Why Digital Audio and CTV Matter More Than Ever

As brands navigate the complex media landscape, leveraging digital audio and Connected TV (CTV) has become essential. Audio and CTV provide unmatched opportunities to extend reach, build trust, and engage audiences in impactful ways. Here, we explore key insights into the benefits of incorporating audio and CTV into your media strategy, supported by data and research.

Messages Were Meant to Be Heard: The Power of Audio in Advertising

Audio’s unique ability to create lasting impressions makes it a vital component of any modern media strategy. Whether it’s authentic brand voices or catchy jingles, audio resonates long after the ad has ended. This capability, when paired with a comprehensive media plan, ensures higher audience engagement.

Key Statistics:

• 95% of Americans aged 18-54 listen to audio, surpassing engagement with other media like internet browsing (93%) and TV/video services (89%).
• 76% of Americans regularly listen to digital audio.
• On average, digital audio listeners spend 4 hours and 46 minutes per day with audio content.

Why It Matters: Audio’s reach allows advertisers to connect with consumers during key moments in their day, reinforcing messages that resonate deeply and extend the impact of cross-channel campaigns.

When Shopping Peaks, So Does Listening

The connection between consumer shopping habits and audio consumption presents an ideal moment for advertisers to insert their messages.

Peak Hours for Audio:

• 6 am – 8 am: 50% of people aged 18-54 listen to audio, the highest morning engagement compared to TV and streaming.
• 8 am – 3 pm: The prime time for shopping and errands, during which audio serves as an ideal companion.

The Impact of Audio:

• 96% of consumers who spend time outdoors prefer audio during this time.
• Audio ads command 50% more attention than ads on TV, social media, and online video platforms.

Incremental Reach with Connected TV (CTV)

CTV platforms have become key channels for reaching audiences that traditional media might miss. Combining CTV with digital audio can amplify campaign reach and effectiveness.

Platform Reach:

• Netflix leads with 65% incremental reach and when complemented by streaming audio, leads to an average of 79% combined reach.
• Prime Video and Hulu follow with 76% and 72% total reach, respectively when combined with streaming audio campaigns.

CTV’s Added Value:

• +12 points in aided recall and +14 points in message association when CTV and audio are used together.

Bring Authenticity Back with Digital Audio

Social media has its place, but its trustworthiness is declining. Digital audio, on the other hand, offers a more trusted and authentic experience.

The Trust Factor:

• Streaming audio is 4.7 times more trusted than social media.
• Podcasts are even more effective, being 23 times more trusted.

Engagement Beyond Trust:

• Streaming audio is 5.7 times more of a mood booster compared to social media, making audiences more receptive to brand messages.

Integrating Campaigns: By including audio in a comprehensive media campaign strategy, brands can create multi-sensory experiences that span video, podcasts, and social media, ensuring their message resonates with audiences on multiple levels.

Reaching Audiences You Can’t Find Anywhere Else

To maximize reach, incorporating a healthy mix of audio platforms is crucial. Each platform attracts different listener habits, which means broader engagement.

Manicz Media Advantage:

• Reaches 80 million+ listeners in the U.S. and 90 million+ CTV households.
• Micro-Persona audiences custom built for each campaign for more effective targeting.
• Platform agnostic inventory including Spotify, Pandora, IheartRadio, Amazon Music, Soundcloud, YouTube Music and more.
• Reach listeners and video viewers cross device: smart speakers, streaming devices, gaming consoles, laptops, tablets and mobile devices.

The Incremental Reach Benefit: By adding a diverse mix of audio platforms to your media plan, brands can unlock incremental reach that other formats can’t achieve.

The Future of Integrated Media Campaigns

Incorporating digital audio and CTV into your media strategy is no longer optional, it’s essential. The data shows that audio’s reach, engagement, and trustworthiness offer brands unparalleled opportunities for audience connection, while CTV enhances recall and message association. Brands that strategically combine these mediums can achieve greater reach, deeper engagement, and a stronger connection with their audience.

For marketers seeking to maximize the effectiveness of their campaigns, integrating digital audio and CTV into a unified strategy is the key to long-lasting success.

Contact Manicz Media today to connect with a media strategist and see how audio and video advertising can fit into your campaign strategy.

Sources:

• Edison Research, Infinite Dial, 2024 – Cited for data on audio consumption habits among Americans and the prevalence of streaming audio.
• Edison Research, Share of Ear, Q2 2024 – Used to highlight statistics regarding the proportion of Americans engaging with different audio formats.
• Publicis Media, and Edison Research, The Mobility of Audio Report, Q4 2023 – Referenced in the context of audio being a key medium for consumers during activities like shopping and errands.
• Pandora Soundboard, 2024 User Study, A18+ (N=4,473), March 2024 – Mentioned for insights into user engagement and the effectiveness of audio ads.
• Podsurvey Podcast User Study, Q1 2024 – Used for statistics regarding trust levels in podcasts compared to social media.
• dentsu and Lumen Research,  and other participants, Audio Attention Economy Study, 2023 – Cited for data on the attention-grabbing power of audio compared to other media.
• Edison Research, SiriusXM Media Custom Audio Study, June 2024, N=3,033 U.S. P13+ – Mentioned in reference to reach and engagement metrics.
• Pandora internal metrics – Used to reinforce data on the effectiveness of Pandora’s ad formats.
• Comscore Media Metrix, May 2024; Triton Podcast Metrics, Apr 2024; Edison Research Custom Overlap Study 2024 (National Survey, Edison Podcast Metrics, Infinite Dial) – Mentioned for audio advertising metrics and its comparative reach.
• Nielsen, CTV & Digital Audio Effectiveness Study, Q3 2023 – Cited to highlight the benefits of combined CTV and audio advertising.
• Podsurvey Podcast User Study (N=2,642), 2023 – Used to demonstrate the trust factor of podcasts.
• Claritas Attribution Study, DoorDash engagement analysis – Referenced for results related to advertising effectiveness and reach.