Sound Answers

HISPANIC RADIO CAMPAIGN SUCCESSFULLY DRIVES AWARENESS AND CONSIDERATION 

A smart home technology company turned to radio to boost engagement among Hispanic consumers across key markets in 2020. Katz partnered with Veritonic to measure the impact of radio advertising on key brand health metrics, such as awareness and consideration. As it was a Hispanic-targeted campaign on Spanish Language radio stations, respondents were given the option to answer the survey in Spanish.

The study found that the home tech brand’s investment in radio advertising drove incremental awareness and consideration among Hispanic consumers. By far, the brand was the most “top of mind” in the category, cited by 59% of Hispanics "unaided." The brand also led in aided awareness, with name recognition by 76% of Hispanics. Hispanic respondents outperformed non-Hispanics on both awareness metrics as well (+7% and +4%, respectively).

The brand is not only well-known among Hispanics, it's also well-considered. The brand was the top choice among Hispanics, with 68% of Hispanics saying they would consider it during their next purchase occasion (+6% higher than non-Hispanics).

The smart home tech brand's goal was to reach Hispanic consumers and drive awareness and engagement with their product. By utilizing Spanish language radio, the home tech brand broke through with their messaging and generated measurable results. 

INCREASED ADOPTION & NUMBER OF DEVICES OWNED

Edison Research and Triton Digital released a new edition of the Infinite Dial, exploring all facets of the audio landscape. This year's release was fielded in January of 2021, meaning it incorporates mindsets and consumer behaviors impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

One standout from this year's study is the continued rise in smart speaker adoption. An estimated 94 million, or one in three consumers, now own a smart speaker - an increase of +22% over last year, and more than +4x over 2017. When looking at Americans working from home, smart speaker ownership jumps to 49%. Smart speakers are expanding ways for marketers to reach consumers at home, especially those  working from home. 

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Not only are more consumers buying smart speakers, they are also increasing the number of units in each household. In 2021, 53% of smart speaker owners have more than one device, a +61% increase over 2018 (33%). The number of households that own 3+ devices tripled, from 11% to 34% in the same timeframe. The average number of smart speakers per household is now 2.3, up from 1.7 in 2018.

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Traditional over-the-air radio still dominates radio listening, but thanks to the increase in smart speakers over the past year, consumers have more ways to connect with their favorite local AM/FM stations. Marketers, in turn, have even more ways to reach consumers at home, and the home office. 

For more information from the Infinite Dial

One year after travel screeched to a halt, Americans are getting back in the air in record numbers. With a few weeks left, March is looking to be the strongest month for travel in the past 12 months. Passenger counts, via TSA checkpoint screening numbers, have surpassed 1 million for 12 days this month already. And 7 of the top 10 travel days of 2021 have been in March, including 2 during this week alone.  

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Wednesday, March 17th marked a milestone as the first day in 2021 to surpass the passenger volume from the same day in 2020. One year after the President first advised against all non-essential travel, 1.1M passengers passed through TSA checkpoints, up +20% from last year. The number is still down -48% from 2019, but if the past few weeks of passenger volume trends say anything, it is that there is reason to be optimistic about recovery. As more Americans become vaccinated and COVID cases decline, wanderlust looks like it's on the rise.

For more information from the TSA. 

March 23rd - BIA & SalesFuel - 2021 Local Digital Event Series: Road Trips. Webinar will dive into the super vertical of road trips, covering the sub-verticals that will spend ad dollars, current market trends/projections, tactical recommendations, and digital selling strategies. Register here. 

March 24th - Ipsos - The race to reshape retail in a period of mass disruption. Virtual summit focused on the future of retail and buying. 1 keynote, 23 experts will be diving into the challenges of retail disruption, the science of the associated shopper behaviors, and what strategies to focus on to ensure success.  Register here. 

March 25th - Placer.ai - Retail Recovery: Expectations vs. Reality. Webinar will analyze key sectors and chains to examine the true strength of the retail recovery. Which brands, sectors, and formats have outperformed and which are lagging? What strategies worked, what faltered, and what are the the keys to driving a longer-term recovery? Register here.

April 7th - LeadsRx - LeadsRx User Conference. This half-day virtual gathering for LeadsRx Customers will include peer success stories, showcasing new innovations, and a chance for consumer feedback. LeadsRx users register here. 

States have been taking steps to ease business restrictions to varying degrees, while some are reevaluating and pausing the process. Marketers need to carry on reassessing and adapting their actions in response to local regulations. Keep updated on state-by-state and category-specific actions with the links below. 

For more information on reopening status and regulations by state, from the New York Times

For more information on tracking America's recovery in terms of employment, finances, leisure, and travel, from CNN

For more information on retail restrictions, from the National Retail Federation

Click here for previous releases of Katz's Sound Answers.

Click here for Katz's summary of the latest Nielsen data on radio's recovery.

For more insights from Katz Radio Group, visit our Insights Hub.