Pierre Bouvard Deep-Dives Into Harris Poll On Ad Blocking -- And What It Means For Radio

Bouvard

In his latest blog post, CUMULUS MEDIA/WESTWOOD ONE CMO PIERRE BOUVARD touts a HARRIS POLL online survey of  2,044 Americans, commissioned by WESTWOOD ONE, that analyzed online ad-blocking and what it means for marketers. The survey found four key data points:

1. Almost one in four (24%) Americans use ad-blocking software.

2. Most ad-blocking occurs on a computer rather than a mobile device; 22% of those online use ad-blocking software on a computer –- compared to only 7%  who use it on a smartphone and 6% who use it on a tablet.

3. Ad-blockers tend to be male and Millennial. More than half (57%) of those who block ads are men and 44% are 18-34-year-olds.

4. AM/FM radio and its integrated digital solutions offers advertisers a way to reach ad-blockers; 32% of heavy radio listeners and 30% of heavy online users are ad-blockers. (“Heavy” user is defined as spending three or more hours of use in the past day.)

“Consumers say their issue isn’t with advertising; they’d be willing to whitelist non-obtrusive publishers," CUMULUS/SAN FRANCISCO Digital Integrated Sales Manager JUSTIN HACH said. "That suggests users will respond better to ads coming from a trusted source. What publishers/brands have audiences who trust them? Radio brands.”

Because Americans spend the majority of their radio listening time with the one radio station they listen to the most, “Radio brands can use the trusted relationship we enjoy with our audience and introduce non-standard messaging opportunities –- native, social, endorsement, video –- for our clients,” HACH noted, advising advertisers to “activate radio’s biggest competitive advantage: a unique format lifestyle combined with a sharply concentrated geographic audience. Rather than spending money in separate media pools, advertisers should invest in as many ways as possible to get the most out of an audience profile they value.”

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