Your Media Planning Questions Answered: AM/FM Radio Listening By Daypart, Month, And Holiday Period
Conversations with advertisers and agencies reveal these frequently asked questions about audio media strategy:
- What is the ideal allocation of AM/FM radio weight by daypart? Is it true that AM/FM radio is a “drive time” medium?
- Are there any seasonality patterns in AM/FM radio listening?
- What is AM/FM radio’s reach during major holiday weeks?
- Can I generate meaningful incremental reach with the addition of AM/FM radio to the media plan?
These questions can be answered using data sourced from Nielsen Nationwide, Nielsen Media Impact, and Nielsen Commspoint, the media planning and optimization services.
What is the ideal allocation of AM/FM radio weight by daypart? Is it true that radio is a “drive time” medium?
Myth buster. No, AM/FM radio is not a “drive time” medium. 58% of all U.S. AM/FM radio listening occurs outside of morning and afternoon drives! According to Nielsen, here is the ideal daypart allocation based on how Americans listen to AM/FM radio:
- 22% Monday-Friday, 6AM-10AM
- 26% Monday-Friday, 10AM-3PM
- 20% Monday-Friday, 3PM-7PM
- 7% Monday-Friday, 7PM-midnight
- 20% weekends, Saturday-Sunday, 6AM-midnight
- 5% Monday-Sunday, midnight-6AM
Are there any seasonality patterns in AM/FM radio listening?
In short, no. Indexing aggregated monthly audiences from all Portable People Meter markets reveals exceptionally consistent listening levels throughout the year. Spring months are slightly higher than average while Summer months are ever so slightly below the annual average.
What is AM/FM radio’s reach during major holiday weeks?
Nielsen reveals holiday weekly reach of AM/FM radio is identical to typical weekly reach levels. As such, retailers with major holiday sales can confidently use AM/FM radio to get the word out about seasonal promotions.
Can I generate meaningful incremental reach with the addition of AM/FM radio to the media plan?
Yes! Major brands find that adding AM/FM radio to media plans can generate a significant lift in campaign reach. According to Nielsen Commspoint, the media planning platform, a reallocation of 20%-30% of the digital/TV budget to AM/FM radio generates significant lifts in incremental reach.
For example, investment in digital and television results in a 27% reach. Shifting 30% of the media budget to AM/FM radio results in campaign reach jumping from 27% to 45%. This 30% reallocation to AM/FM radio generates a stunning +75% increase in reach for the same investment.
An analysis among light TV viewers from Nielsen Media Impact, the media optimization service, reveals that the addition of AM/FM radio generates the greatest lift in incremental reach.
- Adding connected TV/OTT to the base TV buy only grows reach by 5 points.
- The addition of digital increases reach by 12 points.
- Layering in AM/FM radio lifts reach by an astonishing 22 points!
AM/FM radio is the queen of incrementality. Over half of the incremental reach of the entire media plan is generated by AM/FM radio.