Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
In just a few weeks, people across the country will be celebrating Father’s Day. For some, it may continue to be virtual, and for others, it may be a long awaited in-person celebration. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), 75% of adults plan on celebrating Father’s Day in 2021.
Based on NRF’s 2021 survey, Father’s Day spending is projected to rise to a total of $20.1 billion. While a special outing tops 2021 total spending, clothing, gift cards and electronics outranked everything else.
What about dads? What do they buy? What do they think, and do they tune into radio?
Did you know that nearly four in 10 male adults, who have any child under the age of 17, consider themselves “swayable shopaholics”? According to 2020 data from MRI-Simmons, 26% say they are “habitualized havers.”
Regardless of their buying styles, they do shop for various goods and services. Seventy-four percent have shopped for any men’s clothing, and 30% have spent $50-$149 on athletic shoes. When it comes to personal services, it shouldn’t surprise you that 60% have gotten a haircut, but these dads also get other services. They are 14% more likely to get highlights or have their hair colored, 17% more like to get a facial and 9% more likely to have visited a day spa.
They are also DIYers. They are 10% more likely to have done any home improvements, and 23% more like to have done remodeling. When it comes to car care, 21% have had their brakes serviced, and 12% have installed batteries themselves. With all this hard work, dads do enjoy beverages – 67% have had any alcoholic beverage in the past six months.
The best way to reach these dads is, of course, with radio. Seventy-five percent of dads with children under the age of 17 listen to broadcast radio. These radio-listening dads engage with radio across devices and platforms. They are 41% more likely to have streamed a broadcast radio station in the past month, 37% more like to have listened to live radio on a smart speaker and 36% more likely to have visited a radio station, program or radio personality’s site.
When targeting these radio-listening dads, advertisers should keep in mind what matters to them. They have strong personal feelings about family and life. Eighty-five percent believe that spending time with their family is their top priority. Sixty-three percent believe that life should be as much fun as possible. Weaving these emotional themes into radio ads for any advertiser will increase the personal relevance of that brand, which will increase brand recall and affinity. This is sound advice to target dads – not just for Father’s Day, but for every day of the year.