A Borrell Associates survey of marketers shows younger marketing agency employees are the ones most likely to increase their advertising budgets with AM/FM radio.
According to the Spring 2025 Survey of Local Ad Buyers, 13% of those under 35 shared plans to increase spending with radio. That topped 11% of those aged 35-44, and 7% of those 45 and older.
Center for Sales Strategy CEO Matt Sunshine shared that there’s a thought process behind why these numbers fell the way they did.
“You’d think younger market people might be more inclined to favor nothing but social media — and while they do favor social media — they may be more interested than their older counterparts in things like broadcast, TV, radio, cable, and direct mail,” he shared.
As noted by Sunshine, 40% of those marketing agency employees under 35 plan to increase their social media budgets, topping the list of avenues by a wide margin. 32% of those 35-44 responded similarly, while only 20% of the 45+ crowd shared intentions to grow their social media budgets.
Sunshine suggested that the extreme knowledge younger marketers have in digital aspects could be why AM/FM radio is getting an increase.
“It could be their world has been almost solely focused on digital media and that they’re now interested in greater marketing diversity,” he stated.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
