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Podcasts and Picnics: The Perfect Pair

2 minute read | July 2018

There are some things that are perfectly paired together when summer rolls around: beaches and barbecues, sunshine and sunscreen, and condiments and picnics. But did you know that podcasts are popular with over half of all barbecue sauce-, ketchup- and sunscreen-purchasing households?

As consumers fire up the grill and tote their picnic baskets and sunscreen to the beach to celebrate summertime, marketers and advertisers have a great opportunity to reach desired demographics through advertising that will appeal to podcast listeners.

According to Nielsen’s Fanlinks survey data, which we included in our first-quarter 2018 A Marketer’s Guide to Podcasting Report, the medium saw a significant growth in engagement from 2016 to 2017. In the fall of 2016, there were 13 million homes who identified as “avid fans” of podcasts. In the fall of 2017, the number of homes that consider themselves “avid fans” surged to 16 million. Not only is the podcast audience growing, but the level of engagement is increasing.

Got Sauce?

But getting back to connecting with summer, podcast listeners are also avid BBQ fans. For example, 66 million households in Nielsen’s Homescan panel purchased barbecue sauce in 2017, which represents 54% of all homes in the U.S. Thirty-six million of these homes indicated that someone in the home is a fan of podcasts. The podcasting audience influences $266 million of barbecue sauce sales annually. The average podcast household spends $7.22 per year on barbecue sauce, while avid podcast fans spend $8.15 per year.

Condiments and Ketchup

While podcast listeners love their barbecue sauce, they also gravitate to ketchup for summer picnics. In fact, 65% of all households in Nielsen’s Homescan panel purchased ketchup in 2017, which represents more than 80 million homes in the U.S. Forty-three million of these homes indicated that someone in the home is a fan of podcasts. This represents more than half of all ketchup buying-households. In total, podcast households spent more than $314 million in 2017 on ketchup.

Sunshine and Sunscreen

Podcast listeners are also no strangers to sunscreen. In fact, U.S. podcast households spent $266 million on sunscreen last year, and 25% of all households in the Nielsen’s Homescan Panel purchased sunscreen at a store in 2017. That’s more than 31 million homes in the U.S., with 18 million of these homes indicating that someone in the home is a fan of podcasts. This represents more than half of all sunscreen-buying households. The average podcast household spends $15.60 per year on sunscreen, while avid podcast fans spend $16.55 per year.

And Podcasts for All

So what kind of podcasts do barbecue sauce and sunscreen spenders like to listen to?

Fans of business podcasts spend $40.77 a year on barbecue sauce per household, and there are over 47 million households buying barbecue sauce that are fans of music podcasts.

As podcasting continues to gain momentum and marketers and advertisers look for vehicles that will best reach their desired demographic, it’s clear that podcasting is an effective way to communicate with engaged audiences.

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