Boston_brands_HORIZONTAL_COLOR_v2_Revised
 

How Smart Speakers Affect Advertising On Boston Radio

Feb 4, 2021 12:41:33 PM / by Larry Julius

Listening To Boston Radio On Smart SpeakersBoston's first radio station, WBZ-AM, began broadcasting on September 15, 1921.  The process of getting the station's programming from the studio into the home of local listeners required tall-transmitting towers with miles of underground copper wire in the middle of massive fields.

For the next 72 years, this massive investment in real estate, steel, and cooper was the only method of delivering a radio advertiser's message into the ears of Boston consumers.

In 1993, however, new technology permitted Boston radio stations to augment the reach of their tall towers by simultaneously streaming its over-the-air programming via the internet. This provided local consumers with the choice of listening to their favorite stations on their car radios, clock radios, and boom boxes or on an internet connected devices like computers, smartphones, or tablets.

Today, based on estimates from Edison Research, 11% of listening to local radio stations occurs on a streaming media device.  The ability for AM/FM to migrate from their tall towers to internet streaming allows Boston radio to reach more local consumers every week than all other media.

Each week, according to Nielsen, 3.3 million adults tune-in to their favorite Boston radio stations. This is more people than watch local TV, cable, or streaming channels. This is more than use Facebook and Instagram. This is more than read newspapers or connect to Pandora and Spotify. 

Advertising In Boston Adults Reached 2020

Boston radio's over-the-air and online distribution has also fueled the dominance of AM/FM listening among local millennials. This generation of listeners now accounts for one-third of local consumer-spending.

Advertising In Boston Millennials August 2020

In 2016, local consumers began adopting a new technology, smart speakers, to connect to their favorite Boston radio stations. The smart speaker market is dominated by Apple, Google, and Amazon. Based on estimates from Pew Research, more than 1,000,000 Boston area consumers own one or more of these devices.

New call-to-action

Smart speakers are voice-activated personal assistants that can facilitate everyday activities like creating shopping lists and making phone calls.  According to Adobe Analytics, however, smart speaker owners use their device mostly to play music.

Advertising In Boston: Smart Speaker Use

According to Triton Digital, 22% of all listening to radio station streams occur on a smart speaker.  This is s significant increase in just two years.

Advertising In Boston Smart Speaker Use

For Boston small business owners who depend on radio advertising to reach local consumers,  smart speakers enhances the medium's ability to reach consumers.

A study by Edison Research finds that AM/FM radio's share of smart speaker use is significantly larger than all other ad-supported audio sources.

Radio Listening In Boston Smart Speakers

As local stations continue to make their over-the-air content easy to access with new digital technologies, advertising on Boston radio will remain a powerful option for small business owners.

More Advertising Advice For Boston Small Business Owners

New call-to-action

Topics: best way to advertise, small business owner, small business marketing, small business, small business advertising, streaming audio, amazon echo, siri, smart speakers, google home, advertise on boston radio, alexa

Receive Great Advertising Advice Direct To Your Inbox...

Advertise In Boston Now

Recent Posts

  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.