How SBI Mutual Fund Built Auto-Investment Awareness Through a High-LTR Digital Audio Campaign

 

 

Introduction & Campaign Overview

SBI Mutual Fund is one of India’s most trusted investment brands, offering a wide range of solutions designed to make long-term wealth creation simple and accessible. In May, SBI Mutual Fund partnered with Paytunes to run a 10-day digital audio campaign aimed at increasing awareness of its auto-investment solutions. The campaign leveraged high-impact, non-skippable audio formats across premium music and podcast platforms, delivered exclusively on mobile devices in India’s top metro cities, using bilingual English and Hindi creatives to engage listeners during active audio consumption moments.

 

Objectives

• Increase awareness of SBI Mutual Fund’s auto-investment features among finance-interested listeners

• Reach urban audiences already engaged with music and podcast content

• Drive strong Listen-Through Rate (LTR) and Click-Through Rate (CTR) uplifts using Paytunes’ core performance metrics

• Achieve meaningful performance improvement over baseline benchmarks

 

Strategy & Execution

• Used a Run of Site (ROS) buying approach combined with finance affinity targeting such as investing, stocks, and equity

• Activated across leading audio platforms including JioSaavn, Wynk, YouTube Music, and Pocket FM

• Delivered non-skippable audio ads supported by companion display banners

• Ran ads consistently throughout the campaign period to ensure steady impression delivery

• Directed traffic from companion banners to the SBI Mutual Fund auto-investment landing page

• Prioritised high-reach music platforms while maintaining balanced exposure across all channels

 

Key Results & Outcomes

 

 

• Delivered a strong 1.17× uplift in Listen-Through Rate (LTR), indicating high message consumption

• Recorded a 1.30× uplift in Click-Through Rate (CTR), reflecting healthy audience interaction

• Achieved stable baseline reach performance at 1.00×

• Maintained consistent delivery aligned with planned impressions throughout the campaign

• Demonstrated the effectiveness of digital audio for financial brand engagement

 

Audience Targeting & Segmentation

• Focused on mobile-first users consuming music and podcasts in metro cities

• Reached bilingual English and Hindi listeners

• Applied affinity-based targeting to ensure relevance among finance-aware audiences

• Naturally aligned with working professionals and investment-curious users in urban markets

 

Daypart & Timing Insights

• Listen-Through Rate remained consistently stable across the campaign duration

• Click-Through Rate showed stronger performance on weekdays compared to weekends

• Engagement was higher during peak daily listening periods, particularly during routine commute hours

• Insights suggest stronger financial content receptivity during workdays

 

Device Type Breakdown & Reach Strategy

• Mobile Android
  Dominated delivery with ~87.74% share of total impressions.
  Primary driver of LTR and CTR uplift across the campaign.

• Mobile iOS
  Accounted for ~10.92% share, representing the second-largest contributor.
  Played a key role in complementing Android reach, especially among premium users.

• Tablet (Android)
  Very minimal share (~0.6%)
  Likely contributed to incidental or passive listening sessions.

• Desktop (Other)
  Represented ~0.42% of impressions.
  Minimal engagement; not a core device for audio-based interaction.

• Smart Home Devices / Smart Watches
  Combined share 0.17%, highlighting negligible interaction on wearables or IoT devices.

• Tablet (iPad)
  Lowest delivery at ~0.14%, indicating limited usage among the campaign’s target demographic.

 

Insight: The campaign’s engagement metrics, like LTR and CTR were primarily driven by mobile-first consumption, validating Paytunes’ strategy of focusing on audio delivery across smartphones, where user attention and interaction were most consistent.

 

Geographic Performance

• Campaign focused on India’s top 10 metro cities

• Mumbai emerged as a leading contributor in both impressions and CTR

• Other metro cities delivered steady and reliable performance

• Ensured strong urban penetration without dilution from non-core geographies

 

City-wise LTR Uplift Performance

 

 

The campaign delivered strong Listen-Through Rate (LTR) performance across key metro markets, with consistent ×-wise uplifts recorded in the top-performing cities, highlighting high audience attention and message retention in urban centres.

