New interactive ad format for mobile listening - audio is on when screens are not

The share of online audio advertising is growing and audio comes second in terms of activities people spend their time with on their mobile. However, when evaluating the success of a campaign, traditional metrics such as clicks do not work well for an audio format. In the new screenless audio environment, personalised and controlled by the user, audio ads have to be much more tailored and context-driven.

New ad formats such as interactive voice activated ads for either mobile or smart speakers are emerging. For situations when listeners don’t feel like talking to their device AdsWizz (recently acquired by Pandora) developed new digital audio ad format called ShakeMe™. It is a technology designed to encourage mobile listeners to take action without needing to look at the phone. They do so by shaking the phone or tapping it. This offers a great opportunity for radios to make their advertising spots and content more interactive, by embracing new technology and solving the “click problem”.

Case study - Das Örtliche

Audio advertising sales company SpotCom partnered with Publicis Media for a campaign, which ran in Germany for client Das Örtliche, a phone book and address finder service. They were seeking new and innovative ways to drive awareness and downloads of Das Örtliche‘s app from Google Play and the App store.

In the ads, listeners were prompted to tap or shake their phones: that action took them to an app download page. The campaign ran across both Android and iOS smartphones. The campaign yielded positive results for the client. The 500,000 audio ad impressions translated to 5,560 shakes for a response rate of 1.12% during the 3-week campaign. That percentage is three times the response rate for a standard mobile display ad.

“The creative minds at SpotCom, Publicis, and Das Örtliche see the potential to use this technology to create a better advertiser, publisher and consumer experience. The audio format has a unique ability to deliver a mobile, personalised and interactive advertising experience that blends with the content. By launching interactive ad formats that don’t rely on a visual interaction, brands can increasingly measure and optimise performance.” AdsWizz CEO Alexis van de Wyer said.

New interactive advertising experience

ShakeMe™ allows listeners to engage with an audio ad even while they are carrying out other actions on their mobile device without unlocking their phone or even looking at their screen. It also opens up more possible listener responses to an audio spot, such as downloading an app, opening a website, placing a call, downloading a coupon and inviting a voice command.

Implications for sales houses and publishers

These interactive ads typically offer a higher CPM, support CPA (cost per action) pricing, attract new categories of clients (such as performance-focused digital advertisers, including app developers, e-commerce companies, software firms, etc.) and tap into a more natural way of communication with a device in a mobile environment. This tool allows call to action spots to trigger immediate reaction and for listeners to give a direct response to a campaign. It makes typical audio ads smart and interactive for the listener and allows publishers to track and attribute effectiveness of the audio campaigns.