5 Audio Marketing Tips to break the clutter of festive marketing campaigns

According to statistics, on average, the Indian listener spends 2.5 hours per day on audio. Here's how this festive season, brands can bolster their campaigns through audio marketing.

Festive season 2021 truly stands for the hope and light that Diwali and the subsequent festivals represent. Emerging from a frightening second wave, individuals and the economy both look forward to an optimistic revival period. Especially with the promising vaccination numbers.

As brands and services draft their festive marketing plan, we take a look at an emerging touchpoint from the content universe - audio streaming.

According to statistics, on average, the Indian listener spends 2.5 hours per day on audio and 80% of this time, they can’t be reached through visual media. An eMarketer report also suggests that streaming music was the #1 activity that people adopted during the pandemic. This combined with the increasing penetration of connected devices (for instance Bluetooth connected to car speakers while driving or podcasts in the background while completing the office), makes audio streaming an important element on the festive media plan.

Globally and back home, brands have been leveraging mediums such as Spotify to reach their audiences through immersive experiences. From customized playlists to sponsored podcasts - audio marketing offers a range of options.

Here we take a look at a few audio marketing tips that will help you leverage the platform for its true value.

1. Capture The Mood

While a user’s mood largely defines their choice of content for the day, the mood is an even more prominent factory in audio streaming. There is a song from every feeling and now even podcasts. Feeling blue, feeling happy, feeling anxious - audio content is a part of everyday feelings.

For instance, Spotify shares that 75% of their listeners remember ads more when the ads recognize their moment or setting. Thus making a consumer's feelings a very important part of the equation.

Also read: Marketing an office in the WFH era: A look at WeWork marketing strategy

Festivities too are seamlessly interwoven with moods and feelings, more so after the COVID-19 vaccinations, as consumers get comfortable with meeting in person (with all due precautions in place), celebrating festivities after a year of upheaval.

According to a report by Spotify, Shopping, Nostalgia, Party, and Cooking or Dining with the family will make for major moments during the season. The report suggests that a massive 441% increase in user-generated cooking/dinner playlists bears this out while a growth of 290% for nostalgia streams and 590% for home (and homesick) playlists shows that listeners are turning to music to connect with memories of good times past

2. Create Immersive Experiences

Spotify data shows that running both video and audio communication, increases ad recall by 90% and results in a 2.2x increase in brand awareness. Consumers are looking for experiences in addition to a good story - an audio-video experience allows brands to capture optimum attention without missing out on valuable time and engagement with their intended audience.

You could create short videos that capture the CTA in brief. Time is of the essence here - a crisp video that conveys the message can go a long way. To capture attention in a short span of time brands can leverage the artists featured on the music app, resort to storytelling, and more.

3. Don’t Be Intrusive

It goes without saying, like on any other digital medium, it is easy to go overboard with the messaging - be it in terms of your tone or the number of times you choose to feature the ad. Consumers these days have a low resistance to spammy communication.

Tailor your communication basis the audience data - which time is the best to reach out to them? What is your audience listening to these days? Tailored communication, released at the right time and with the right context, will help you communicate and not just inform.

4. Embrace The Festivities

This festive season comes with the promise and hopes of new beginnings. As consumers attempt to embrace the new normal and begin again, brands also stand a chance to move their products and services.

Data suggests that after delaying purchases in 2020, 1 in 3 Spotify users are looking at large, big-ticket purchases in a clear case of revenge shopping4. Further, this is a user base that is likely to spend 15% more on what they want than any other cohort. Daily festive streams also saw an increase of 63%, and occasion and activity-based streams grew 155% on Spotify.

5. Compliment With A Strong Ecommerce Presence

With the pandemic came a digital revolution. The recurring lockdowns resulted in an increasing reliance on all things e-commerce. This was further enabled by increasing smartphone and internet penetration seen in the country. Reports suggest that not only e-commerce is slated to see an increase, but also has a huge chunk of first-time users, open to experiment and adapt.

A clean e-commerce getaway attached to your CTA will enable the consumers to complete the purchase cycle created on the audio streaming platform - all one device with any hassle.

With Diwali just around the corner, consumers are now at their most active - are brands too?