As 2021 comes to an end, we’re looking back at the blog posts that resonated the most. Here are our top 5 most popular audio insights posts of the year in descending order:

5. Let’s Roll: Why America’s Auto Dealers Need To Increase Their AM/FM Radio Advertising To Reach Consumers Who Are Ready To Buy: In April, reports from The Conference Board, Apple, Ipsos, and The New York Times showed that the economy was returning to normal with increased consumer confidence, commuting, and optimism. For the auto industry, this meant Americans were primed to make purchases. Our 5^th most popular blog post showed that heavy AM/FM radio listeners are more likely than heavy TV viewers to make a major auto purchase. It also outlined findings from a LeadsRx AM/FM radio attribution report showing how campaigns generated significant auto dealer website traffic.

4. The Westwood One 2021 Audioscape: Who Are Podcast Listeners?: Our 4^th most popular blog post answered a simple question about podcast listeners, an audience advertisers and brands were increasingly interested in this year. Who are they? Using data from Edison Research’s “Share of Ear” study and Nielsen’s Scarborough USA+, the Westwood One 2021 Audioscape report revealed that the podcast audience is young, employed, educated, and upscale.

3. Edison’s “Share Of Ear” Q3 2021 Five-Year Report Card: Pandora Collapses, Spotify Stagnates, Podcasts Soar, AM/FM Radio Dominates, And AM/FM Radio Streaming Is Up 2X: Edison’s quarterly “Share of Ear” study is the authoritative examination of American audio time use. The Q3 2021 report provided an opportunity to look back over five years to understand the shifts in U.S. listening. Looking at ad-supported audio, the data showed AM/FM radio’s dominance, podcasts and AM/FM radio streaming represented all of the growth, Pandora was down, and Spotify stagnated.

2. The State Of TV: Cord Cutting, Viewership Declines, And Older Audiences Mean Advertisers Need AM/FM Radio For Incremental Reach And The Light TV Viewer: This year the television landscape underwent ongoing changes as audience viewing habits continued to shift from linear TV to ad-free streaming options. Major players like WarnerMedia, NBCU, ViacomCBS, and Disney spent 2021 pouring resources into their video subscription services at the expense of their broadcast TV and cable networks. What did this mean for advertisers who have historically used TV in their media plans for mass reach? Our look at the state of TV, cord cutting, viewership declines, and older audiences outlined the implications and offered a solution for advertisers – AM/FM radio.

And our most popular post…

1. Perception vs. Reality: Eight Things Brands Have Completely Wrong About AM/FM Radio: The perception of media audiences has always been skewed by prevalent myths in the ad community. In our most popular blog of the year, the narrative about AM/FM radio was challenged using evidence from research leaders Nielsen, the Federal Reserve, and Edison Research. Eight of the biggest perceptions brands hold were disproved with the facts on AM/FM radio listening levels and in-car consumption, commuting habits during the pandemic, the audience share of major audio platforms, AM/FM radio’s ability to generate incremental reach and ROI across various categories, and during which dayparts AM/FM radio listening actually takes place.

Lauren Vetrano is Director of Content Marketing of the CUMULUS MEDIA | Westwood One Audio Active Group.

Contact the CUMULUS MEDIA | Westwood One Audio Active Group at CorpMarketing@westwoodone.com.