Audacy has unveiled the latest edition of its State of Audio reports, tapping into trends for broadcasters, podcasters, and brands looking to capitalize on both. Shifts in creativity, artificial intelligence, audience activation, and measurement are the most transformative.
According to the report, right-brain emotional messaging is becoming increasingly important in audio advertising, with ads that evoke positive feelings leading to an 8.2% boost in consumer action. To tap into the creative half of the brain, it’s best to use characters, storylines, unexpected contextual noise, and wordplay
Authentic partnerships with creators have also become a priority for advertisers, with 40% now focusing on year-long collaborations rather than one-off campaigns, recognizing the long-term value these relationships provide.
Artificial intelligence is predicted to have a significant impact on the ad industry, with 88% of marketers expecting AI to influence their businesses by mid-2025. Radio and podcast publishers are incorporating AI-driven tools such as dynamic contextual ads and creative testing to enhance ad experiences. Despite the rise of AI, the human touch remains crucial for maintaining authenticity in audio advertising.
Additional key trends include the effectiveness of personalized ad creatives, which can double conversion rates, and the use of predictive models to improve audience targeting based on past purchases. The report also notes a 56% surge in brand marketing investments over the past two years, emphasizing the growing importance of brand strength alongside performance marketing.
Marketers are also encouraged to tap into the emotional connections of sports and music superfans, as over 35% of consumers identify closely with their favorite teams and artists, offering valuable opportunities for contextually relevant campaigns.
Audacy Chief Marketing Officer Paul Suchman said, “In this edition of State of Audio, we explore audio trends that leading brands are leaning into to accelerate the performance of their media investments. From great creative and discovering new audiences, to super interesting use-cases for AI and smarter analytics, these are the trends marketers are embracing to make their audio work harder.”
