As part of The Drum’s Deep Dive into Audio, IAB UK put three questions to a selection of its members – A Million Ads, DAX, NumberEight, Octave Audio, Spotify and Triton Digital – to find out what is exciting them most in the sector and what to expect next.
Looking at IAB UK’s latest Digital Adspend report, it’s clear that digital audio advertising is booming. The market grew by 58% year-on-year in 2021, a drastic increase on the already healthy 17% growth rate it saw in 2020. So what is attracting advertisers to invest? And how are new innovations shaping the sector?
Comments below from Ben Corbett, our Head of Creative Production, as published in The Drum.
What single innovation is exciting you most in the digital audio space at the moment?
3D audio is hugely exciting; it uses a binaural head to make music and special effects sound as if the audio is in 3D, traveling from ear to ear using spatial elements. This replicates the environment for the listener and, as a result, listeners are able to feel the message as well as hear it, creating even more of an intimate, personalized experience. This presents a myriad of opportunities for brands as they can add in additional benefits, such as dynamic audio, to immerse listeners in a way that connects with their individual context in that moment.
Tell us about a recent ad campaign you have worked on that you think embodies what’s possible in digital audio at the moment?
We worked with Benadryl to drive awareness and purchase intent of Benadryl allergy products. In this campaign we used 3D audio technology, as well as contextual points such as day, time and weather, to tap into consumer moments during allergy season to find real time pollen data in the listener’s area. This then allowed us to recommend the correct type of relief for the listener, directing them to their local Tesco store. In total over 800,000 ad variants were created, tapping into contextual consumer touch points, whether the listener was heading to a festival or a football match.
