There should be no doubt about the importance of audio ads to any omnichannel marketing approach. The channel offers advertisers a unique opportunity to meet users in their daily routines. Whether they are listening to podcasts during their commute or a favourite radio station while preparing dinner in the kitchen, audio is a natural extension of our days, the soundtrack of our lives.
As such, audio ads represent an opportunity for brands to align with their targets’ contexts in an intimate and non-intrusive way, building greater brand trust and equity. As audience needs evolve, there is an ever-present push for greater precision and personalisation in audio advertising. Ad tech, publishers and agencies are meeting this challenge with a series of exciting new additions to the advertiser toolkit which, if used in the right contexts, can strike a chord with target audiences.
A Million Ads’ Dynamic & Synthetic Voice uses AI text-to-voice transcriptions coupled with their creative Studio product to offer deep creative personalisation to advertisers at every budget level. Their solution can generate up to one million audio ad variants from text scripts in a self-serve UI, offering an alternative route for advertisers from studio bookings and VO artists. Combined with targeting options including time of day, weather and location, advertisers can meet users in the contexts of their lives.
AdsWizz’s AudioPixel addresses the longstanding issue of attribution within the digital audio space. Using aggregated IP and device IDs with third-party cross-device graphs, AdsWizz has developed a solution that attributes on-site conversions back to digital listening. This is achieved through modelling, with their solution specifically designed for the rigours of cross-device listening. Their pixel can also be used for second-screen retargeting, serving a display or video ad after a user has listened to an audio message. Combined, this tech is giving advertisers the tools to bring audio closer into their wider digital mix, both in attributed effectiveness and storytelling through retargeting.
Additionally, Sonar, AdsWizz’s predictive audience solution, uses AI to transcribe podcast episodes. This combines with Comscore and IAB interest segments to determine users’ contexts, alongside their historical listening habits. Users can be targeted on mood and moments which advertisers can use to hyper-personalise ad experiences – think easy Sunday soul versus hard rock workout.
There is no one-size-fits-all in the audio landscape, but what is certain is the channel offers a unique and powerful way for advertisers to speak to users, personalised to the ways users themselves interact with media. Of course, technological advancements alone are not sufficient for a brand to forge a successful campaign: they must be paired with a deep appreciation of the target audience’s mindset and wants. When the right balance is struck, brand trust can be built at a highly competitive price.
