Research

New Survey Reveals Radio Continues To Be The Most Trusted Medium In America, Helping Listeners Improve Their Mood And Feel Less Alone

Survey Shares Insight Into Why Listeners View Radio as Two Times More Trustworthy than Social Media

New York, NY – September 1, 2020 – iHeartMedia, the number one audio company in the United States, released today key findings about the benefits of radio’s role as a trusted companion during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new survey found that listeners’ trust in radio and its on-air personalities continues to grow as social media has become far less trustworthy over the past year. 

The new survey revealed that radio is number one in trust and is two times more trustworthy than social media. The survey of radio listeners found radio to be 79% percent more or just as trustworthy versus a year ago while social media is 50 percent less trustworthy during the same time period.  In particular, sentiment for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter has plummeted in recent months, with Facebook down 56 percent, Instagram down 38 percent and Twitter down 140 percent.

The survey also discovered that radio delivers tangible benefits to listeners, with an overwhelming majority of respondents citing that it improves their mood, helps them feel less isolated and more connected to their community. Listener connection with radio personalities is strong, with 77 percent trusting the information they receive from their favorite on-air hosts.

Furthermore, heavy radio listeners were found to wield tremendous word of mouth power for advertisers, having more brand conversations and more influence than heavy internet users and TV viewers.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has made it more important than ever for Americans to get information they trust and to find ways to connect with people – and these findings show that radio continues to deliver a much needed and sought out trusted companionship during this historic and uncertain time,” said Gayle Troberman, Chief Marketing Officer for iHeartMedia “At iHeart, it’s not only important that we reach nine of out of 10 Americans, but that we continue to deliver a human-first approach to programming on our more than 850 stations in over 160 markets that gives our listeners the information and listening experience they want and trust, especially during these uncertain times we are in.”

Some key findings:

Radio is the most trusted media, two times more trustworthy than social media. The survey found that for radio listeners 18-69:

75% trust radio

66% trust television

57% trust websites

38% trust Twitter

37% trust Facebook

Radio is +79% more/same trustworthy versus a year ago while social media is 50% less trustworthy versus a year ago.

Radio is the conversation medium with heavy radio listeners having an average of 88 weekly brand conversations per person.

Heavy radio listeners are 19% more likely to talk about brands than heavy TV viewers.

Source: Engagement Labs Trustworthiness Survey July 27 - 29, 2020; Engagement Labs TotalSocial, July 2019 - July 2020

New Statistics Reveal that More Americans are Listening to Podcasts Focused on Business, Finance, Entertainment and their Go-To iHeartRadio Radio Personalities and iHeartPodcast Network Shows 

NEW YORK – March 31, 2020 – iHeartMedia today announced new statistics that provide insight into how Americans are consuming a vast array of podcasts as they stay home and practice social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to seeing increased podcast listenership, especially in markets with stay-at-home orders, Americans are specifically turning to podcasts covering business, finance, education and entertainment, including shows from several leading iHeartRadio personalities - versus true crime podcast listening, which has seen a slight decline.

In addition, as news consumption grows across podcasting, the iHeartPodcast Network’s recently launched “Daily Coronavirus Update” has become one of iHeartRadio’s most listened to podcasts. The daily show hosted by Oscar Ramirez from the “Daily Dive” podcast provides stories on what to know about COVID-19 and how health and government officials are acting to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Across its more than 350 podcasts, listenership for the iHeartPodcast Network is up six percent month- over-month (month to date) as more Americans began staying at home.  That number is even higher in markets where governors announced shelter-in-place orders, with listening up 13 percent in California and eight percent in New York state in just one week.

During a time of economic uncertainty, Americans are listening to more business and finance podcasts – for which downloads and streams are up 78 percent week-over-week among the iHeartRadio Original podcasts. Listeners are also turning to music, entertainment and comedy during this time, where iHeartPodcasts have shown an increase in listening as well. In addition, listeners are staying connected with the personalities and shows they know and trust, finding human connection and conversation in the on-demand podcasts from iHeartMedia’s leading radio personalities like Elvis Duran and The Breakfast Club, all now seeing a growth in listens -- with Top 5 on-demand shows being up 9 percent month to date. Listenership of the iHeartPodcast Network’s leading educational podcasts, like “Stuff You Should Know” and “Stuff You Missed in History Class,” is also showing big growth: These popular “Stuff” podcasts are up 21 percent week-over-week. Interestingly, the true crime genre, one of the longstanding dominant genres in podcasting, is now flattening and even showing a slight decline month to date, as listeners seem to be moving away from these shows during these uncertain and stressful times.

