LISTEN WHILE YOU WORK

Higher Income Shoppers Hear More Radio

By Erwin Ephron

Listen while you work.  That’s a modern version of the tune Snow White’s Elves made famous.  Today it’s listen, not whistle because a whistler in the office is frowned upon, while a radio isn’t.  

And that is the focus of this paper.  Higher incomes, higher gas prices and busy schedules make the at-work Radio listener a unique and valuable consumer.

WHY WORK DAY SHOPPING IS IMPORTANT

 Let’s begin with a few observations you’ve probably made yourself.  First people who work full time have above average incomes. It’s not surprising.  The government’s indisputable American Time Use Study (ATUS) interviewed more than 70,000 people found adults who work full-time have household incomes 78% higher than those not employed.  

Working people have always shopped during the work day. The daily commute takes them past stores and malls, supermarkets and auto dealers so it’s convenient to buy almost  anything.  

The practice of work-day shopping is growing.   Higher gas prices and busy schedules encourage consumers to consolidate their shopping.  Today they are making more of their purchases on the drive to and from work or during their lunch break.   These are all times when they are exposed to Radio.  Arbitron tells us when they’re listening.  The Government tells us when they’re buying.

THE GOVERNMENT REPORTS AT-WORK SHOPPING

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics American Time Use Study (ATUS) reports the size nature of the work and shop market in detail.  For example, of the 69,337,000 full-time employed Adults at work during an average week day, close to 12.8 million leave during lunch to eat and shop. Forty percent of these at-work shoppers don’t even bother eating.

At 5 PM more than 28,500,000 are still working.  Another 10,100,000 are shoping on the way home. At 6 PM 16,100,000 are still working and 12,000,000 have gone shopping. And the last brand message many of these working shoppers get before they buy, they get from Radio.

MORE RADIO LISTENING

The new PPM data document how much more.  For people employed full-time, the average quarter hour rating, Monday through Friday, 6 AM to 7 PM across the five PPM markets is from 53% to 84% higher than those not employed. The average quarter hour tune-in ranges from a low of 14.8% in New York to a high of 16.8% in Los Angeles with men listening more than women.

 To those who would argue “listen while you work” is second class Radio listening, I would ask “where you been?”  Leave your desk and please follow the elves.

PEOPLE CAN'T NOT HEAR

The too often overlooked point is eyes can close while ears cannot.  Seeing is voluntary, hearing is automatic.  Even when we do not listen, we cannot shut our ears.  That is Radio’s giant advantage over visual media.  Since the PPM registers a radio exposure only when it can be heard by the human ear, respondents will hear any radio sound a PPM records.  When sound is present, we may not focus on it, but we are aware of it. If asked, “Do you hear something?” we will answer  ”yes.“

WHEN PEOPLE HEAR THEY ALSO LISTEN

Clark Gable learned movie roles by having someone read him the script while he was sleeping.  It worked because the brain processes almost everything the ears hear.  It also means p eople who hear Radio while multi-tasking, process relevant messages.  Advertising researchers have been studying this kind of less attentive attention. They find it helps consumers remember brands and influences their buying decisions. 

THE BEST AWARENESS PACKAGE IN MEDIA

What does this mean to advertisers?  In addition conscious awareness (listening), radio is the poster child for low involvement awareness (hearing). The combination gives Radio the most complete attentiveness package of any medium. 

Listeners when not consciously listening still hear radio. And if the message is relevant they process and remember it.  Especially when it reminds them to do something they meant to do at lunch or on the way home from work.

So at-work radio along with drive-time radio is a good way to reach consumers with money, when they are ready to buy.  More and more shop during and after the work day and hear radio messages that remind them of things they planned to buy on the way home.

All very good reasons to use Radio.

- September 12, 2008 -

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