Attracting younger listeners
Understanding the next gen
SiriusXM is a pioneer in streaming media, introducing premium music and exclusive talk and sports channels to millions of adoring fans. But as competitive offerings grow and consumer preferences change, it’s critical for the industry giant to innovate as it hopes to attract a new generation of young listeners.
A multi-tiered approach
The media darling grew in popularity with Gen-X and older Millennials unsatisfied with traditional radio. But with alternatives like Spotify and Youtube that allow users to curate their experience, what role does the broadcast platform have in today’s audio world? And more critically, as Gen-Z flocks to social platforms like TikTok and Instagram, can the brand compete for attention and engagement against these multimedia behemoths? That’s exactly what we at argodesign were asked to uncover through deep multi-modal research with Zillenials.
Extracting key insights
Through a multi-tiered longitudinal study, we probed the interests, habits, preferences, and behaviors of young listeners age 18-28 across the US. What we learned is that social media, rather than streaming, proved to be the biggest competitor to Sirius’s growth among youth. Young consumers turn to content not only for relaxation and recreation, but also for information, education, and connection to their peers.
Imagining the next musical breakthrough
That meant that Sirius XM would need to rethink its platform products, and the way that listeners might more fully engage with the content, creators, and communities they care about. From contextualizing content for deeper connection, to introducing new ways for fans to interact with artists and each other, the clear path forward for the brand is to look beyond programming and to lean into visionary platform features.
Futurecasting audio's evolution
This research study resulted in 10 unique listener archetypes, 39 opportunities areas, and hundreds of insights and ideas to guide the brand’s evolution and introduction to a new era of interactive entertainment.
