With many working from home in the past year, new audio consumption habits have been developed. For a company like Pandora, the question is, how have our listening habits changed over time? Is music still the dominating audio choice or are people gravitating to new formats such as podcasts? Pandora and Mindshare in partnership with Edison Research, launched a pivotal study in October 2020 to get to the core of America’s listening habits, particularly while working and how the pandemic has reshaped audio consumption.
To get a full grasp of the landscape, Edison conducted online interviews with adults 18+ who were employed either full or part time. These results were then compared with at-work studies conducted in 1997 and 2013. The 2020 study highlighted these emerging trends:
The Era of the Home Office is Here For 24 Hours a Day
While the work from home trend pre-dated Covid-19, it only represented 8% full time and 9% part time workers in 1997 and 2013. During the pandemic, it ballooned to 49% with higher income adults and parents of children over-indexing compared to all workers. By contrast, Black Americans and lower-income adults are both 12% more likely to be currently working outside their home.
For those working from home, office hours have greatly expanded. It is no longer 9 to 5. Almost one in three Americans are currently working outside their normal work hours and their daily routines have been disrupted and often stressed.
Amidst Disruption, WFH is a Welcome Change … For Some
Despite all of the pandemic shifts and stresses, those who can work from home are generally very satisfied with their employer (94%). However, this does not apply to everyone. Black Americans are 38% more likely to be dissatisfied with their employer while Parents and Men are more likely to describe their employer as uncommunicative (130 index, 111 index) and impatient (146 index, 114 index), Further, Younger and Multicultural workers are more likely to describe their employer as more demanding right now (Gen Z: 147 index, Black: 111 index, Hispanics: 127 index).
Work flexibility has become a high priority for workers (58%) giving them more time with family (65%), better work-life balance (58%), made them happier (56%) and more productive (55%), less stressed (50%) and more resourceful (50%). But that might depend on demographics and household composition. Many feel less connected to their co-workers (59%), find it harder to be a good parent (47%), have no separation between their work and home lives (46%), are working more hours (42%), are feeling more distracted (42%) or lonelier (41%).
Pandemic Parenting is Hard
While parenting can have its occasional challenges in normal time, the pandemic has brought on unique stress. Seventy percent of working parents say that they are also juggling their child’s at-home virtual learning and 6 in 10 of those with children learning at-home say that it has been difficult to balance work with virtual learning. Obviously, working Parents are especially likely to be feeling the pain from juggling work with parenting including Women (118 index), Hispanics (111 index) and those with lower income (109 index).
Streaming Audio is a Welcome Activity
While media habits in general have evolved during the pandemic, streaming audio has been particularly successful. The study found that 7 in 10 workers listen to any audio while working with higher levels for Gen Z (87%), Hispanics (82%), and Parents (79%). Audio has undergone a digital transformation. Compared to Edison Research’s 2013 at-work listening study, those who say they listen to streaming audio while working has grown by +57%, while those who listen to AM/FM radio while working has declined by -8%. Notably, other forms of digital audio are also experiencing growth during the pandemic – 41% of listeners are spending more time listening to podcasts, while 45% are spending more time listening to audiobooks.
Consumers Love Audio as a Mood Lifter
Audio is favored by consumers for a variety of reasons. The study found that it helps fill silence (71%), makes their workday go faster (69%), helps them escape (58%), makes them feel connected (52%), and provides a break from screens (50%). Audio also puts workers in a good mood (69%), help them stay focused (59%) and provides inspiration (52%).
And Audio Can Lead to Online Shopping Through Ads
Obviously, those who listen to audio are paying attention and are therefore more receptive to ads. Half of those who listen to streaming audio while working do so through an ad-supported service, meaning that there is significant opportunity for brands to reach and resonate with listeners during the workday. Many workers feel that they are even more receptive to ads while working; 37% of those who listen to ad-supported audio while working say that they pay more attention to streaming audio ads while they’re working than when they aren’t. Men, Gen Z, and Parents are more likely to agree.
Streaming audio ads have more impact and create a call to action. The study found that 45% of those who listen to ad-supported streaming audio while working have sought more info about a brand after hearing an online audio ad.
For marketers, the value and impact of streaming audio cannot be understated. Not only is this media form growing as more Americans work from home, its positive impact on daily life will continue to expand post pandemic as Americans enter a new normal.
This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com
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