Since the advent of Radio’s adoption as a potent medium for customer attention, marketers have heavily relied on the merit of mainline audio content. From jingles to anthems, people generate different listening experiences to varied audio content formats during their commute, daily activities and leisure. There are no boundaries with audio — it can express emotions, capture moods in seconds, and engage listeners to fill in gaps with their imaginations.
Digital Media is shaping to be the prime destination for audio content discovery and here's why you need to add Digital Audio Advertising to your content mix:
What is Digital Audio Advertising?
Digital Audio Advertising is programming audio content so that consumers will discover the news, educate themselves, hear from influencers, celebrities or politicians and express their social preferences in real-time. It is a sector with enormous growth potential. The popularity of radio, the increase in music streaming and podcast listening, and the increased adoption of smart speakers, combined with rapid advances in audio technology – makes it a dynamic space to operate in.
Adding digital audio can only enhance the campaigns you’re already investing in. But, considering the fact that modern consumers prefer a seamless omnichannel experience, you can’t ignore it much longer. By expanding your media mix to include audio advertising, you have the ability to reach audiences on a level, work with listening habits in a space not yet oversaturated by competitors, fighting against ad fatigue and blindness.
How Is It Beneficial?
Audio advertising is a supreme tactic for brands looking to reach a broad audience for awareness campaigns with a reach goal in mind. Your business can use the audio channel to boost ad engagement and reach for these set demographics. The foremost benefits are stellar engagement and listen-through rates that advertisers get when opting for audio programmatic ads in their strategy. In addition, the audience targeting capabilities paired with a consumer-friendly ad positioning create the perfect scenario for advertisers to make a long-lasting impression on people.
Audio ads can reach customers where video ads fail, delivering impressions without any visual contact. It is best in paving the way for the advertiser when the only channel is the ‘ears’ of listeners. You can reach your customers while they’re jogging, cooking, working out or driving. You can easily analyse and measure campaign metrics like impressions, independent research, downloaded programs or results for native ads, voice-activated ads & companion ads to nail marketing tactics and strategy.
How Can You Leverage It?
Advertisers must be prepared to harness the wealth of user data digital audio services provide, directing listeners to relevant offerings and elevating their campaigns to new levels for converting loyal listeners into loyal consumers. Placing your ad on a brand-aligned audio channel will reach a qualified audience with relevant interests and needs. Using standard targeting, marketers can be confident in the contextual relevance of their ads.
A survey found that 60% of surveyed podcast listeners say they bought something after hearing it advertised on a podcast. Invested listeners tune in to every episode, a loyalty that leads to buying advertised products or services. Consider your brand voice, literally and figuratively, alongside your marketing goals to select an exclusive format among recorded spots, native ads, branded channels/playlists/podcasts, etc., that suits best for your brand.
Must Use Formats of Digital Audio
Digital audio encompasses many different things - streaming music, live talk, radio, sports, podcasts, etc. So naturally, advertisers are following. Streaming audio, specifically AM/FM radio, has been the most significant outlet for brands and advertisers. The podcasting world is diverse and audiences are highly engaged. It sees unprecedented growth, building absolute trust with your brand. Its memorisation rate is considered 4.4 times higher than all other digital formats.
Streaming Audio Ads online has taken over the way we consume media. Be it cross-device audio, sponsored sessions, etc.; it allows you to zero in on the right users and create relevant and personalised ad experiences. Voice Activated Ads transform the passive act of listening to music, podcasts or streams into a potential interactive shopping experience. The ability to remove purchase barriers and increase sales via screenless devices is tantalising to many marketers.
Innovations in Digital Audio Advertising
As more and more consumers flock to digital audio, the realm of digital audio advertising is an exciting new frontier to explore. Let’s discuss the trends currently driving the expansion of digital audio ads across media channels.
First, Programmatic Audio utilises technology to automate the selling and insertion of ads in digital audio content such as AM/FM radio, music-streaming services, etc. Spotify leads in programmatic advertising, claiming that one-fourth of its ad revenue comes from programmatic sales. Secondly, enabled by the rapid adoption of smart speakers combined with technology, Interactive Audio Ads drive performance by reducing the path to conversion and allow their effectiveness to be more accurately measured. As a result, they serve as future-forward, innovative outlets for advertisers and brands. Finally, the Context-Aware Ads have a greater standout and higher recall. Brands can also leverage Data-driven Ads to create meaningful messages that are dynamic and hyper-personalised.
Final Words
The rise in digital audio listening has led more brands to assess the potential of digital audio as an advertising channel. It allows you to reach your audience with strategic targeting features such as contextual, behavioural, device-type, geographical, and even genre relevance. There may be a slight skew towards the younger demographic regarding the addressable audience for digital audio advertising. But, in reality, people of all ages and with all kinds of interests listen to digital audio, so whatever audience your brand is trying to reach, digital audio can deliver it.
Furthermore, there is additional benefit audio has for marketers looking to reduce their costs. Although audio and video have unique benefits and use-cases, they are constantly compared. Audio is a great stepping stone if you're looking to break into the advertising space but don't have the budget for video. As a marketer, you need to focus on the most innovative, futuristic trends to stay ahead of the curve. Like any emerging medium, you must incorporate audio advertising within your overall digital strategy and utilise it from a holistic perspective that blends well with all formats to reinforce and enhance a listener's journey.
