As Streaming Audio Grows, So Too Does Ad Inventory
We’ve talked in the past about emerging opportunities for advertisers in streaming digital audio. Now, a few recently released studies show that digital audio is a great way for marketers to reach potential customers.
First up, the annual Infinite Dial study published by Edison Research and Triton Digital highlights the massive year-over-year growth that podcasts have experienced. These findings include:
- More than 50 percent of Americans aged 12 and older have listened to a podcast at least once;
- Approximately 90 million people listen to a podcast once per month;
- Approximately 2/3rds of all Americans listen to online audio, doubling since 2012;
- Listeners spend on average 17 hours per week consuming online audio;
- Online audio is consumed across age demographics, with approximately 74 percent of adults aged 25-54 listening monthly.
As if these figures weren’t impressive enough, Adobe also recently conducted and published a study on online audio. Entitled “Perspectives on Digital Advertising,” Adobe’s study found that:
- Consumers listen to music or podcasts 1-5 hours per week on average;
- Only about 20 percent of consumers say they don’t listen to digital audio at all
- About 1/4th of consumers say they plan on increasing their consumption of digital audio in the coming year;
- Nearly 1/3 of consumers say they plan to use voice-activated speakers to listen to music or podcasts;
- 61 percent of marketers plan to invest more in digital audio;
- Marketers say they intend to increase their spend in this category by as much as 35 percent.
So, should you jump on the digital audio bandwagon? With audiences continuing to grow, now would seem like an ideal time to consider allocating part of your media budget to digital audio. One of the interesting things about this emerging medium is that there are a lot of areas where you can invest. Digital audio encompasses a wide variety of content, which is partly what makes it so popular. This includes pure music streaming from radio stations, but also other sources, as well as podcasts on nearly every single topic—news, science, history, comedy, fiction, etc. Some podcasts are akin to a radio talk show, while others include in-depth news reporting, and yet others include storytelling.
What’s the best way to dive in? Like most advertising, it’s essential to know your audience well before committing any ad dollars. And if you need help determining how to allocate your budget, we can help. Contact us to discuss opportunities you might be missing with digital audio.