More African Americans, Hispanics Respond to Digital Audio Ads

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A larger portion of African American and Hispanic Internet radio audiences recall digital audio ads. And, these two groups are more apt to connect their social media accounts to digital audio platforms.

They also choose to listen via mobile devices more so than the general population, according to a study from digital audio advertising network TargetSpot. Eighty-five percent of African American digital audio users listen on tablets - 12 percent more than the general population. The Hispanic digital audio audience listens more on tablets than the general public, too - 75 percent compared to 73 percent.

According to TargetSpot, 42 percent of the U.S. population listens to digital audio. The study was conducted in January by Parks Associates. The firm surveyed 1,000 adult U.S. Internet radio listeners in homes with broadband who listen to at least once a month; African American and Hispanic listeners were oversampled.

"These key audiences frequently use connected devices, are highly engaged in social media, and exhibit very significant recall and response rates to advertising...," stated Eyal Goldwerger, CEO of TargetSpot, in a press release.

Hispanic and African American audiences also show higher ad recall rates than the general public; 61 percent of Hispanics and 59 percent of African Americans recall hearing an Internet radio ad in the past 30 days. A slightly smaller portion of the general population - 58 percent -recall digital audio ads.

The numbers stand out more when it comes to reported ad response rates. Among Hispanics, 61 percent said they responded to an ad. African Americans also saw a high percentage with 56 percent saying they interacted with an ad. Of the general population, 44 percent responded to a digital audio ad.

The study also reveals that African American and Hispanic audiences are not only more engaged listeners; they are more socially engaged listeners as well. The general population links 35 percent of Internet radio profiles to a social network while a larger portion of Hispanics and African Americans do, thus sharing their listening behavior with friends. Fifty-three percent of Hispanics and 44 percent of African American digital radio audiences connect social media to digital audio, said the study.