This is the case of Xaxis, which launched an ad hoc solution, Live! Audio , for the programmatic purchase of advertising in an audio environment. We asked Erik Rosa, Xaxis Managing Director , to tell us what it is all about.
Erik, what is this solution?
Live! Audio is an innovative product that allows programmatic audio advertising content to be purchased on the main national web radios, radio aggregators and on major national and international on-demand streaming services . We have also recently introduced the possibility of delivering commercials on simulcasts , that is the direct radio enjoyed on digital platforms, and we are working for the extension also on podcasts .
What advantages does Live! Audio offer to brands?
For advertisers there is a real advantage, first and foremost in intercepting an additional audience compared to the classic radio schedules, just think that in Italy, only for streamers, we are talking about 14 million people, or over 35% of the population Italian.
Moreover, thanks to programmatic buying technology, the Light Radio Listeners target can also be linked to Live! Audio campaigns - a cluster created by mixing information deriving from the online research owned by GroupM, Live Panel - thanks to which the customer can reach those who consume less than two hours of traditional radio daily, with a real advantage for the customer in terms of incremental reach and savings also in terms of CPG (on the specific target), preserving the frequency of the overall audio plan.
The audio spots are also not skippable and aim at maximizing the engagement . They are served between one track and another, when the player is active or during editorial content (web radio) or when accessing the radio for simulcasts.
In addition to the premium target that can also be cross-referenced with behavioral and sociodemo data, we recall other fundamental advantages of this medium. The supply context is premium , only with quality publishers; campaigns can be geo-localized on certain regions, unlike national radio planning; the medium is personal , in fact we often listen to music with our headphones, besides being all technically measurable. Thanks to digital efficiency, the campaigns are measurable and tracked with the Listen Through Rate (LTR) parameter and the customer can receive the data of the users who actually listened to the spot.
What kind of inventory does it access?
Live! Audio can count on an inventory that has been enriched over the last year . In addition to the giants of audio streaming, Spotify and Deezer, we have the possibility of delivering on the main web radios and simulcasts of Radio Mediaset (105, Virgin, R101 ...), on Radio 24, on RMC Sport, as well as on the major radio aggregators, even international. The future goal is to have all the main national radio broadcasters on board.
Is this an international solution? Since when is it available for the Italian market?
Xaxis has developed the programmatic audio product on many countries globally: UK, USA, Holland, Germany are among the main ones. In Italy we were pioneers, starting to move in 2017. Last year we invested heavily in product development, bringing more publishers on board, and in particular this year we worked on innovation with the possibility of applying targets based on to musical passions (genres), and dynamic creativity .
What are the advantages and criticalities of audio programming today, in your opinion?
In addition to the many advantages we have already listed, such as addressability, premium publishers, measurement, traceability and optimization of the ongoing advertising message, and granularity of data, the programmatic audio also offers the possibility of directing messages only to relevant users by customizing the message according to of individual characteristics , thanks to the use of dynamic creativity. Moreover, thanks to the programmatic, the online media purchasing processes are simplified, guaranteeing greater efficiency and effectiveness .
On the critical side, on the other hand, in addition to the creation of creative materials , an activity that remains a limit for the digital, it is worth highlighting the shyness of some customers in testing a new medium that remains new for many . Our role as a privileged observatory on media development is essential to tell clients of group agencies how the radio scenario is changing rapidly, how many technological innovations are redesigning the ways in which audio content is used and how some solutions can be indispensable to intercept an otherwise unreachable target.
