Audio Wins Over Every Major Channel Out There
At sight, it might be controversial. But the reality is that it’s not. Every time has been demonstrated that digital audio has a monopoly over listeners, gaining more awareness and increasing its the most impact. In addition, as other reach channels degrade themselves (looking at your social media), audio remains a positive way to build relationships and is the preferred media preferred by consumers.
The scoreboard isn’t lying. The evidence, facts and figures prove the importance of audio as an integral part of your marketing strategy. To demonstrate that to yourself, let’s put digital audio against the most popular tried-and-true reach channels.
Digital audio can reach the impossible.
Who are the people who can’t be reached? 52 percent of Americans don’t have cable TV. This figure is expected to grow by a significant amount over the next few years. The good news is that people are replacing this using digital sound.
From podcasts, live talks, and their preferred SoundCloud mix, Digital audio allows listeners the freedom and control to listen to whatever they’d like to. It’s also accessible: 64 percent of SXM Media listenership are cord-cutters or cord-nevers. This means that advertisers can tap into those missed impressions by investing money into audio.
Are you looking to be part of the world of pop culture? The excitement of live sports, “omg-what-did-he-say” moments, even standup comedy–they’re all available on audio. All the reasons you enjoy traditional linear TV, but it’s more enjoyable and is available all year round and intimate.
Fewer ads is a win-win
AM/FM radio ad break interruptions are a thing of the past, especially since listeners now know they have alternatives (and more effective) alternatives. The increased interruptions of ads while listening to radio or music cause listeners to turn off and turn off or switch the station.
Digital audio offers fewer advertisements to listeners and a greater percentage of the voice of brands. For instance, SiriusXM’s ad breaks run 50% less, while Pandora plays only 3 minutes of ads per hour, on average. People can take in the content they enjoy for longer, which makes ad fatigue less likely. When they do hear advertisements and are interested, they’re more likely to pay for them. In fact, as per a Neuro-Insight Study and Pandora Conversion Experiment, the study found that digital audio advertisements are 49% more likely to impact memory retention than AM/FM commercials.
What can you do to make your brand stand out? Consider adding digital audio to your strategy; it’s less clutter, it’s more memorable, and it attracts the attention of your audience (vs. the other way around).
Affordable and addressable
Streaming TV giants helped make the phenomenon of content binge unstoppable, giving viewers an all-day choice to consume for hours. However, time with streaming media isn’t necessarily bringing an audience into the picture for advertisers.
The most well-known CTV services are ads-free. Nine out of 10 adult viewers aged 18 or older can use any ad-free streaming television service, as per a 2023 Soundboard study from SXM Media. Additionally, the ads-supported options do not meet the expectations of viewers. Nearly 9/10 viewers claim to see too many ads of the same type.
Digital audio can scratch that binge-able content craving for viewers and offers better advertising solutions and ad targeting for companies. From music to talks to podcasts, listeners spend between four and 50 minutes every day listening to digital audio. In addition, with 79% of the audio listening occurring in the absence of visual media available, brands can have listeners’ ears if their eyes aren’t available.
The Escape from doom scroll
Since the advent of social media platforms, marketers are looking for ways to slow down the scrolling so that they can engage users by delivering brand messages. However, lately, that’s become increasingly difficult.
The negative effect of fake photos, staged videos and fake content is hurting the perceptions of viewers. About one-third of Gen Z reports that social media can hurt their mental well-being. On the other side, in the same spectrum, those who listen to digital audio claim that they listen to streaming music 5.7 times more effective as an overall mood booster over social media as per The 2023 Pandora Soundboard study.
Brands can get consumers into positive moods through digital audio. With listeners experiencing streaming audio 5.3 times as authentic as social media, advertisements can be more reliable in their environment.
Audio ads attract more attention than images.
Advertisers have for a long time believed the notion that ads with visuals are more effective at attracting attention. However, thanks to a new study by dentsu as well as Lumen Research, they can put aside that belief.
Audio ads are more effective than visual ads, garnering 50 percent more attention than the benchmark for attention across TV, video display and social media. That’s an obvious win for audio and a compelling argument for the reasons to use digital audio for your next advertising campaign.
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