How Asian Paints Drove Engagement Through Digital Audio Ads with Paytunes

 

 

Campaign Overview/Background

Asian Paints partnered with Paytunes to execute a digital audio campaign aimed at enhancing brand engagement through programmatic audio ads across leading audio streaming platforms in Kerala. The campaign ran for roughly a month, targeting males aged 25-45 in key Kerala regions, leveraging audio ads paired with companion banners to maximize reach and engagement.

Objectives

• Increase audio ad listen-through rates (LTR) to ensure brand message resonance.
• Expand reach within the core demographic and geographic areas.
• Drive click-through rates (CTR) to companion banners for actionable engagement.
• Leverage data-driven insights for campaign optimization.

 

Strategy & Execution

• Targeted digital audio ads on YouTube Music, JioSaavn, and Wynk Music.
• Use of companion banners to supplement audio ads and provide direct conversion pathways.
• Focus on key urban and semi-urban Kerala markets with high male 25-45 affinity audiences.
• Staggered campaign delivery with consistent audio spot delivery to sustain frequency over campaign duration.

 

Key Results & Outcomes

 

 

• Achieved a significant uplift in LTR by approximately 1.25x, indicating strong audio content engagement.
• Reach was stable at a marginal increase of around 1x, effectively maintaining audience exposure across platforms.
• CTR showed a decline to about 0.20x, signaling opportunities for improving banner or call-to-action effectiveness.
• Completion rates were especially strong in core Kerala cities, highlighting successful regional targeting.

 

Audience Demographics & Segmentation

• Predominantly males aged 25-45 constituted the target group.
• Strong concentration in Kerala’s metropolitan and urban centers such as Kochi, Ernakulam, and Thiruvananthapuram.
• Audience affinity data supported the chosen focus on this demographic and these regions.

 

Daypart/Timing Insights

• The campaign saw peaks in audio impressions and engagement within the first two weeks of February.
• Engagement fluctuated throughout the campaign duration, indicating the importance of sustained frequency and timing to maintain listener interest.

 

Geographic/Regional Performance

• Kerala was the primary geo-focus with nuanced performance variations by district.
• Kochi, Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kozhikode demonstrated higher engagement and completion rates.
• Smaller districts showed lower click and completion rates, suggesting room for deeper localization or content tailoring.

 

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 was primarily driven by mobile-first consumption, validating Paytunes’ strategy of focusing on audio delivery across smartphones, where user attention and interaction were most consistent.

 

Asian Paints Ad Execution –

 

 

 

Key Learnings & Takeaways

• Digital audio is highly effective for driving listen-through engagement for Asian Paints in the target demographic.
• Companion banners’ effectiveness should be enhanced to improve CTR, potentially through creative optimization or better CTA integration.
• Regional targeting in Kerala proved beneficial, but attention to smaller markets’ lower engagement is required.

 

Challenges & How They Were Addressed

• The primary challenge was the relatively low CTR despite good reach and LTR.
• Addressed by ongoing monitoring of banner performance and considering creative refresh mid-campaign.
• Ensured consistent frequency of audio spots to maintain campaign salience.

 

Recommendations for Future Campaigns

• Incorporate A/B testing for companion banner creatives to boost CTR.
• Explore deeper segmentation and hyper-local audio content for smaller districts.
• Leverage daypart insights to concentrate ad delivery during high-engagement slots.
• Strengthen integration between audio ads and companion banners for seamless user journey.

 

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 Asian Paints audio 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 saw average Listen-Through Rates (LTR) of approximately 1.25x 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)	≥26	~91 per 100	1.25x  higher than Industry avg

 

• 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 3–8x more completion events per 100 impressions than most display or short video placements.

 

Conclusion

This collaboration with Paytunes demonstrated the power of digital audio advertising in increasing brand engagement for Asian Paints, especially through strong LTR improvements and sustained reach. There remains an exciting opportunity to optimize conversion via banners and expand targeted regional reach.

Contact us to discover how programmatic audio campaigns can unlock similar growth for your brand or to request a personalized demo.

 

Also Read – Rusan Pharma × Paytunes: Digital Audio Campaign Success