In the past, marketers have given audio a respectable nod because of the outgrowth of smart speakers and smart assistants. They assumed that voice-activated shopping would be a huge hit, bringing value back to the spoken word. Unfortunately—that hasn’t happened. In fact, research shows voice shopping has dropped from 43% down to 24% over the past year. So, if audio isn’t going to make companies money through shopping, how will it? Truthfully—lots of ways. Most of them aren’t that different than how they used to make money—through ads on radio. But others, when intertwined with other emerging media, also show promise. The following are my top picks for ways audio marketing will take off in the next decade.
Power in Branding
Anyone who’s ever experienced heartbreak knows the power of audio—and music in particular—in eliciting an emotional response. Music is powerful. Auditory senses are viscerally responsive. It makes sense, then, that advertisers are starting to notice. In 2020 and beyond, we’ll see a bigger emphasis on the placement of audio in AR and VR experiences. We’ll also see brands being very strategic in using audio to create their specific brands—not just in ads online, but with mobile speakers in their brick-and-mortar stores and in-store tech experiences, as well. What better way to connect to a brand than through emotion?
