Case Study – Hero MotoCorp Audio Campaign by PayTunes
Campaign Overview / Background
Hero MotoCorp Audio Campaign, launched by India’s leading two-wheeler brand, launched a regional campaign to increase brand recall and drive consideration among mobile-first users in select North and West Indian markets.
This initiative was executed in collaboration with PayTunes, a pioneer in programmatic audio innovation, known for driving high-engagement campaigns across premium audio streaming platforms. PayTunes was entrusted with end-to-end campaign activation and optimization, ensuring the brand message reached the right ears at the right time.
Note: For campaigns executed via PayTunes, the primary engagement metrics are Listen-Through Rate (LTR), Click-Through Rate (CTR), and Reach. These three KPIs together provide a comprehensive view of how well the audio campaign captured attention, drove interaction, and scaled its message across the intended audience.
Objectives
- Drive strong brand audio recall in regions with high intent.
- Capture meaningful user actions using PayTunes’ audio-first ad formats.
- Benchmark Listen Through Rate (LTR) alongside Reach and CTR as key engagement metrics.
Strategy & Execution
- Platforms Used:
Activated across top-tier audio platforms including JioSaavn, Wynk, YouTube Music, YouTube Audio, and PayTunes’ proprietary DSP, ensuring premium inventory and regional scale. - Ad Format:
25-second audio ads paired with companion banners, combining immersive storytelling with visual reinforcement. - Target Audience:
Males aged 18+, using handsets below ₹20,000 and showing online interest in motorcycles or upgrades. - Geographic Focus:
Targeted regions included Delhi NCR, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Hyderabad, and Vadodara, balancing Tier 1 impact with Tier 2 scale. - Duration:
A 2-week burst per region, ensuring sharp delivery and message freshness. - Buy Type:
Media was directly procured via PayTunes’ DSP on a CPM basis, enabling real-time optimization and cost-efficient delivery.
Key Results & Outcomes
- LTR uplift across regions ranged from 1.4x to 1.45x over industry benchmarks.
This reflects significant attention retention, as more users completed the full audio ad than expected. - Markets like UP and Rajasthan recorded strong Reach expansion while sustaining high LTR.
These states balanced both volume and depth, validating the campaign’s creative strategy. - CTRs grew in tandem with Listen Completions, proving that high LTR often signals message resonance and intent to act.
Audience Demographics & Segmentation
- Clear male skew (18–40), with content relevance amplified by behavioral and device filters.
- Youth sub-groups (18–24) showed notably stronger retention, affirming creative alignment with Gen Z preferences.
Geographic / Regional Performance
Hero MotoCorp’s Oct 24 campaign significantly outperformed industry norms in terms of Listen-Through Rates (LTR) across all focus regions.
- Vadodara led the pack with a 94% LTR, translating to a 1.45x uplift over the industry benchmark of 65%.
- Rajasthan followed closely with a 93% LTR, delivering a 1.43x improvement.
- Delhi NCR recorded an impressive 92% LTR, equal to a 1.42x multiple.
- Uttar Pradesh (excluding Varanasi) achieved a 91% LTR, resulting in a 1.40x uplift.
The overall average LTR across regions ranged from 90% to 95%, which is approximately 1.38x to 1.46x higher than the industry standard.
Key Learnings & Takeaways
- The campaign consistently outperformed standard audio ad benchmarks, which typically hover around 65% LTR for 25–30 second creatives.
- Uplifts ranging between 1.4x and 1.45x reflect strong audience attention, creative effectiveness, and precise targeting.
- High LTRs across diverse geographies, along with an impressive 3.75x average CTR, underscore not just message retention but also user intent—affirming the campaign’s regional strategy, creative effectiveness, and real-world impact.
Challenges & Solutions
- Fragmented audience behavior required multi-layered targeting—solved through behavioral, demographic, and tech filters.
- Distracting media clutter was countered with frequency caps and optimized dayparting, ensuring better SOV.
Recommendations for Future Campaigns
- Leverage time-based insights for real-time optimization.
- Test creative variants to further boost LTR.
- Consider adding voice-enabled CTAs in future audio spots to increase interactivity.
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 Hero MotoCorp Oct 24 campaign, only 25-second in-stream digital audio ads (accompanied by clickable companion banners) were deployed—no other video formats were part of the strategy.
Here’s why it mattered:
- The campaign consistently delivered Listen-Through Rates (LTR) between 1.38x and 1.46x industry benchmarks across major regions.
- Top markets like Vadodara (1.45x), Rajasthan (1.43x), and Delhi NCR (1.42x) recorded exceptional retention levels.
- Audiences showed a strong tendency to complete the full ad, resulting in a higher attention span and deeper engagement.
- With 90–95% LTR vs. the industry average of 65%, the campaign significantly outperformed expectations for 25-second audio ads.
This translated into a dramatically higher percentage of users listening through the full ad—far beyond what visual formats achieve in the same time frame.
Hero MotoCorp Audio Campaign Ad Execution –
| 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 (25s spot) | ≥25 | 80–90 | 3–6x higher |
Key Takeaway
- 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 3–6x more completion events per 100 impressions than most display or short video placements.
The Hero MotoCorp campaign proves that when brands shift from chasing attention to earning it, results follow—literally.
With up to 1.45x uplift in Listen-Through Rates, paired with strong CTR and Reach, this audio-first strategy turned awareness into impact.
In collaboration with PayTunes, Hero MotoCorp unlocked the power of immersive audio—delivering meaningful recall in a distracted world.
Ready to Elevate Your Next Campaign?
Whether you’re aiming to increase brand recall, deepen listener engagement, or drive high-intent actions, PayTunes delivers audio-first solutions that get your message heard—and remembered.
Reach out to our team today to schedule a custom strategy session and discover how immersive digital audio can amplify your next big campaign.