What was Old is New Again: Audio Advertising Takes Over 

What was Old is New Again: Audio Advertising Takes Over 

What was old has a way of becoming new again. The oldest form of mass media communication—audio—continues to resurge through music streaming and podcasting. More on-demand audio content than ever before also means more advertising opportunities for brands to be in audiences’ ears and on their minds. 

Why Audio is Having a Moment

The rise of technology has breathed new life into audio. Better, less expensive recording equipment has democratized the broadcasting experience. What used to take full-fledged production teams now can be done in a living room. On the audience side, smartphones mean virtually endless content options for any type of music or podcast on demand, on the go and for free. The ultimate time hack, audio makes it possible for audiences to do two things at once: exercise and listen, do chores and listen, drive and listen. 

So many options mean there’s something for everyone, whether you’re into history, economics, wellness or dating podcasts or jazz, Afro futurism, folktronica or musical theater. That competitive landscape for audiences’ attention demands higher quality content that stands out.  

The overall experience of streaming music and podcasts is better too. Gone are the days of 5-minute radio ad breaks. With only one or two ads per break now, they aren’t so painful, which means audiences listen. And because they’re more relevant to the content and/or the audience, the audience is more likely to listen as I’ll explain next. 

Why Audio Advertising Works

Today’s audio occurs mostly through headphones whether audiences are listening at home or on the go. That’s just about as intimate an experience as you can have with advertising: the sound isn’t just in your ears, it’s in your head. This intimacy makes it feel less like mass communication and more like one-to-one communication. It’s highly personal, like the message is only for you and you alone. That kind of emotional connection packs a powerful punch.  

Let’s talk numbers next.  

• Audio boasts 56% higher attentiveness and 8% higher brand recall than video.  

• According to Pandora, only 23% of listeners skip through ads on their platform. 

• Host-read ads in a podcast environment create, on average, a 50% uptick in purchases and recommendations. The added trust factor of a host makes the ad experience more seamless, trustworthy and, ultimately, more impactful. 

• Podcasts are cost effective with an average cost per thousand impressions (CPM) around $23 for a 60-second spot. Compare that to broadcast television that starts at $25 and could be as high as $45. 

Like other digital media channels, streaming apps and podcasts offer advertisers multiple targeting options from demographics and geographies to language targeting, consumer behaviors and mindsets and lookalike and predictive audiences. The rich first-party data of in-app listening enables advertisers to layer campaigns with relevance. If cookies ever go away, this first-party data will become increasingly important. With audio advertising, you have a chance to get the right message in front of the right audience effectively at a low cost. 

How to Make Your Audio Ads Stand Out

Knowing your audience is king in advertising, whether you’re creating video or audio spots. If you can’t appeal to your audience, you can’t get your message across. Because audio is an especially intimate medium, it’s vital to make those ads personal (for example, referencing local landmarks or cultural events.)  

But don’t think audio is sound only. Many apps offer the option of display banners or full video interstitials that run when a user interacts with their device. Compelling visuals can help tell your brand story while capturing the eyes and imaginations of your listeners. An immersive brand experience can also help you differentiate your brand from other audio advertisers. 

Finally, get creative with how you tell audio stories. You don’t always need a host to read a spot or to hire a voice actor. For example, Heinrich worked with the Wyoming Department of Transportation and the Wyoming Governor’s Council on Impaired Driving for a summer 2023 campaign to end impaired driving called One for the Road. The campaign turns common drinking phrases on their head to show the perils of driving while impaired. 

Rather than lecture listeners about drinking and driving dangers, our creative team put listeners directly into a real-life story told through sound effects: a bartender’s last call, the clinking of glasses, a key fob unlocking a car, the engine’s turnover, radio playing country music and, finally, a crash. With hardly any words, we conveyed the negative, natural consequences of impaired driving. And it worked. The ads garnered 1.5 million completed listens, that’s the number of times the ad played from start to finish, not just a partial play. That campaign was born for business—in this case, the business of changing minds and saving lives. It shows the power of rethinking a legacy medium for today’s technologies and audiences.