The “radio on wheels” remains the top spot for holiday cheer and Yuletide advertisers. A new Katz Radio Group survey finds more than half of consumers listen to holiday music while driving, with AM/FM outpacing other platforms for the season’s soundtrack.
According to the custom survey conducted in December, sixty-nine percent of consumers say they listen to holiday music on the radio. Fifty-two percent of consumers listen to holiday music while driving, making the vehicle one of the most important settings where holiday listening and radio intersect. That habit feeds into broader emotional engagement with holiday music.
87% of consumers say they enjoy listening to it, 85% say it improves their mood, 86% say it increases their enjoyment of the season, and 87% say it makes them feel nostalgic. Seventy-six percent call it a personal or family tradition.
Fortunately for the brands that choose radio, that emotional connection extends to advertising. Eighty-four percent of consumers say it’s a good idea for brands to advertise during the holiday season, a figure Katz attributes to messages that complement the season’s mood and traditions rather than add to seasonal noise, an opening radio’s captive in-car and at-home audiences are well positioned to fill.
Of consumers surveyed, 92% say they enjoy the holiday season, 85% participate in holiday-themed activities and gatherings, 87% decorate their homes, and 80% do either a lot or a moderate amount of holiday shopping, with the biggest purchasing surge still running from Thanksgiving weekend through early December.
Those consumers also carry meaningful budgets into the season. The most common expected spend falls between $400 and $599, cited by 18% of respondents, while 12% plan to spend $1,000 to $1,499 and 10% expect to spend $1,500 or more.
Outside forecasts suggest those dollars are real, but the confidence behind them may not be. Bain & Company projects US holiday retail sales will top $1 trillion for the first time this year, up 4.5% year over year, though the firm says more than half of that growth reflects higher prices rather than more actual buying. A separate Deloitte-based estimate puts average per-consumer holiday spending near $737, up roughly 12% year over year, a rise researchers again attribute mainly to inflation rather than stronger household confidence.
With radio at the core of familiarity and comfort for consumers during the holiday season, brands on the air are likely to see a strong benefit in an uncertain season.
