How Ambuja Cement Achieved 1.07× Listen-Through Rate & 5× CTR Uplift with Paytunes Digital Audio Advertising

 

 

Introduction & Campaign Overview

Ambuja Cement, one of India’s most trusted and performance-led cement brands, partnered with Paytunes in November 2025 to strengthen brand connection and message retention in high-intent construction markets. The 45-day digital audio campaign leveraged premium streaming and gaming environments to reinforce Ambuja’s reliability and product strength at moments when audiences are most attentive. By combining 30-second in-stream audio with clickable companion banners, the campaign tapped into audio’s unique ability to deliver sustained attention during commutes, work breaks, and leisure time, driving early impression over-delivery and strong engagement across key regions.

 

Objectives

• Prioritize Listen-Through Rate (LTR) to ensure full message absorption and high brand recall. 
• Drive meaningful CTR through contextual companion banners. 
• Expand reach among construction decision-makers and influencers in high-growth regions. 

 

Strategy & Execution

• Programmatic buying via Paytunes DSP enabled precise geo-targeting across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, and Haryana. 
• Behavioral retargeting focused on users exposed to competitor categories such as Ultratech and Dalmia. 
• 30-second audio creatives delivered in Hindi and English, highlighting Ambuja’s value propositions like BLS and long-term reliability. 
• Even daypart distribution ensured consistent exposure throughout the day, with frequency capped at four to prevent fatigue. 
• Mobile-first delivery ensured near-complete coverage of Android-heavy audiences using mid-range handsets (₹8K–₹50K). 

 

Key Results & Outcomes

 

 

• LTR delivered first and strongest, achieving a 1.07× uplift over benchmarks, with consistently high completion rates throughout the campaign. 
• CTR uplift recorded a 5× surge over baseline, driven by early resonance between audio messaging and companion banners. 
• Reach exceeded expectations by 1.01×, supported by impression over-delivery and late-campaign volume spikes. 
• Performance stability during scale-up phases reinforced audio’s efficiency even at higher delivery levels. 

 

Device-Level Performance Insights

• Mobile Android 
  • ~87.74% of total impressions 
  • Primary driver of LTR and CTR uplift, confirming strong attention and interaction on smartphones. 
• Mobile iOS 
  • ~10.92% share 
  • Contributed incremental reach among premium users and complemented Android performance. 
• Tablet (Android) 
  • ~0.6% share 
  • Likely supported passive or incidental listening sessions. 
• Desktop (Other) 
  • ~0.42% of impressions 
  • Minimal engagement, not core to audio interaction behavior. 
• Smart Home Devices / Smart Watches 
  • Combined ~0.17% share 
  • Negligible interaction, highlighting limited audio engagement on wearables and IoT devices. 
• Tablet (iPad) 
  • ~0.14% share 
  • Lowest delivery, reflecting limited relevance for the target demographic. 
• Insight: 
  • Engagement outcomes were overwhelmingly driven by mobile-first consumption, validating Paytunes’ smartphone-focused audio strategy. 

Ambuja Ad Execution –

 

 

Audience Demographics & Segmentation

• Focused on males aged 25+ using mid-range smartphones, aligning closely with construction decision-makers. 
• Behavioral retargeting ensured exposure to high-intent users already familiar with the category. 
• Device dominance further confirmed that mobile audio environments deliver the most consistent attention. 

 

Daypart & Timing Insights

• Delivery spanned all dayparts, with evenings and commute hours showing steady LTR performance. 
• Mid-November softness recovered post-optimization, indicating effective frequency management. 
• Peaks in impressions aligned with stronger completion trends, without signs of listener burnout. 

 

Geographical Performance (LTR-Based Insights)

• High-performing regions consistently delivered LTR above benchmark levels, reflecting strong creative alignment with local listening behavior. 
• Select low-volume markets emerged as high-attention zones, delivering superior LTR uplift despite limited scale. 
• This reinforced the value of prioritizing attention quality over raw impression volume. 

 

City & State-Level LTR Highlights

 

 

• Sikkim – 1.05× 
  • Highest uplift, driven by focused listening environments and low media clutter. 
• Manipur – 1.04× 
  • Strong completion rates despite lower volumes, indicating high receptivity to audio. 
• Delhi – 1.03× 
  • Stable and above-average LTR across a large, digitally mature audience. 
• Punjab – 1.03× 
  • Consistent listen-through performance supported by habitual music streaming behavior. 
• Mizoram – 1.03× 
  • Reliable uplift, reinforcing audio’s effectiveness in attention-rich regions. 
• Key takeaway: 
  • Strong attention is not limited to metros. Smaller and mid-density regions can outperform larger cities on LTR and message retention. 

 

Key Learnings

• LTR remains resilient even during volume ramps, highlighting audio’s sustained attention advantage. 
• Banner-driven CTR peaks early and benefits from timely creative refreshes. 
• Retargeting strategies consistently outperform broad-reach approaches in attention-led campaigns. 

 

Challenges & Optimizations

• Mid-campaign LTR softness, likely due to early fatigue, was corrected through delivery optimization. 
• CTR moderation after launch was balanced by layering additional premium platforms, maintaining overall uplift. 

 

Recommendations for Future Campaigns

• Allocate 1.5× budget toward peak-performing dayparts and platforms to enhance LTR. 
• Test 15-second variants during dip periods to unlock incremental CTR gains. 
• Hyperlocalize creatives by state and integrate mid-message CTAs to increase interaction. 

 

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 Ambuja 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 1.08x 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	1.07x  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

The Ambuja Cement × Paytunes campaign demonstrates how digital audio can deliver what modern marketing often lacks—sustained attention at scale. By prioritizing Listen-Through Rate, the campaign achieved strong message retention, followed by exceptional CTR and consistent growth in reach. The results confirm audio’s ability to drive measurable ROI even in competitive, consideration-heavy B2B categories like building materials.

 

Also Read – How Godrej Locks Achieved 78% Audience Interest with a High-Impact Digital Audio Campaign