“Broadcast radio has long served as a trusted voice in local communities during times of crisis and uncertainty, and now podcasts are also playing an integral role as a much-needed companion for millions of Americans,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network. “During this pandemic, we’re actually seeing listener interest shift on our iHeartPodcast network to genres like business, entertainment, education and news, and the seemingly unstoppable true crime format is seeing a slight dip at the moment as we move through this new, challenging territory together as a country.”

The iHeartPodcast Network is home to more than 750 original podcasts with 170 million downloads each month. iHeartRadio Original Podcasts span every category from business, sports, spirituality and technology to entertainment, family, comedy and true crime – and everything in between – making iHeartRadio the largest publisher of podcast content in the world. iHeartRadio is home to one of the most successful podcasts of all time, “Stuff You Should Know,” and creator of hits like “The Ron Burgundy Podcast,” “Disgraceland” and the “Atlanta Monster” series as well as fosters over a hundred shows from its on-air talent like the popular “Bobbycast” and “The Breakfast Club” radio show podcasts. These shows are distributed on all major podcast platforms, including the iHeartRadio app, which additionally distributes more than 320,000 shows.

Study Finds Radio Drives First Time Customers to Business Websites; and Reach, Frequency and Endorsements Play a Key Role in Successful Radio Marketing

Findings Upend Many Common Advertising Industry Misconceptions

Results Were Presented During a Special Workshop at the Automotive Analytics & Attribution Summit on November 19

New York, NY – November 19, 2019 – Marketing attribution software company LeadsRx and iHeartMedia today released the findings from their new marketing attribution study focused on automotive radio advertising. In 2018, the automotive industry accounted for $1.2 trillion in motor vehicle sales and parts sales in the U.S. The study upends common advertising misconceptions about the ways consumers shop online for cars and highlights radio’s key role in driving immediate and measurable results for automotive businesses. 

The study found that radio reaches new potential customers; the majority of radio attributable web traffic is from new customers who had never previously visited the site; endorsements drive two times the response and produces optimal results because radio is a companion; and the top factors for successful radio marketing are reach and frequency. In addition, the study uncovered several best practices in how to plan an effective automotive radio campaign leveraging dayparts, days of week, ad length, and the number of radio stations included in the campaign.  

As one of the largest studies ever conducted for automotive radio advertising, iHeartMedia and LeadsRx used advanced marketing attribution technology to analyze the impact of radio advertising over the course of 17 months, for more than 300 automotive advertisers, across nearly 2 million commercials and across all major automotive brands. The findings were shared during the “Turbocharge Your Radio Spots. The Top 5 Attribution Secrets Discovered From Over 300 Automotive Advertisers” workshop at the Automotive Analytics & Attribution Summit on November 19. 

“The iHeartMedia/LeadsRx study provides a great deal of insight and helps automotive advertisers to get the quantifiable results they need to develop the most effective advertising strategy,” said John Karpinski, Executive Vice President of Automotive Business Development and Partnerships for iHeartMedia, Inc. “Importantly, the use of attribution upended several commonly held industry misconceptions as to what makes for a successful advertising campaign. We are now fully committed to marketing attribution to drive 100 percent of our automotive advertising business.”

There are several misconceptions about the most effective media, days, time, advertisement length and advertising budget in regards to automotive ads. iHeartMedia/LeadsRx’s study uncovered five important takeaways:

