For most of us, daily life looks a lot different than it did six months ago. Forty-two percent of Americans are working from home full-time, according to Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom, with almost twice as many employees working from home than at work.
For a Special Work From Home Edition of its Total Audience Report, Nielsen studied the effects of working from home on Americans’ media consumption. While remote employees are consuming more media in general, radio scored higher than other media options as a working companion.
As Inside Radio reported, audio is a “constant companion” for the remote employee. Seventy-five percent of adults polled said they listen to music via AM/FM radio or streaming music services during their work-from-home hours, and 40% of those listeners do so daily.
“Rather than shutting radio out of their marketing mixes, brands might want to consider adjusting their strategies to reach listeners who may be on the job instead of on the way to one,” Nielsen said in the report.
Broadcast radio remains the leading platform for reach, with 91% of U.S. adults reached by radio each week. Streaming audio on a smartphone reaches 64% of American adults each week, up from 50% in Q1 2019. And smart speakers penetrate 33% of U.S. households, up from 28% last year.
“Many Americans have turned to radio and podcasts, even during work hours, to help them stay informed and connected to their community,” said Peter Katsingris, Senior VP, Audience Insights, Nielsen. “Brands may want to tailor their messages to better capture the attention of multi-tasking listeners, address consumers’ concerns around their community, and focus on building trust.”
Additionally, marketers should embrace the possibility that companies will embrace a larger remote workforce, even post-pandemic. “[T]hese behavior changes could be permanent,” said Katsingris. “As a marketer, thinking about more audio-integrated stories might be a great way to connect with your audience.”
For more information on how you can harness audio to reach consumers in a work-from-home economy, contact SMI today.