Voice of the Brand: Enhancing Customer Engagement Through Audio Advertising
There is one form of advertising that always seems to feature less heavily on advice blogs – even on Diginius’. We have talked about Video Advertising, search vs display ads as well as advertising on Microsoft, LinkedIn ads, DuckDuckGo and yet, audio advertising often gets left behind.
Today this changes and we give this evolving form of marketing the space it deserves. Audio advertising is already presenting many exciting and innovative opportunities but also shows great promise for the future too.
The power of audio
Have you ever had a jingle stuck in your head? Have you been listening to your favourite artist or podcast and been interrupted by an advert that has then been stuck in your head all day?
‘Did somebody say Just EAAT?’
‘Domino-oo-ooo’
And maybe going back a bit further …
‘O eight hundred double ohhh, ten sixty-six!’
I’ll stop now… Irritating though these are, they do show the power of audio in advertising. However, audio advertising is more than these silly and rather infuriating sound bites but full of (less vexing) opportunities. It has been shown that audio ads are having more impact upon audiences than visual mediums given consumers are saturated with video all day long.
Audio advertising may be in its infancy in many ways but it is certainly not new-born, with the first radio ad airing in August 1922: although this ad was 15 minutes long – not something we would suggest. In 2024, it is proving itself to be one of the most powerful marketing channels, standing out due to its accessibility and emotional resonance. The Drum states 74% of listeners aged 18-34 are consuming more audio content due to its accessibility with 79% of audio consumption occurs when visual media is unavailable which makes it perfect for reaching your multitasking customers.
These factors drive results for advertisers. According to Spotify, 62% of listeners of podcasts take some kind of action after hearing an ad. As such, there are plenty of reasons to consider adding audio to your advertising arsenal and many are! Naturally, its proven efficacy is driving growth and Statistica forecast that ad spending will reach $11.78bn this year.
Audio and brand storytelling
Audio ads are distinctive due to their reliance on a method of communication that is emotionally rich and intimate. This allows advertisers to forge personal connections with their target audiences and highlight audio ads’ special ability to enhance brand identity and storytelling.
Indeed, SiriusXM Media report that digital audio listenership has surged by 92% over the past decade and often considered to be a more authentic and trustworthy.
Audio innovations in the marketing industry
Innovations in audio ads are looking to build off from the features which are unique to this platform, amplifying that personal feel and connection. Alongside pre-roll and mid-roll ads, more recent technological developments ensures that ads are inserted at the right time, allowing marketers to strategise more effectively and maximise ROI. Developments are seeking to enhance the precision and impact of audio advertising, optimising the way that ads are experienced and immersing the listener into the brand story.
The future is bright for this advertising format, especially if they continue to develop technology which is so closely aligned to the thoughts, feelings and needs of audience, advertiser and creator alike.
Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI)
This uses real time data to ensure that the right ads are heard at the right time and of course, by the right people. It works based off four key bits of user data: time, the type of content, any information on who they are (e.g whether they are listening on desktop or mobile) and finally where they are. This gives the listener a tailored experience, means that the podcast host can be confident that the ads are relevant and allows the advertiser to maintain a good Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).
Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO)
Similar to DAI, DCO uses the same audience information to tailor the content itself. The data points mentioned above are used to dynamically adjust the content to the listener’s environment, meaning that brands can deliver high relevant messages to their audience.
Automated Host-Read Ads
Given that 50% of listeners trust their favourite podcast hosts, it makes sense to utilise this relationship even if this does take a bit more time and effort; and it pays the Drum have reported that listeners are 40% more likely to convert after having listened to a host-read ad. By delivering a script or defining the way in which you want your product/service to be discussed, you can reach this engaged audience in a powerful way. With automated ads, you can get the benefits of a host-read ad whilst still making the most of the programmatic techniques touched on above.
Interactive audio advertising
This advanced audio advertising technology seeks to maximise the personal relationship between brand and audience. These ads enable listeners to interact in real-time ‘conversations’ with brands using certain voice commands.
