NPR Proven as Effective Platform for Travel Brands

NPR’s coverage transports listeners to the heart of what’s happening in their local communities, across the country and around the world. The people who turn to NPR for those stories are going places themselves. They are 62% more likely to have spent $5K+ on domestic travel.¹ They tune in because they’re curious about the world. NPR keeps them informed as they plan and embark on their next trip. NPR sponsorship gives travel brands the opportunity to connect with them while they’re listening too.

NPR reaches an ideal audience for travel brands. NPR listeners are active travelers, more likely than average to enjoy activities like backpacking, hiking or visiting historical sites while on vacation. They are high-value travelers who are more likely to be willing to pay for high quality travel experiences, whether it’s a luxury hotel or a first class flight. Given NPR’s reach to professionals and business leaders, it’s unsurprising that the NPR audience is traveling for business. They are also traveling for leisure and personal enjoyment – listeners are 50% more likely to be considered “Passionate Travel Adventurers,”¹ a category that includes 6.4 million NPR listeners.²

NPR listeners are:

Building a successful NPR campaign for a travel brand

NPR’s audio journalism and storytelling keeps the curious listener captivated on planes and trains. When planning a campaign, specifically for a travel brand, choosing which NPR programs to align with is one element of crafting an impactful campaign. Research shows that NPR podcasts that reach the highest percent composition of heavy travelers include Code Switch, 1A, Life Kit and TED Radio Hour, perfect for travelers who enjoy entertaining stories or keeping up with current events.

Creative is the final component to a powerful travel campaign. On NPR audio platforms, whether it’s a :15 radio spot or a :30 message in an NPR podcast, a brand’s message is read by familiar NPR voices. Creative testing performed by NPR with Veritonic Creative Measurement demonstrates that this messaging drives impact, specifically for travel brands. When NPR audio messages from a home rental brand were tested, intent to use the brand to book vacation accommodations increased by 22% after hearing the message. A majority of listeners agreed with the brand attributes promoted: 86% agreed the brand “is the place to book and plan a family vacation,” and 82% agreed it is “a brand that brings people together.”³

NPR podcast sponsorship drives results for travel brands:

Drive strong performance with NPR Sponsorship

NPR is an effective platform for travel brands, from hotel companies to airlines. National Public Media’s sales and planning teams use proven strategies to increase interest and consideration for future travelers. A recent travel campaign, with the goal of promoting their hotel as a great choice for leisure travelers, rang successful. Impact research showed NPR listeners would be very likely to choose the hotel for leisure travel (69%).⁵ In addition, the NPR sponsorship drove an increase in overall interest in learning more about the brand. Whether the goal is awareness, opinion or consideration, NPR is an effective platform for travel brands to reach listeners as they navigate their next adventure.

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Sources:

1. Indexes are averages across platforms: (radio) MRI-Simmons 2021 Spring Doublebase; (podcast) MRI-Simmons 2022 April Podcast Study; (NPR.org) Comscore Plan Metrix Multiplatform, Feb 2022;
2. Nielsen Nationwide, Spring 2022, and NPR Podcast logs.
3. Veritonic Creative Testing
4. NPR Listens  and Kantar, NPR sponsorship studies 2019-2022
5. NPR Listener Survey, 2022