Eighty-nine percent of marketers and media agencies are now commuting to work and spending more time at the office — well above the 63% who were commuting in April 2022, an era defined by the COVID-19 pandemic.
That’s according to a new Advertiser Perceptions study of 305 media agencies and brands commissioned by the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group, which reported the findings in its weekly blog.
This month, according to the findings, half of marketers and agencies were working at the office “most days” — a number that has more than doubled since the 22% recorded in April 2022. And the numbers are really plunging among those who say they only work from home: In October that figure was just 11%, down from 37% in April 2022. That 11% figure is the lowest of the post-pandemic era. Meanwhile, 40% of media agencies and brands say they’re “commuting to work some days.”
If it’s any consolation to media agencies and brands, they’re not the only ones being increasingly required to give up their work-from-home arrangements. According to another study commissioned by Cumulus | Westwood One, this one by MARU/Matchbox, 88% of average Americans are currently working outside the home.
“The ‘back to the office’ gap between average Americans and brands/media agencies has closed,” Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard writes in the weekly blog. “In early 2022, average Americans were much more likely (+23 points) to be working outside the home versus those in the media and marketing industry. As of April 2024, an equal proportion of advertising industry and everyday Americans commute to work.”
The findings should do plenty to maintain AM/FM radio’s dominant share of ad-supported audio in the car. According to Edison Research’s Q2 2024 “Share of Ear” report, listening to ad-supported audio content in a car or truck that goes to AM/FM radio stands at 86%. That number has been in the high 80s since 2020.
“For marketers and media agencies the message is clear: Out-of-home media audiences have roared back as billboards, digital signage, and AM/FM radio offer mass reach at full pre-pandemic levels,” Westwood One says. “The return-to-work trend has less of an impact on digital audio such as Spotify, Pandora, and podcasts, which are primarily consumed at home.”
According to the research, 62% of marketers and agencies have resumed in-person media vendor meetings, while two-thirds have resumed in-person conferences and events. In addition, another 30% of marketers plan to resume in-person media vendor meetings in the next six months.
Comments