Audacy: Using Audio as a Disruptive Force (for Good!) Increases Ad Firepower

quotThere is an audio revolution happeningquot said Paul Suchman during a recent podcast interview with MediaVillage He39s Chief Marketing Officer for Audacy a multiplatform audio company whose portfolio includes broadcast radio stations podcasts and a fastgrowing streaming app quotChanging listener habits are disrupting the way audio is being consumed Creators who are developing content across the entire audio ecosystem are now disruptors and advertising too is being disrupted in a good wayquotHow fast is audio moving Last year streaming ad revenue skyrocketed 59 outpacing increases in video and search ad revenue according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PwC39s 2021 Ad Revenue reportFor brands this sea change spawns opportunities to invest in audio or spend more To help guide curious marketers Audacy recently published its semiannual quotState of Audioquot report The latest installment is aptly named quotThe Disruptors The Listeners Creators and Advertisers Revolutionizing AudioquotTo be successful Audacy says brands need to stop thinking of themselves as interrupters and embrace the role of disruptors That kind of advertiser brings a fresh approach to their messaging which could be a new style length type of ad or multiple variations of a campaign Brands need to be change agents and deliver informative and additive messagesAmong media audio boasts these secret weapons the intimate connections between listeners and content and engagement between listeners and ads It sounds simple but in today39s cluttered media environment advertisers don39t just need places to advertise they need attentive consumers willing to take action Audio delivers on thatIn its report Audacy notes that 61 of audio listeners listen through ads according to Edison Research39s First Quarter 2022 quotShare of Earquot report When consumers listen to an ad in its entirety engagement soars These listeners are 8 more likely to recall and 12 more apt to feel connected to the brand and they show an intent to purchase that39s stronger by 10In contrast TV viewers are a distracted bunch prone to multiscreen behavior quotState of Audioquot cites TiVo research showing that 55 of TV viewers use their phones while watching and 28 are on their laptops With so much competition for attention it39s hard for an advertiser to break throughSo what39s the best way to activate audio Audacy recommends a multiplatform or quottotal audioquot approach where a brand mixes advertising on AMFM radio podcasts and streaming When brands spread their messages out they increase exposure and engagement Audacy contendsThese quotTotal Audioquot ad dollars work smarter and harder When a client uses multiple audio channels the costs to convert a new customer are 38 lower than a singlesource campaign according to an analysis of Audacy advertising by Claritas More brands are following that advice with campaigns that use two or more platforms up 20 since 2019 according to Audacy39s Advertiser Campaign AnalysisquotWe39re seeing that digital audio campaigns are working harder when a total audio strategy is used across the board whether the goals are web visitation sales or brand liftquot said Ken Lagana Audacy39s Executive Vice President of Digital SalesA new generation of listeners is powering audio39s growth Audacy calls them quotAudioXquot listeners because they listen to audio across channels including radio and podcasts The company contends the emergence of these crossplatform listeners is this year39s biggest industry developmentquotWith the proliferation of podcasts the audio industry is seeing the rise of AudioX quotsuper listenersquot OTA overtheair plus podcast listeners who ravenously consume audio across platformsquot explained Idil Cakim Audacy39s Senior Vice President of Research and InsightsThese super listeners are young educated and affluent Among Audacy39s AudioX listeners 60 are Gen Z or Millennials they39re 67 more likely to have household incomes of more than 100000 and 52 more likely to have a college degree according to a 2021 MRI Simmons Spring Doublebase USA study These listeners are also dynamic and techsavvy overindexing on owning connected cars and using smart speakers the report notedThose attributes make advertisers swoon According to an Audacy AdLength Study by audio research and data firm Veritonic AudioX listeners are more affected by ads They39re 33 more likely to recall brand messages and that leads to 31 higher intent to purchase It means that ads are being heard and consumers are taking actionTo reach consumers most effectively Audacy recommends that brands shake up their creative and production The company works with Veritonic to gauge audio creativity In their experience the report notes deploying two to four different versions of an ad delivers the best campaign results Brands still achieve frequency but with some variety which keeps messaging fresh and relevantWhen it comes to ad length Veritonic research shows 30second spots are the most effective balancing duration effectiveness and ad spend A 30second message is enough to glean information but not so long that listeners get bored and tune out Of course variations apply Advertisers might want to do a longer ad when explaining a new product and shift to shorter ads when they are wellknown and want to gain frequency But overall when considering everything that a client wants to accomplish the sweet spot remains the 30second adFor brands wondering what to say Audacy encourages them to tell a story introduce characters and infuse the spot with humor To maximize onetoone connections Audacy39s report advises brands to get emotional Specifically quotutilizing the medium39s ability to intimately connect with listeners to foster stronger emotional resonance to their brands and ultimately increase conversionsquotAs audio battles TV digital video social media and others for an audience and ad dollars Audacy encourages brands to send more dollars to audio and see the differencequotAudio gets a lot of credit for being a reach and frequency medium but now we can layer precision onto that and when you do that it becomes a killer tool for advertisersquot Suchman saidClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Audacy: Using Audio as a Disruptive Force (for Good!) Increases Ad Firepower

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Alli Romano

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Audacy: Using Audio as a Disruptive Force (for Good!) Increases Ad Firepower

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