A new comprehensive study by nuVoodoo, conducted exclusively for Radio Ink as part of the 2024 Radio Masters Sales Summit, reveals radio listeners are not just passive receivers but active participants in their consumption patterns, making them an ideal audience for targeted, thoughtful advertising campaigns via the reach of AM/FM.
The data was presented on September 11 as part of the conference by nuVoodoo Founder and CEO Carolyn Gilbert.
The study, conducted between July and August 2024, involved two surveys targeting a demographically and geographically balanced sample of 1,614 respondents aged 18-64, with a focused study on 529 individuals within the Dallas/Fort Worth market. This area was selected for its diverse urban, suburban, and rural populations, providing a comprehensive overview of consumer behavior across different cohorts.
Respondents were categorized into listeners (73% of the sample – of which 23% were heavy listeners) and non-listeners (27%). The engagement of these groups was measured against a normative index of 100, where scores above 100 indicate higher engagement or performance relative to the average, and scores below 100 indicate lower engagement.
The research found that heavy FM/AM users predominantly consist of men and are significantly more likely to be in the 35-44 age group. This group also shows higher home ownership rates, suggesting a stable, mature audience with a vested interest in maintaining and enhancing their living spaces. Radio listeners in the Dallas area tend to be more educated and have higher incomes compared to non-listeners, positioning them as a valuable demographic for a range of products and services.
There is a strong inclination towards the home improvement vertical among heavy radio listeners. This group actively engages in both minor and major home projects, from routine maintenance to extensive remodeling. These listeners also show a marked interest in financial services, indicating a greater likelihood of responding to advertising in banking, investments, and insurance sectors.
Radio listeners are characterized by their active involvement in community and personal activities. They are more likely to use advertising as a way to discover new products and are responsive to buying incentives such as coupons and discount codes. Unlike their non-listening counterparts, radio listeners are less likely to be introverted, participating in social and public events.
The study underscores the importance of radio as a medium for reaching an engaged, economically stable, and community-oriented audience. Advertisers can leverage this medium to effectively target consumers who are key decision-makers and are responsive to advertising.
Full findings, including a detailed look at the home improvement and financial services verticals, can be found on nuVoodoo’s website.
I was blown away when I saw this information. There are so many sales opportunities:
1. Reinforce facts about radio listening to combat perceptions of prospects/advertisers
2. Psychographic information on the Financial Services and Home Improvement categories
3. New prospects are identified within these verticals
IMO, AEs and sales managers should download this information and get to work before your competition does. The format is easy to understand and presented in a way that you can pick and choose pieces to put in proposals TODAY.
The fact that NuVoodoo did a partner study on these categories for the Dallas/Fort Worth market in order to to validate the data from the national study, gives sellers in D/FW a pathway to a ton of new business.
A HUGE thank-you to Carolyn Gilbert and her team at NuVoodoo for their work on this. They can do similar work for your station at a very reasonable price.