Does Audio have your attention?

Does Audio have your attention?

26 May 2022 |

Display, Video, Audio

Are you constantly listening to something with your headphones in throughout the day? Perhaps a true crime show to put you to sleep at night? No? Maybe you’re learning how to manifest the life of your dreams and change your mindset? You’re part of the ⅓ of Australians who are listening to podcasts. 

 

ACAST commissioned Nielsen to complete a comprehensive research report on podcasts in the Australian market; ACAST Sounds Smart 2022. The results may surprise you.

 

The report found that 36% of Aussies are listening to podcasts each month, this is reflecting a 22% increase in podcast listening YoY across ACAST content. 

 

The Nielsen report uncovered that podcasts can be considered as an audio companion for users through different phases of everyday life. In practice this makes sense – podcasts can follow people through many aspects of their day; from commuting, chores around the house, out on a walk or at work. 

 

78% of respondents were most likely to listen to podcasts while they were out or exercising. 76% listened while they were at home or completing household tasks (nothing like a true crime podcast while you’re doing your weekly clean!)

 

Where audio streaming has historically been a popular choice for consumers while they are working, interestingly, nearly 30% of respondents reported they listen to podcasts while they are at work. This is indicative of the rise of podcasts and its unique, personal listening experience for the user. 

 

Engagement and attention have been a key focus across audio advertising within the industry, with the ACAST Sounds Smart and IAB Australia analysing the role attention and engagement have as a metric of success for a podcast campaign. ACAST’s report found that 74% of respondents wanted to dedicate their attention to the podcast they were listening to. The report also compared attention across multiple channels, with Podcasts coming second to Cinema as the medium with the strongest immersive and focused attention by a user (60% vs 67%). This comparison also found that podcasts are 3x more engaging than traditional radio and 2x more engaging than music streaming and TV. 

 

Given we know that podcast listeners are highly engaged and immersed compared to other media channels, creative choice is imperative to ensure we are maintaining an organic listening experience for the user and ads are not in harsh contrast to the content users are consuming. We know that podcast listeners also take action after hearing podcast ads, 30% of listeners consider buying a product, 27% search or find out more about a brand or product and 23% of listeners have gone on to tell friends about the brand or product. Podcasts are the ideal format for generating brand awareness across highly aligned audiences who are in the moment, and in the right mindset.

 

The key; create ads that are organic to the feel of the podcast they sit within, ensure that the tone or the ad match that of the host and most importantly that the brand values align with the Podcast’s values too. Podcast listeners are in tune with content they engage with. Ensuring the message aligns with the podcast environment is crucial; listeners will catch onto any discrepancy between creative & content!

 

Reach out to your ADMATICian to get started with your first podcast campaign.