Audio is booming as consumers shift from owned music to streamed, from radio to podcasts, and to listening when, where, and how they want. Soon digital will surpass broadcast as an audio consumption channel. It already provides hundreds of billions of streams.
With the boom in digital audio, advertisers are gaining unique chances to reach — and engage — some of their most desirable consumers. Platforms are launching ad-supported audio channels, competing for both users’ attention and media budgets. The introduction of programmatic advertising to audio has facilitated the capability to automatically insert ads. Targeting and measurement offer unique ways to segment, customize, automate, and attribute audio messaging as part of a larger media mix.
Audio programming can draw listeners in, create a sense of intimacy, and form a literal touchpoint into ears. It can stir emotions, inspire laughter and foot-tapping, even a dance. It is a way consumers educate themselves, find out the news, hear from celebrities and politicians, express social preferences, and indicate moods, tastes, and even generational status.
India is only at the start of its journey in digital audio advertising — but new data suggests that this category is about to take off in this nation in a big way.
Yet, according to our survey, the vast majority of advertisers in India devote less than 10% of their budget to digital audio. Why?
