Wondering Where to Advertise? 5 Reasons the Answer is Audio.

If we had to put money on it, we’d bet you listened to digital audio this week. Almost everyone did. That’s why it’s also where to advertise if you want the most impact.

Digital audio listeners in the US topped 218M, making up 76% of the 12+ US population. And those listeners are spending more time with digital audio compared with traditional AM/FM radio listening, averaging nearly five hours of listening each day.

Where to advertise? Compare Audio to other Media

Audio is having a moment, and there are plenty of reasons, but the root of its popularity is simple. Whether singing, talking, arguing, whispering, shouting, or reading, most of us like hearing other people. 

On to the more scientific evidence: Audio ads receive about 50% more attention from audiences compared to benchmarks across social, TV, displace, and video ads.

That attention is even more evident for podcast advertisers, who are 3.5x more likely to receive active attention during podcast ads than radio, three times more likely than on TV and in print, 2.4x more likely than streaming and online ads, and two times more likely than social media.

Linear TV is Losing Viewers

Much of today’s adult population isn’t watching traditional TV, with 64% of our listeners having cut the cord (or never purchased a satellite or cable package to begin with).

Even compared to streaming services, young adults spend more time with audio. In a 2023 study, Pandora listeners reported streaming audio is 1.6x more trustworthy and authentic than streaming video.

Millennials spend 66% more time with streaming audio compared to streaming TV. For Gen Z, it’s nearly twice as much time.

Radio is Audio Without Personalization

More than half of SiriusXM, Pandora, Soundcloud, and the SiriusXM Podcast Network listeners report replacing AM/FM listening time with streaming audio. And for the advertisers sticking with radio, it’s harder to be heard through the noise. AM/FM radio contains 50% more commercial time compared to streaming audio. It’s no wonder that digital audio ads have a 49% better lasting memory impact.

Social Media is Cluttered and Overwhelming

The overwhelming pressure of social media has finally reached a tipping point, and 58% of young adult streaming audio listeners say they turn to audio to escape visual stimulation.

Additionally, more than half of streaming audio listeners report that they are replacing social media time with streaming audio. Many are leaving the platforms altogether. For instance, 71% of SiriusXM Media audience members 18-34 don’t use X (formerly Twitter). In that same survey group, 57% don’t use TikTok, 49% don’t use Snapchat, and 37% don’t use Instagram.

Now, let’s get into why you should add digital audio to your media mix.

1. Audiences Feel a Personal Connection

Not only does digital audio allow audiences to access the music and shows they enjoy on demand, but platforms like Pandora offer curated, personalized experiences that fuel music discovery. The intimacy of the experience is something brands can tap into with audio ads that meet listeners where they are, especially with mood and activity targeting options.

When it comes to podcasts, audiences feel deeply connected to the hosts of the shows they enjoy. One in three say the hosts of their favorite podcasts feel like friends, and 42% say podcast hosts provide a deep connection that traditional media personalities lack. The host-listener relationship provides advertisers with a way to form authentication connections with consumers.

Digital Audio Allows Brands to Customize Ads

When audiences use digital audio platforms, they shared data points that platforms use to personalize listening experiences (and avoid serving ads that don’t apply to them). Using that information ethically with privacy-forward targeting options, advertisers can serve the perfect message to the perfect audience at the perfect time. 

Using dynamic audio campaigns, advertisers can create a personalized ad in real time based on data such as the weather, genre of music, geographic location, musical preferences, and thousands of datapoint combinations. 

2. Audio Goes with Them Everywhere

Most forms of media require the user to engage visually, but audio can stay on in the background while listeners go about their day. And that’s precisely what happens. Audio is a better choice for where to advertise because it’s more accessible and always on. Nearly 80% of all listening happens when visual media isn’t around.

Audio Allows Advertisers to Reach Listeners Throughout the Day.

Streaming audio is a valued companion during their daily activities. Listeners can do just about anything as they enjoy audio content: 89% listen while doing chores, 86% while driving, 82% while getting ready, 80% while cooking, 71% while exercising, 66% while working, and 46% while gaming.

3. Younger Audiences Prefer Audio

Each new generation of young people defines itself, in part, by the types of music they listen to. That’s still the case with streaming audio, only more so now that young people have access to almost any song ever recorded on their phones. 

Digital Audio Platforms Connect Brands to Gen Z and Teens.

More than three-quarters of Gen Zers listen to music daily, and more than half are listening to more audio year over year.

While young listeners report that music makes up a large portion of their identity, they’re also listening to podcasts. Nearly half of Americans 13-24 have listened to a podcast in the last month, and more than half increased their listenership during the previous five years.

 If you want a younger audience, streaming audio is where to advertise.

4. Audio Advertising Incorporates Visual Media

Just because it’s audio doesn’t mean you can’t get visual. Most people listen to streaming audio on their phones. Pandora and other audio platforms can serve visual ads to your listeners when they pick up their devices.

Listeners See Display and Video Ads at Key Moments

The SiriusXM Streaming Network offers 100% share of voice with video ads served in a clutter-free environment. Since the delivery is interaction-based, advertisers achieve a viewability rate between 80% and 90%.

5. Streaming Audio Gives Audiences More Access

The number one reason people turn to streaming is convenient access to a limitless content catalog. Listeners can easily create a new releases playlist with only songs that sound like Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors, or they can find every podcast interview their favorite comedian did in 2017. That’s unlimited possibilities for listeners and advertisers alike. 

Because listeners self-select based on their interests, you can find the audience that most overlaps with your own. The best part is that you’re finding them in a place where they feel comfortable and ready to listen to you. 

87% SiriusXM Streaming Network Listening is Ad-supported

Pandora is the trusted platform that millions of users count on to serve up favorites past, present, and future. Combine that with other platforms in the SiriusXM portfolio, like Soundcloud, the Spanish Broadcast System, idobi, and Audiomack, and you have access to one of the largest and most diverse ad-supported audiences anywhere. 

Are you still wondering where to advertise? Your audience is already streaming audio, all you have to do is find them. Let’s talk.

Learn More About Digital Audio