Reach on Reach on Reach: Digital Audio Takes Your Ad Budget Further

We’ve all seen the news; a recession may be in the offing. Belts are tightening everywhere from households to industries in preparation for leaner times. So, when it comes to marketing budgets, brands need advertising solutions that stretch dollars further. And the best way to do that is to ensure your ads efficiently reach a large audience. Well, have we got audiences and mediums for you.

We’re the leader in ad-supported digital audio with 87%1 of our 150 million listeners2 tuning in with ads. From millennial working moms to Gen Z grads striking out on their own (and everyone before, after, and in between), audiences are listening to our satellite stations, streaming platform, and podcast network. The unparalleled reach of our ad-supported content offers brands the largest ad-addressable audio platform.

It's All About the AND

Any of our channels can help you reach your target audiences, but it’s when you combine them that the real magic happens. Satellite reaches audiences that aren’t streaming, and podcasts reach audiences beyond both. When you make your digital audio media plan, the “and” gives your campaign incremental reach with minimal duplication. That means your ads reach more people throughout the day—whether they’re listening to talk in the car, music on a smart speaker, or a podcast through their headphones. 

Reach a Younger, More Diverse Audience with SoundCloud

Pandora holds the top spot when it comes to the largest share of time spent with ad-supported audio—35% more than Spotify and 3x more than iHeart.3 That addressable reach gets even more impressive when you add SoundCloud to your media buy. SoundCloud attracts a young, diverse audience that is 90% addressable,4 reaching 7.2M millennials, 8.3M young adults 18-24, and 5.4M teens 13-17.5 And when you combine SoundCloud with Pandora, brands can reach 11.4M Black and 12.9M Hispanic listeners.5

The result: 22% incremental reach when you add SoundCloud to your Pandora buy.5

Reach 77% More Listeners With Satellite and Streaming

When it comes to digital audio fans, it’s not six of one, half dozen of the other. It’s more like six of one and add a whole bunch more. There is little overlap between Pandora listeners and SiriusXM subscribers. Over three out of four Pandora listeners do not currently subscribe to SiriusXM, which means brands can extend their ad reach as much as 77%6 by including both in a media buy. This low level of audience duplication means your ads can reach way more people when you combine satellite and streaming.

Get Pure Incremental Reach with Podcasts

Surely, you’ve heard by now that podcasts are big and getting bigger by the minute. Well, we have the #1 podcast network for reach,7 reaching 66M listeners.8 The audience is loving the medium, with 60% of our podcast listeners saying they are listening more than they were a year ago.7 And, you guessed it, not only are podcasts an excellent way to reach your target consumers, but that reach is even more impressive when you combine it with other digital audio buys. 

Our studies show that every dollar spent on podcasts means incremental reach for your brand, with a +43% median incremental reach when you add podcasts to your campaign.9 When we looked at campaigns with podcast lines, there was virtually 0% overlap between podcast and non-podcast lines. To put it simply, no overlap means pure reach.

Reach Consumers Where TV Can’t

When was the last time you watched a show in your car, on a walk, or while buying groceries? If the answer is rarely or never, then you already know why you need to keep digital audio in your media mix. Audio is always on, reaching your consumers where visual media can’t. In a recent case study for a major credit card client, we compared how their audio ads measured up to their TV spots during a membership campaign. The result: 4x stronger reach index than TV, outperforming with adults 25-54 with household incomes between $75K and $200K.10

Make Your Ad Budget Count With Digital Audio

A recession is likely on its way. So, do what your target consumers are doing and hunker down with streaming and satellite and podcasts. Digital audio not only reaches pretty much anybody and everybody, but your brand can also reach significantly more bodies when you diversify your buy. 

Let’s talk AND.

Sources

1. Pandora Internal Metrics Q3-22

2. Comscore Media Metrix, August 2022; Nielsen SiriusXM Custom Study, Fall 2021; Triton Podcast Metrics, August 2022; Edison Research December 2021 (National Telephone Survey, Podcast Consumer Tracker, Infinite Dial 2021)

3. Edison Research Share of Ear Q3 2022 18+

4. SoundCloud Addressable, SoundCloud Internal Metrics 2022

5. Comscore Media Metrix May 2022

6. SiriusXM Holdings, Inc., Internal Pandora listener data, Bases: Pandora Ad-supported listeners who have listened within the past 90 days vs. SiriusXM parties who have at least 1 household self-pay satellite OR internet SiriusXM subscription, November 2022

7. Q3 2022 Edison Podcast Metrics

8. Q3 2022 Internal Metrics from Podcast User Logs

9. SXM Media Internal Data, median analysis of podcast incremental % reach across 516 campaign results from 1/1/21 - 8/24/22

10. VideoAmp & SXM Media Incremental Reach Study, CC Client 2021 Campaign Measurement