One of the recurring challenges we see in radio and audio today is not a lack of quality inventory or compelling audiences, but complexity. Audio remains too often perceived as hard to plan and to buy.
Making radio and audio easier to buy is a strategic priority for our industry. In an advertising market increasingly driven by automation, data, and simplicity, radio’s ability to be bought as easily as other digital media is directly linked to its competitiveness and, ultimately, to its monetisation. When buying processes remain complex, budgets are more likely to shift towards channels perceived as easier to activate, even when the value and effectiveness of audio audiences are well understood.
In response to this challenge, we will regularly dedicate articles to highlighting emerging solutions that aim to remove these barriers and bring radio and audio closer to the simplicity and flexibility advertisers and media agencies expect.
Adpaq
Many of these initiatives originate on the sell side, where broadcasters and sales houses are actively simplifying access to inventory, data, and workflows. But if we want audio to truly match the ease and scale of digital media buying, it is equally important to look at innovation coming from the buy side.
In this context, adpaq exemplifies how a demand-side solution can streamline audio buying and bring it closer to the ease and standards advertisers expect from digital media.
adpaq is built with a singular focus: creating the best possible digital audio solution to transform the way brands connect with audiences through audio. It is an all-in-one platform that combines powerful programmatic capabilities with creative flexibility, designed specifically for audio from the ground up. Whether a brand is launching its very first audio campaign or scaling activity across multiple markets, adpaq provides the tools to execute smarter, faster, and more impactful audio advertising.
The company, represented by Maarten Duijne (Founder and Chief Executive Officer) and Frank Kok (Founder and Global Head of Publisher Strategy), presented their solution at our latest Marketing & Sales Meeting in Helsinki in October 2025, showcasing firsthand how it simplifies audio planning and activation. The presentation (video and slide deck) is available for egta members here.
What truly differentiates adpaq, however, is how it treats audio. Unlike many international DSPs where audio is still a secondary or add-on channel, adpaq is purpose-built for digital audio. Advertisers have full control over podcast titles and audio inventory, with the ability to directly select content from premium European publishers such as Podimo, Audiohuis, Mediahuis, and DPG. New titles are added every week, with reach expanding rapidly across markets.
This level of transparency and granularity is simply not available on larger, generalist platforms like DV360 or The Trade Desk. In those environments, advertisers often need to negotiate individual publisher deals and still have limited influence over which titles or publishers are ultimately activated. adpaq removes that friction, giving buyers direct access to audio inventories in a way that aligns much more closely with the expectations set by digital media buying.
There is also a broader strategic dimension to adpaq’s positioning. The platform reflects a clear commitment to strengthening European digital independence, ensuring that media investment remains within the European ecosystem and supports local publishers, content creators, and technology players. This is an increasingly important consideration for advertisers and agencies operating in Europe today.
Since its launch in June last year, adpaq has seen rapid market adoption. Campaigns are already being executed through leading international agency groups such as dentsu, Omnicom, and MediaPlus, demonstrating strong confidence in the platform from experienced audio buyers. At the same time, more local agencies like Advision, PowerKraut, and Draft Digital – some of them planning audio for the first time – have also joined. This clearly highlights adpaq’s accessibility and its appeal to both seasoned audio specialists and newcomers to the channel.
This traction is not accidental. It is largely driven by adpaq’s specialist positioning. It is not a general-purpose advertising platform trying to do everything, but a solution specifically engineered for programmatic audio. That focus allows it to solve real, practical challenges that have historically slowed down audio investment.
On top of this, the platform offers extensive targeting capabilities, enabling advertisers to reach audiences based on interests, postal codes, income levels, or even household composition. Campaigns can be executed at national scale or highly localised, making audio a highly flexible channel for both brand and performance objectives.
If audio is to compete on equal footing with other digital media, it must be just as easy to access, buy, and optimise. Demand-side solutions like adpaq show that this is not only possible, but already happening. By simplifying access to premium audio inventories and putting control back into the hands of buyers, platforms like this are helping audio take its rightful place in the modern digital media mix.
Learn more about adpaq: https://adpaq.com/
Following our successful launch in the Netherlands, we are now actively exploring expansion into countries like the UK and Germany.
We strongly believe that the future growth of digital audio depends on close collaboration between agencies and publishers.
Digital audio is still in its early stages compared to other digital channels, but it is a powerful and fast-growing medium. By working together to simplify buying processes, increase transparency, and make premium inventory easily accessible, we can accelerate adoption and grow digital audio’s market share to a level that truly reflects its strength and potential within the modern media mix.