We tend to hear a lot about the early-adoption habits of affluent Americans in terms of digital media, but radio as an effective vehicle for reaching this audience has been largely overlooked. Studies show that the majority of those in the car still listen to AM-FM radio, where they can find traffic and weather, local news and events.

Radio gets these users’ attention like no other medium. Daily tune-in times for radio average 2 hours and 27 minutes. And the likelihood that this audience is listening intensely is high, particularly among commuters.

People driving to work are typically driving alone, many of them are in traffic, and most look to radio to engage and accompany them along the way. Unlike people watching a second screen during a TV show or checking social media on mobile, commuters are paying close attention to what they are hearing.

Recent evidence shows that radio is a medium that dominates mindshare just before purchases are made, even in this digital era. According to an annual study carried out by Arbitron and Edison Research, in 2013, 49% of those polled who went into a store to shop had been listening to AM/FM radio in the half hour just ahead of that visit. Compare that to only 6% who had been using a cell phone to research information or 6% who had been researching on the Internet via desktop. Only 3% had been viewing a magazine.

Even with the media landscape changing daily, radio continues to offer advertisers a captive audience of mass affluents ready to hear their message.

Source: Truncated from Jeff Haley, President and Chief Executive Officer, Marketron; an article that appeared in Engage: Affluent, 01/02/14