these same numbers reported back to us across key KPIs like restaurant visitation or return on ad spend. Advertisers are doing it best, leaning into tactics that map back to that same consumer need we talked about earlier. It's convenience, it's feel good.” - Taylor Hubbarth

Influence Spending with Audio Ads

Highlight: “There's a real opportunity for brands to think about audio as a lower-funnel tactic, especially during these daytime hours. We've gone through a lot of research about how important that 8AM to 5PM period is and all the activity that happens during those critical times. So much online shopping with so much in-person shopping, visiting restaurants, going on errands, going to grocery stores. That activity is not just happening on the weekends. It's not just happening on certain days, it's happening every single day. So, on any given day, you're going to find consumers who are out during these day parts, making decisions, and spending money. And there's a chance for your brand to reach them with an audio message in that time period. So really think about using audio as a lower-funnel tactic to close the deal with consumers who are primed to be receptive to your message during those daytime hours. That 8-5 window is that critical decision window. They're going to make a decision. They're going to make a purchase today. Someone is out there going to spend money.” - Ted A’Zary

Read more about the new prime time and the mobility of audio. And when you’re ready to step your advertising game up, let’s chat.