• Radio drives immediate web traffic response for automotive advertisers. Automotive advertisers earned an average 17 percent lift in web traffic attributable to radio marketing. In addition, the web traffic response is immediate – within 10 minutes of hearing a commercial.
• For optimal results, advertisers should air ads seven days per week versus just on specific days. Those who advertise seven days a week saw +90 percent greater results than those who advertised three to four days per week. Automotive advertisers running only in the second half of the week are missing out on the opportunity to capture online shoppers in the early portion of the week.
• Car shopping aligns with radio listening because car shopping is primarily a daytime activity, which is also when radio has its largest audience. The study found web traffic response to advertising is two times greater from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. than in evenings or overnight. 
• The study found that automotive advertisers who found the best results used multiple ads of varying lengths. Campaigns with multiple ad lengths outperformed campaigns with single ad lengths by over two times. Advertisers seeking to build additional reach and frequency with a limited budget may see improved results by adding :05s and :15s ads to existing schedules, when the message applies.   
• Overall, the most important determinant for a successful market campaign is reach and frequency – that is, the number of people who hear your ad, and the number of times they hear it. Running 10 commercials per day using a mix of ad lengths, dayparts, stations and days of the week can lead to a two times greater web traffic response rate. 

“iHeartMedia is taking a leadership role in the broadcast industry by leveraging marketing attribution in strategic-level discussions with its advertisers,” said AJ Brown, CEO of LeadsRx. “The goal of any attribution study is to demonstrate how to make campaigns more effective and this study confirms that advanced attribution helps automotive businesses to plan, measure and evaluate their advertising.” 

iHeartMedia has worked with LeadsRx on advanced attribution solutions for broadcast advertisers since 2018.  

To receive the complete iHeartMedia/LeadsRx marketing attribution study “Five Secrets for Automotive Advertisers” please visit https://leadsrx.com/automotive-study to download a copy. Visit the LeadsRx Marketing Attribution Blog for additional perspective about the study and its benefits to advertisers.

About LeadsRx

LeadsRx offers a cross-channel marketing attribution SaaS platform that has been used by more than 20,000 businesses around the world. The company's attribution software provides marketers an unparalleled, unified view of campaign performance across advertising mediums throughout the entire customer journey. Marketers who use LeadsRx reduce customer acquisition costs to improve overall return on ad spend and bottom-line profit. Consumers benefit by seeing fewer, more-relevant advertising from brands. More information can be found on the company’s website at LeadsRx.com.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/leadsrx

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadsrx

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadsrx/

Study Finds Radio Continues to Reach More People on a Daily and Weekly Basis Than Any Other Media and Dominates Consumer Listening Across All Dayparts

Podcast Listening Experiences Fast Growth, Especially Among Gen Z and Younger Millennials, as More People Use Podcasts as a Daily Escape

Rise of Smart Speakers Adds To Radio Listening in the Home with Continued Listening Late into the Night

New York, NY – June 20, 2019 – The audio landscape is exploding and over the last two years there has been huge growth across various audio categories including a 2500 percent growth in smart speaker ownership and more than 48 percent increase in podcast listening, according to the Edison Infinite Dial 2019 study.  And today Ipsos released a new research study commissioned by iHeartMedia  -- “Day in the life Audio Journey” -- demonstrating that consumer interest in audio is now at an all-time high, with listeners enjoying more audio content across a vast array of platforms including broadcast radio, digital streaming, podcasts and smart speakers. The in-depth multi-platform study explores daily audio usage and habits of Americans ranging from 13 to 64 years old and captures when, where and how these various generations are consuming their favorite audio.

The study highlights that radio continues to reach more people than any other media both daily and weekly. On a weekly basis, broadcast radio reaches 85 percent of consumers, surpassing all other audio channels including social media (68 percent) and live television (56 percent). The research also showed that radio has two times the daily listening of streaming services, reaching 69 percent of consumers compared to streaming music’s 34 percent.

“Audio is hot right now and a must for marketers looking to reach increasingly elusive and fractured audiences. If you look at the data, it’s undeniable that consumers are listening more and watching less and this study outlines when, where and why,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, Inc. “Contrary to some misperceptions, it shows we are living in an audio-first world by drilling down a more granular overview of audio listenership and showing what a day-in-the-life of the average listener is like when it comes to media consumption.”

 Although all ages enjoy listening to audio and spend an average of 17.2 hours a week with their favorite broadcast radio stations, streaming music service, podcasts and more, the study found that Millennials and Gen Z listen the most, spending more than 18 hours each week and 2.6 hours or more each day listening to audio. These numbers, along with social media’s continued popularity, reflect consumers’ need for live, human connections.

