Why audio should top the list in 2019
Mar 2019 RadioWorks Blog
Digital Audio has gained more of the spotlight in recent years (which is music to our ears). Its offerings to advertisers have matured and are more widely recognised today than ever before. No longer is the medium being taken for granted and it is now finally front and centre at the cool kids’ table.
With a recent appearance at last week’s Advertising Week Europe, Digital Audio and Podcasts are more frequently receiving the mic – proving that the power of audio truly exists… and the world is starting to take notice. If your ears haven’t pricked up already, here’s what to listen out for.
Audio is trending
Digital Audio platforms are reaching maturity. The proliferation of audio channels is prompting advertisers to sit up, take notice and embrace the medium. Recently, Forbes named Podcasts and audio content in its ‘top 15 social media trends to try out in 2019’. The publication said: “audio is more personalized as it engages listeners at a deeper level compared with other types of content.”
But music streaming, voice tech and Podcasts, aren’t just trending; they’re becoming part and parcel of the modern marketing mix. The medium is becoming increasingly more searchable, with search engines enabling us to discover audio in the same way we search for images – a game-changing feature that should get most advertisers thinking about audio.
Audio is growing
From boomboxes to handsets, audio has taken many forms and continues to boom today.
According to recent research:
- In the last five years, podcast listening has doubled from 3M in 2013 to 6.5M in 2018. (RAJAR, MIDAS, Q4,18)
- Voice tech is also maturing, becoming a key component in modern marketing. Smart speakers have seen a surge in growth, as ownership doubled in the UK in 2018, rising to almost 10 million monthly active users. (eMarketer)
- 10% of households now have a smart speaker, which was up from 5% Q3,17. (YouGov, August 2018)
- Audio share by device in 2017 was 1% of all adults listening, now its 4%.
Audio is intelligent
Reaching more of the right people, at the right time, with the right messages is always at the top of any marketer’s list. Audio has become increasingly more targeted and personalised – and as a result, advertisers are starting to pay attention. At Advertising Week Europe, Rabbit and Pork’s Stephanie Preyer said: “Marketers are seeing how actions and skills might well become the first touchpoint in a consumer journey”, suggesting that advertisers are responding to and embracing the audio medium.
As programmatic audio moves from niche to norm, data and analytics are also becoming more sophisticated. According to recent research, the global audio analytics market is also forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.2% during the forecast period 2018-2024.
Ultimately, Digital Audio shows great promise for the future. Audio platforms are reaching adulthood with access to richer, more niche targeting and granular data – which alone should be enough to spark an interest in the medium.
If you want to find out more about advertising on commercial radio stations or digital audio platforms in the UK or internationally – we can help!
Give us a call on 0207 907 0670 / 01228 580 380 or email us at radio.specialists@radioworks.co.uk and we can talk you through the process and deliver the best audio solution for you.
