How openness to ads varies across digital audio and video consumption

Brief:

Audio and video audiences are most receptive to ads when they feel excited and when they spend time with family, but there are significant differences in the two kinds of audiences. Brands that understand audience moods are more likely to grab their attention, according to a study by Magna, IPG Media Lab and Pandora.
Audio listeners are 35% more receptive to advertising when they're relaxed and focused, and their openness is consistent among different content formats such as music, podcast and audiobooks. Generation X, which is generally elusive to advertising, shows a 32% higher receptivity to audio ads than other age groups, per the survey.
Video viewers are less receptive to video ads while engaged in other activities or hobbies, but they show greater engagement when they’re stressed or excited, such as while watching action movies. Having children is associated with a higher receptivity to video ads among all generations, particularly millennial parents who are 27% more receptive to video ads and 15% more receptive to audio ads than those without children, per the survey.

Insight:

Magna, IPG and Pandora’s survey of 2,000 online adults about their media consumption shows the power of mood states to influence how people perceive audio and video advertising. All marketers want to reach audiences at times when they're most likely to be engaged with media channels, making it more imperative to understand the differences in media consumption habits among listeners and viewers as digital content consumption continues to grow.

Digital video consumption rises throughout the day and peaks at around 8 p.m., when 7.2% of ad-supported video sessions take place, the survey found. Audio session are more sustained throughout the day, peaking at 2 p.m. when 6.4% of ad-supported digital audio is consumed. Digital audio and video consumption drops dramatically after 9 p.m., and listeners and viewers show the least receptivity to advertising when they're feeling tired, per the survey.

The survey results follow Pandora’s release of its "Sound On" brand campaign that seeks to engage listeners with music that's appropriate for summer activities such as road trips, barbecues and music festivals.

"Every season has a different mood. Our approach to this campaign has shifted away from the comfort of winter and newness of spring to a more carefree and celebratory vision for the summer," Lauren Nagel, vice president and executive creative director at Pandora, said in a statement.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau last month released results of a study of mood states and video streaming. As with the Magna survey, the IAB found that people watching video to unwind at the end of the day were in a relaxed mood and less receptive to ads. However, people who watch videos to get help with a task or to learn a new skill were more engaged in the content and any related advertising. More than one-third (37%) of survey respondents said they were more receptive to ads when a preferred ad type was matched with their mood or motivation. More than half (56%) of streaming video viewers prefer like when ads are related to video content, such as a supermarket ad during a cooking video, the survey found.