Lowe’s and The Home Depot are some of radio’s biggest advertisers, especially around summer and the holidays. Why is that? Fresh consumer studies are providing a detailed look into the significant impact of audio listeners on the home improvement market.
The Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group are highlighting how radio consumers are not just participants but pivotal drivers of industry sales. AM/FM listeners have exhibited home improvement spending 1.4 times more than heavy TV viewers with an average expenditure of $3,963 compared to $2,887.
Podcasts fared even better, at spend levels 1.5 times greater than that of heavy TV viewers, totaling an average of $4,458.
Audio consumers tend to shop at more diverse retailers and make more frequent shopping trips. For instance, heavy radio listeners reported shopping at 3.2 retailers on average and making 5.2 trips, indicating higher engagement and activity in the home improvement marketplace. They also prefer online shopping, with 62% of AM/FM listeners shopping online for home improvement goods, making them ideal targets for added digital marketing campaigns.
As usual, integrating AM/FM with TV campaigns has proven to amplify reach significantly, especially for younger audiences. For The Home Depot, adding radio to a TV campaign increased the reach from 31% to 58% among Americans aged 25-49. Radio advertising has been shown to triple the sales lift compared to TV alone in a Nielsen study, indicating a stronger impact on consumer purchasing behavior.
With current home improvement media plans heavily skewed towards linear TV, an optimal mix, according to the data, would include a higher allocation to audio media: 45% AM/FM radio, 30% linear TV, and 24% podcasts.
The best services for brands to target in ads are painting, bathroom remodeling, and outdoor deck and patio improvements, with those projects being the most likely for audiences to require in the next year. As for the most profitable formats for home improvement brands to reach their ideal audience, Classic Rock leads, followed by Oldies and Rock.
The format with the least amount of home improvement shoppers was Spanish-language.
