The Opportunity Gap
Consumers are spending 31% of their media time with audio, yet healthcare marketers allocate less than 2% of their advertising budgets towards the audio medium. For an industry like healthcare that has historically relied heavily on visual channels like TV, search and social media, digital audio presents a unique opportunity to differentiate brands and connect with consumers in a safe ad environment.
Media That’s Good For Your Health
SiriusXM Media has conducted proprietary research for years, focusing on its listeners' healthcare habits and preferences. While some forms of media have shown to negatively impact a person’s wellbeing, SiriusXM Media’s studies consistently validate the positive connection between audio and health. In fact, based on Pandora’s annual healthcare Soundboard study, 84% of SiriusXM Media’s adult listeners say music helps them feel better when physically ill, and 82% listen to music to benefit their mental health. With the recent surge of podcast listenership, nearly half of SiriusXM Media podcast listeners report that they listen to benefit their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
It’s Personal
Anyone who streams music or podcasts knows how personal the experience can be. Listeners curate their own playlists and podcasts, and this content accompanies the listener throughout their day. According to the IAB Digital Audio Buyer’s Guide, Nielsen estimates 79% of audio listening takes place in the moments when consumers cannot be reached with visual media, making audio a crucial component of a healthcare marketer’s strategy. Whether streaming audio while working out, playing with kids, doing household chores, or commuting, audio serves as the soundtrack to daily life. With billions of signals collected daily from declared listener data, SiriusXM Media has a treasure trove of first-party audience targeting to ensure healthcare messaging resonates with the right consumers.
Scale Matters
SiriusXM Media reaches one in two Americans across its streaming music, podcast, and satellite platforms. With 150 million people listening on a monthly basis, SiriusXM Media provides healthcare brands with the scale needed to make an impact in local markets. Additionally, SiriusXM Media’s data partnerships enable a healthcare advertiser to explore hundreds of HIPAA-compliant audience targeting segments across both streaming music and podcasts. Applying HIPAA-compliant targeting to a media plan can help ensure a brand’s message is served to those who would benefit most from hearing the information.
Stand Out in 2025
Digital audio can help healthcare brands differentiate themselves in 2025 and outpace the competition by tapping into an underutilized medium. Americans spend nearly five hours daily consuming digital audio content, providing healthcare providers ample opportunity to reach consumers during pivotal moments in their lives. Everyone has seen your brand—but have they heard it?
About the Author:
Anna Clement has 12+ years of marketing experience helping fortune 500 companies reach and resonate with their target consumers across digital and traditional media platforms. In her current role as Director and Healthcare Head of Industry at SiriusXM Media, Anna advises and works with payer and provider marketers across the country to deliver targeted audio messaging to qualified audiences at scale.
Want to learn more about digital audio advertising for your healthcare brand? Reach out to Anna.Clement@SiriusXM.com or chat with her at HCIC in Austin November 10-13.