• Mumbai recorded a 1.16× LTR uplift, reflecting steady engagement from finance-aware urban listeners.

• Hyderabad achieved a 1.17× LTR uplift, indicating strong resonance during premium audio consumption moments.

• New Delhi led performance with a 1.18× LTR uplift, showcasing the highest listener attentiveness among all cities.

• Kolkata delivered a 1.16× LTR uplift, demonstrating consistent message consumption across audio platforms.

• Pune saw a 1.16× LTR uplift, driven by high engagement from working professionals.

• Bengaluru achieved a 1.16× LTR uplift, reinforcing the city’s strong affinity for finance-focused content.

• Chennai posted a 1.15× LTR uplift, maintaining stable performance throughout the campaign duration.

• Ahmedabad recorded a 1.16× LTR uplift, signalling growing responsiveness to investment-led audio messaging.

• Jaipur achieved a 1.16× LTR uplift, indicating effective reach and listener attention in emerging metro markets.

Key Learnings

• Programmatic audio is highly effective for driving consistent LTR in financial services campaigns

• Bilingual messaging improves engagement in competitive urban environments

• Affinity-based targeting significantly enhances interaction quality

• Weekday-focused delivery drives stronger performance outcomes

 

Challenges & Optimisation

• Minor early delivery fluctuations were identified and corrected through real-time optimisation

• Weekend engagement softness was balanced through consistent impression pacing

• Campaign goals were achieved without budget overruns due to Paytunes’ agile optimisation framework

 

Recommendations for Future Campaigns

• Increase weekday emphasis to maximise interaction rates

• Test extended listening windows to capture additional engagement opportunities

• Expand selectively into tier-2 cities while retaining metro priority

• Experiment with region-specific creatives and deeper audience layering

• Scale investment on top-performing platforms like JioSaavn for higher efficiency

 

Audio Attention in the Real Attention Economy

In today’s digital landscape, the battle for user attention is fiercer than ever. The average human attention span has fallen to about 8 seconds—shorter than ever before. Brands must not only grab attention but also sustain it long enough for their message to drive real impact.

 

The Problem: Fleeting Attention on Most Digital Platforms

• Banner and display ads on websites usually keep user focus for only 1.6–2.6 seconds before they are ignored or scrolled past.
• Short-form video ads and reels hold attention for about 7–9 seconds on average before users swipe away or skip.
• This fleeting engagement translates to lower brand recall and minimal action.

 

The Unique Edge of In-Stream Digital Audio

• In the SBI Mutual Fund campaign, only 30-second in-stream digital audio ads (accompanied by clickable companion banners) were deployed—no other audio or video formats were part of the strategy. 
• Here’s why it matters:
  The campaign achieved a Listen-Through Rate (LTR) of approximately 1.17x higher than industry norms.
•  This result means a substantial share of the audience listened all the way through—far higher than what visual formats deliver in the same time frame.

 

Attention Economy Benchmarks (per 100 exposures):

Platform/Format	Avg. Attention (seconds)	Completion Rate (per 100)	Audio Attention Uplift
Banner/Display Ads	2–3	12–18	4–8x lower than audio
Short Video (Reels)	5–9	18–25	3–4x lower
Full Video (In-Stream)	7–10	15–25	3–5x lower
Audio (30s spot)	≥25	70–95	1.17x  higher

 

• Banner ads are rarely noticed long enough to reinforce a message, leading to weak recall.
• Short-form video and reels offer a slightly longer window but are quickly dismissed with a swipe.
• 30-second digital audio ads command undistracted, multitasking-friendly attention, leading to 70-95 more completion events per 100 impressions than most display or short video placements

 

Conclusion

This campaign highlights how Paytunes helps leading financial brands like SBI Mutual Fund connect meaningfully with urban audiences through premium digital audio experiences. By combining strong targeting, contextual relevance, and consistent delivery, the campaign achieved high-quality engagement and clear performance uplifts.

Looking to drive measurable impact through audio for your brand? Connect with Paytunes and turn listener attention into action.

 

Also Read – Kerala Tourism Digital Audio Campaign Case Study: How Paytunes Drove High Listen-Through Rate