Battling the 105 degree Texas heat, over 100 marketers and content providers made the IAB’s Digital Audio Day in Dallas a raging success. With a combination of fresh research, best practices, case studies, and fireside chats the day’s learnings were only surpassed by Tito’s Handmade Vodka custom cocktail hour to close out the evening.
With a goal of raising audio awareness and cohesion within the industry, the IAB first launched Digital Audio Day events in 2011. In 2015 we have continually evolved and expanded this initiative, bringing our industry’s top leaders to Los Angeles, Dallas and – coming on November 10th – Chicago!
Direct from Dallas, here are five key takeaways you need to know!
- The total sum of all audio consumption in the U.S. (broadcast, streaming, owned music, and satellite) continues to expand in the U.S., driven largely by the online habits of millennials (Edison Research “Share of Ear”)
- The human attention spans now average 8 seconds…less than the attention span of a goldfish! In an always-on and always-connected world, telling a brand’s story with audio is one of the most effective ways to capture listener attention.
- With digital audio, sound is literally plugged into a listener’s head. There’s nothing left between the sound and a listener’s imagination. Based on first and third-party targeting capabilities, advertisers can now personalize and customize their message fostering a deep emotional connection.
- Coolest trends on the horizon that promise to improve the listener and advertiser experience:
- Hands-free voice activation that allows a listener to simply ask for more information…no tap or click required.
- Programmatic solutions to automate the buying and selling of audio impressions, leading to faster, more efficient and more precise transactions.
- Podcasting is the new black. The virtual relationship between hyper-creative podcasters (think Serial, Question of the Day, WTF, Invisibilia) and their hyper-engaged fans brings smiles to marketers’ faces as they ponder ways to organically weave their branding message into the one-to-one environment.
- Digital audio is gaining traction amongst the largest brands and agencies across the country, with room to grow. U.S. consumers spend 12.7% of their digital media time with audio, yet digital audio only accounts for about 5% of total digital ad spend (eMarketer).
We look forward to seeing you, our valued agency and marketing executive partners at our next Digital Audio Day in Chicago on November 10th 2p-6p at the Wit Hotel. Here’s the link for details.
Sonically yours,
IAB’s Digital Audio Committee Co-chairs
Scott Liss, VP Connections, iHeart Media
Doug Sterne, VP Audio Development, Pandora