 “Radio has long been a trusted companion for people of all ages so it’s no surprise that it continues to be the premier destination when people want to connect with others and their community,” said Gayle Troberman, CMO of iHeartMedia. “The only difference now versus decades ago is that today people can enjoy that connection anywhere they are across a variety of platforms.”

The study also explores where and when people listen and shows that audio listening is most often done on-the-go, with 65 percent done outside the home and most often in the car, with radio accounting for 65 percent of in-vehicle audio listening. Radio also serves as a companion throughout the day; it leads media use 70 percent of waking hours and is the most used audio platform all day, and at all hours. The research additionally shows that the rise of smart speakers has made radio more prominent than ever in the home, uncovering that homes with smart speakers have spent 47 percent more time listening to radio during prime hours (8-10pm) than those listeners without.

Consumers are also embracing podcasts, with listening growing tremendously especially among younger Millennials and Gen Z. Compared to just two years ago, podcast listening is up 48 percent with people aged 12–24, according to a separate Edison Infinite Dial 2019 study. iHeartMedia’s study further found that podcasts now represent almost 10 percent of audio listening among Millennials and that podcast listeners are also radio listeners, with 82 percent also listening to radio on a weekly basis. In addition, radio continues to be the #1 audio choice for Gen Z. and podcasts are replacing online video as a daytime escape for many during work and school.

The study, conducted by Ipsos for iHeartMedia in March 2019, surveyed a nationally representative sample of 6,016 consumers aged 13–64 who listen to 1+ audio platform at least once a week.

Survey Shares Unique Insight on Today’s Consumers’ Trust of iHeartRadio and the Appeal of Live, Local and Culturally-Relevant Conversation with On-Air Human Personalities

New York, NY – January 07, 2019 – iHeartMedia today released the results from a survey that provides deep insights into why radio is America’s most trusted medium. The survey found iHeartMedia’s focus on live and local programming and the deep, connection on-air personalities have with listeners has led to iHeartRadio being considered the most trusted name in radio and its on-air personalities being more trusted than leading talk personalities in other media.

Research continues to show that 9 out of 10 Americans listen to radio every day and the new survey revealed that 84% of respondents (people) said radio understands what is important to them, a number that is over 20% greater than network and cable television and social media. In addition, 8 out of 10 people feel that radio aligns with their core values, which is number one across all media. 

In addition, leading iHeartMedia personalities were cited as more trustworthy and relatable than top television personalities. People cited these on air personalities’ ability to “make radio more expressive and real than other media” and that these personalities “care about things that matter” to listeners. Furthermore, this trustworthiness leads to greater consideration of brands that advertise on iHeartMedia radio stations.

“In a moment where consumer trust in media and marketing is eroding, it’s important to know that consumers continue to trust iHeartRadio most because of our live, local and human focus,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. “We empower our on-air personalities to curate the conversations, content and culture that are important and relevant to the everyday life of their specific audiences. It’s this human first approach to programming that differentiates iHeartMedia and provides the perfect context for brands wanting to connect and build deep, trusted relationships with their consumers.” 

“In a time when trust matters most to consumers, trust has become a critical criteria for media investment decisions and these findings are extremely compelling because they spotlight our unique and personal role in people’s lives each and every day,” said Gayle Troberman, Chief Marketing Officer of iHeartMedia. “Furthermore, it spotlights why iHeartMedia is a leader in audio and reaches over a quarter billion listeners each month. Our personalities are more than just a voice on the radio, they are a trusted friend who shares common values 24/7 across 850 stations nationwide…and only iHeartMedia can deliver that scale, with the intimacy and authenticity consumers want.”

Some key findings:

·       More people trust radio than any other medium. When broken down, radio is:

o   +81% more trustworthy than cable TV

o   +27% more trustworthy than network TV

o   +36% more trustworthy than public TV/radio 

o   Two times more trustworthy than social media 

·       8 in 10 people feel radio aligns with their values

·       75+% of listeners believe radio on-air personalities are more trustworthy than TV personalities

·       85% of listeners believe radio personalities make radio more real and expressive than other media

·       80% of listeners feel radio personalities care about their audience and care about “things that matter to me”

·       iHeartRadio is the most trusted brand in radio, two times the trust of other radio companies

Source: AskSuzy Survey December 2018; *iHeartMedia “Influencer Marketing,” April 2018