November 24, 2020

Ringing in the Holiday Season

Since it has already started, according to Mariah!

Brands, have you started your holiday planning? Consumers have been getting in the mood since July so the time is now! Here are some fun facts to get your creativity flowing.

When does the holiday season officially start? No, it’s not Black Friday. It’s when Mariah Carey says “It’s Time!” On November 1st, Mariah tweeted in the start of the holiday season with a “creepy”but cute video.
It was Christmas in July. Listeners started singing along to their favorite holiday tunes the third week in July, three weeks earlier than any recent year¹.
Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton released their holiday albums September 25th and October 2nd respectively, with guest appearances by Michael Bublé, Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus, and Jimmy Fallon.
Audacy’s KEZK-FM St. Louis switched to “Christmas in March” in order to lift spirits during the initial Covid-19 quarantine.

Audio consumers love the holidays. Here’s a look from years past.

Holiday music Radio listeners are the best gift givers! They spent more than $35 Million on internet purchases over the past year⁴!
Bobby Helm’s 1957 classic “Jingle Bell Rock” got the most Radio air play in 2019 with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” at a close #2, losing out by only 84 spins².
More people tuned into Audacy’s streaming station, “Christmas Classics” in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Dallas and Chicago but those in Mobile-Pensacola, San Diego, Milwaukee, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and Rochester spent the most time singing along to their favorite holiday tunes³.
Offices got into the holiday spirit on December 10th with the highest listening hours on desktops and laptops³.
The highest day for holiday tunes on Smart Speakers was on Christmas Eve, when families gathered together³.

Want to talk more about reaching your target audience?

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SOURCES

1. MRC/Nielsen, Music Connect;
2. 2019 MRC/Nielsen BDSradio –11/28/19-12/27/19 –Airplay Spins –AC, Adult AC, Christian AC, Classic Hits, And Country Formats;
3. Triton Digital, 11/1/19-12/31/19, Christmas Classicsall dayparts TLH/Cume.
4.Nielsen Scarborough, Market/Release: Scarborough National Database 2020 Release 1 Total (Jan 2019 -May 2020) Radio Format Profiles: Holiday Music