Radio suffered during the height of the COVID pandemic as many people worked from home. That trend is changing, and “drive time” is back. The return to commuting was observed in a recent article in Inside Radio. According to the article, several key research companies, including Cumulus Media/Westwood One, MARU/Matchbox, and Advertiser Perceptions, all observed a return to traditional commuting patterns. The article noted:
“Compared to results from earlier surveys by MARU/Matchbox and Nielsen since April 2020, the height of the pandemic – when more than half (52%) of pre-COVID commuters were working at home – that share gradually fell to just 6% in the recent survey, meaning 94% of average Americans are now commuting to work. In just the past year, that represents an increase from 87%, although from April 2020 to March 2021, the work-from-home share dropped sharply, from that 52% to 21%.”
The article also noted that many marketers do not fully realize that commuting levels have returned. Now is the time to reengage.
You can see the complete analysis in Inside Radio here.