WARC Advisory and Audacy have joined forces for “Breaking Down the Barriers Behind the Audio Investment Gap,” their just-released report exploring myths and misperceptions driving the gap between audio ad spend and consumption in the U.S.
The white paper cites multiple research sources to show audio’s ability to drive multi-platform, full-funnel impact for advertisers, along with information from in-depth interviews with experts across leading brands, agencies, measurement companies, and publishers in the audio field, to better understand and challenge long-held assumptions.
Throughout the report, the numbers tell the story. Edison Research shows average daily audio consumption at 220 minutes — one-third of the total, with time spent growing significantly faster than media consumption overall — yet according to WARC data, audio accounts for just 8.4% of ad spend, which would need to increase nearly threefold to match its share of ad-supported consumption.
“There are more options available to marketers in audio than ever before, and we see time and again the positive results that come when brands increase their audio spend,” Audacy Senior VP, Research & Insights Ray Borelli says. “However, investment in audio is being constrained for some by a series of perceptual barriers. This white paper aims to dispel those misperceptions and highlight the opportunities that are in front of marketers who embrace audio advertising.”
The report attempts to break down those barriers by reminding advertisers of total audio’s 96% and broadcast radio’s 84% daily reach, with 34% of Americans listening to at least one podcast weekly, and audio’s targetability with buys based on consumer interests, behaviors, and contextually relevant moments.
“Given its unique characteristics, audio is felt to be particularly difficult to integrate into the mix,” the report says. “This is exacerbated by a widespread belief that visual assets are essential to effective communication, but evidence shows that the channel is highly trusted, [while] Nielsen states that audio consistently ranks as a top-tier medium for ROI.”
Addressing concerns about measuring audio’s effectiveness, the white paper notes the ongoing evolution of audio measurement, with tools to track conversion, enabling brands to optimize campaigns mid-flight. “Brands can now match audio ad exposure to online and in-store conversion [and] evaluate share of search, but care needs to be taken with attribution and marketing mix models; unless properly calibrated, they often fail to pick up audio’s full impact,” the report says.
“Thanks to an explosion in audio listenership, there is a growing volume of evidence to suggest that audio drives a big impact in terms of attention, brand lift, and key business KPIs,” WARC Managing Editor, Research and Advisory Paul Stringer says. “Yet a gap remains between investment and consumption. This paper goes further to understand precisely why audio is lagging behind other channels in terms of investment. After reading, I hope advertisers and agencies feel more inspired and more confident about giving audio the attention and investment it deserves.”
The complete WARC/Audacy report is available HERE.
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