If exposure truly drives belief, radio’s strongest sales tool might finally be back in the conversation on the agency side. With marketer commutes back on the rise, will radio’s performance during the daily drive finally translate into stronger ad results?
According to the latest Marketer Perceptions survey commissioned by the Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group, 57% of marketers and agency professionals say they now work in-office most days. This marks a post-COVID high and a sharp climb from just 22% in April 2022. In total, 89% of media-side professionals are commuting at least part of the week. This is up from 87% in May of last year.
That has marketers overindexing the broader American workforce: 85% of the general public who commuted pre-COVID are now back to the office, according to an April Quantilope survey also commissioned by Westwood One.
Since early 2022, media buyers and planners had been far less likely to be exposed to the very channels they buy, including out-of-home and AM/FM radio. Now, with marketers clocking an average of 4.2 office days per week – and typical Americans reporting 4.7 – exposure to real-world media environments is back in play, which is great news for radio.
Edison Research’s Q4 2024 Share of Ear study found that AM/FM radio commands an 86% share of ad-supported in-car audio, which has held steady for nearly a decade. But for much of that time, the people making media decisions have been tuned out at home.
So, will daily exposure lead to greater investment? The latest commuting data provides reason for cautious optimism.
In-person media vendor meetings have jumped to 74%, and 76% of marketers and agencies are back at live conferences, both new post-pandemic records. Those interpersonal connections have historically played a role in radio’s success with buyers. And as both consumers and marketers concentrate their office hours between Monday and Thursday, AM/FM has a consistent window to make an impression during peak commute times.
Of course, many marketers live in large cities, where commutes often involve public transit rather than cars. That could affect how often they experience radio firsthand – but paired with radio’s strong ROI and emotional connection, their renewed presence on the move may still help drive investment. Whether that exposure turns into ad dollars remains to be seen.
F media buyers. They only kill radio even more. Ad agency have been sticking it to radio for years.
You’re dealing with the wrong buyers then. Great buyers use measurable data and objective comparisons to drive recommendations, not personal biases and unsubstantiated beliefs fueled by egotism.
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