For example, Infiniti the car brand ran a campaign a few years ago to promote a new model. The audio began with a tease:
‘Want to experience all the advantages of an ultramodern crossover and listen to this track on a Bose audio system in the impeccable comfortable seat behind the wheel of the new Infiniti QX50? If so, say “yes”’.
If the listener said yes, they then heard the following,
‘Get ready to experience the power and dynamic responsiveness of the innovative VC-Turbo engine. Fill out the form on the page we opened for you and we’ll see you on your test drive! The Infiniti QX50 is waiting for you.’
With no interest or silence they heard this a week later,
‘You still have the opportunity to test drive a luxury Infiniti QX50. If you change your mind, go to Infiniti.ru. See you soon.’
Finally, if there was no clear response,
‘I can’t hear you very well. If you want to feel the drive of the Infiniti QX50, say “Yes.”’
If there was a very emphatic ‘NO!’ (or anything more explosive that we would blush to repeat here) the first time, however, they won’t hear that ad again in an effort to reduce ad spend.
According to Insteamatic, the voice-advertising company who ran this campaign, more than 5% of those who had no original interest, changed their mind.
Therefore, there are many creative options available to explore no matter what the niche of your product or service is. Even the most recent Downtown Abbey movie utilised this form of advertising, voiced by Mr Carson and offering not only easy ticket booking but also special content.
Mood targeting
Another way of tailoring ads to the audience’s environment and context is by syncing the ad to the vibe of the music you’re listening to. Depending on your product you might choose to target those who listen to ‘happy’ music, for example.
How to start with audio advertising
The first step of any new advertising campaign, whether you are familiar with the platform or not, is building up an understanding of your audience before then considering the best way to target them and doing research into the opportunities that different platforms can offer.
After these strong foundations are in place, then you can move onto creating engaging, compelling content with professional talent, music, sound effects and recording equipment.
With your content in place, you can then experiment and optimise your campaigns. This is the moment to get the most out of the tools that are at your disposal and measuring results to see what works best.
Easy!
The future of audio ads
We have briefly touched upon the expected growth of the audio advertising platform but it is worth emphasising just how many opportunities are foreseen. The future of marketing is always uncertain as trends come and go but the expansion of audio ads is something we can be fairly confident in.
It has already been seen that the evolution of audio has focused on the development of personalisation, interactive formats and forms of immersion. Likewise, as noted about the continued alignment of ads to someone’s current mood promised to be a huge opportunity to advertisers.
What is especially exciting though is the user-led growth of this format. The number of Brits listening to podcasts for more than six hours a week has doubled since 2019 (according to YouGov) and worldwide, the average monthly podcast listeners to over 1.7 billion. Where the users are, the advertisers will follow. More than this though, the associations with trustworthiness as well as having a highly engaged audience means that the audience is more likely to convert.
Looking ahead though, a major shift in this space is the competition between traditional radio and digital audio. There is no doubt that the popularity of podcasts has soared, however, the number of traditional radio listeners still outstripped digital audio, with 217 million listeners to 169 million in 2021 (Statistica). However, this gap has been closing as people move away from traditional radio.
What does this mean for advertisers? Although this shift is not surprising, it does demonstrate that we shouldn’t always be too swept away by everything that is shiny and new. As the future moves in the direction of becoming more specific, allowing greater targeting and more personalisation, a word should be said in favour of casting a wide net in advertising too. Targeting certain niches may offer a greater chance of conversion but the audiences are small in number. As mentioned above, a campaign succeeds when you have your goals clear and well-set from the outset so if your priority is brand awareness or believe in the lighter touch, then radio ads still offer chances too.
The future always promises great technological innovations pushing in certain directions but there is something to be said for the simpler approach too.
Benefits of audio ads
Audio ads present manifold opportunities currently and all forecasts show that this is only set to increase. If you have only ever considered the visual, it is time to bring the aural into your advertising strategy too. Diversifying campaigns and testing new opportunities is always a good approach.
However, with the busy retail season approaching and the time for Black Friday strategies to be thought-out upon us, it is time for you to seriously consider something new and make the most of all the avenues available – especially those, like audio advertising, that is proving itself time and time again.
