Success for Programmatic Display

Online advertising has evolved rapidly from the first digital banner in 1994. As dated as these first popups appear compared to the sleek visuals we now see on the web, they led to the rich inventory in programmatic advertising which marketers continue to explore today.

Considering the heavy investment that brands have put into programmatic display over the decades, it is highly surprising that a similar enthusiasm for its audio equivalent has been lacking. For a long time, publishers thought it not worth pursuing and may have been put off by the need for greater investments in the technology in order to make it work.

This sudden interest in the potential of programmatic audio can therefore be puzzling, but less so when one considers the rise of digital that has taken place across the media landscape. As TV has shifted to a digital environment, advertising has shifted with it, and as radio has expanded into audio streaming, the same has happened. The traditional way audiences consume media is evolving, and programmatic is stepping in to accommodate these changing habits.

Rise of Digital Audio

Audiences are growing in the millions for audio streaming, have more than doubled since 2012 for listening to radio online, and are getting more and more drawn to podcasts. Getting a familiarity and deep understanding of this digital audio listenership is now a pressing priority for advertisers. Luckily, qualities particular to the audio listening experience lend themselves well to programmatic targeting.

Audio content remains highly engaging for listeners whatever the device they are listening from, and a listener’s attention can be booked one advertiser at a time via audio. This can’t be said of visual platforms, which are saturated with competitors all vying for attention at once. Due to these factors a greater intimacy can be established between brands and consumers, especially when content is being streamed through headphones. Messages can be personalised, and brands can more firmly embed their messages in this conversational way than they could through the written word.