More than a third of UK consumers have used, or are interested in using, voice commands, and a roughly similar proportion regularly listen to podcasts, according to new figures from the Data & Marketing Association (DMA) – and over a quarter of the latter group discover new brands this way.

The data comes from the organisation’s Speak and Listen report, part of its Future Trends series.

This found that 37% of the British population listen to podcasts at least monthly, rising to 67% among men aged 16-29 and 54% among households with incomes of £75k+. The most engaged age group is aged 16 to 34 years old, with 14% of this group listening daily and 29% listening several times a week.

Crucially, 27% of weekly podcast listeners agreed that they discover new brands through podcast advertising. In addition, most (59%) said they find marketing they hear via podcasts/radio relevant.

“Podcasts are a fresh and popular audio media channel to engage consumers with, particularly the millennial and centennial demographic,” said Tim Bond, Head of Insight at the DMA. “Compelling narratives, engaging storytelling and informative content can strengthen the brand understanding and memory, offering brands the ultimate prize of a dedicated audience.”

The report also found that the proportion of people using voice commands has grown steadily, from 23% in 2015 to 38% in 2019, but the figure is much higher among centennials (born 2002-2010) at 53%. Sentiment around using this tech to carry out research or make purchases, however, hasn’t shifted much in the past year.

“The main drivers keeping people’s attention and interest on voice commands seem to be all connected to the customer’s holistic desire to unify their off and online lives as well as all their devices,” said Bond.

“For instance, interest in using vocal assistants to control household appliances is strong, as well as developing a greater use of social networks and group messaging services,” he added.

Sourced from DMA