We human beings are creatures of habit. From the moment we rise, rituals guide our day. Our morning coffee and our morning workout, dropping the kids off and beginning the workday—we live our lives in a series of predictable rituals and routines that make our days more manageable and enjoyable. And these rituals, more often than not, are accompanied by our favorite audio content.
At Audacy, we started to wonder just how much of a role audio plays in our daily rituals. After all, whether it’s radio, podcasting or streaming, only audio allows a hands- and eyes-free experience. Audio is the ultimate companion, with us wherever we go, whenever we want to enjoy it. It’s the only media you can actively engage with while you're doing something else.
With our partners at Alter Agents, we decided to dig into the data to learn more. And what we learned surprised even us.
Audio lives at the heart of our daily rituals
It turns out that our favorite audio content is so important to us that we actually schedule time for it. In fact, three out of every four listeners carve out time in their day for these audio-first moments. The habit is even stronger with younger audiences; 86% of Gen Zers set aside time specifically for their favorite content.
“Listeners plan their activities around audio content," said Devora Rogers, chief strategy officer of Alter Agents. "They paint to it. They walk and exercise to it. They take audio with them to work. And audio serves as our engaged companion during more daily rituals than any other medium. We listen during 11 rituals throughout the day. That’s compared to eight for online video, six for social media and only five for TV.”
For marketers and brands, these moments unlock new opportunities to meaningfully connect with hyper-engaged listeners. Our hands and eyes may be busy during the morning commute or dog walk, but our ears and minds are open, attentive and most receptive to brand messaging, creating new “moments that matter” for marketers.
11 rituals when listeners are most engaged with audio
Often audio is the ritual
Audio isn’t just part of the ritual, but often is the ritual itself. More than 40% of audio listeners center their day around audio, arranging other activities around it. No other media commands that kind of attention. None. People are extending audio moments to satisfy their content cravings. Look at the stats below.
What it means for advertisers: Target the ritual, not just the demo
There’s a huge potential for brands to sync their media plans, become part of these rituals and connect more deeply in moments where consumers are more open to hearing brand messaging.
Any brand steward knows to pitch a sports drink to an athlete, lawn fertilizer to a gardener and diapers to a new parent. But let’s add another dimension to that: context. It’s not just who you reach but when you reach them. Savvy marketers can take audience targeting to the next level with context.
Your goal is not only to reach the right audience, but to meet your consumers in the moments that they’re ready, willing and happy to listen. Match your message to audiences’ setting, mood and activity. After all, it’s no secret that ads work best when your audience is paying attention.
“Out of context, good ads work," said Kara Mannat, executive VP, intelligence solutions, at Magna Global. "But in context, the performance of the same exact ad is amplified.”
The next phase of audience targeting is about what listeners are doing and where they are. People are deeply immersed in their rituals, and just as deeply immersed in their audio. Advertisers need to think like storytellers, not as product hawkers. Those stories that are the most compelling are the ones that are going to break through.
For more in-depth insights on brands’ role with habits and rituals, read Audacy’s State of Audio: 11 Moments that Matter
