Industry Experts say – “2019 is the year for Audio!”

‘2019’s programmatic spend on “traditional” formats like radio will make up 6% of the total and is expected to hit 13%’ according to Publicis Groupe Zenith’s estimates, as stated in Marketing Drive.

If you still don’t believe that 2019 is the year for Audio; read the following thoughts of Industry experts according to Exchangewire, on Advancement of Audio in 2019.

Move over AI, it’s audio’s turn

“Some say 2019 will be the year of AR, VR, ML, AI, or Block chain. They are wrong! 2019 will be ‘the year of audio’. Why? Two specific areas: firstly, voice. Alexa utterance is not all we’ll need by the end of 2019; although Amazon is betting on it and now asking its suppliers to pay to promote it. Instead, we’ll work out how to use ‘voice’ and how not to annoy audiences; if Amazon, Google, and others, will allow us access to useful audience data.”

“Secondly, it’s programmatic audio. Streaming services and radio stations have been ramping up their audio inventory and – often – sharing new and interesting data with brands. Triton Digital, for example, has their sophisticated audience measurement metrics system. In 2019, advertisers will engage with the data and start to see audio in a new light. The late 2000s saw ‘year of mobile’ announced over consecutive years. Mainly because the mobile, ad execs spoke tech-for-techies. Times have changed; we don’t bamboozle with jargon, we now explain and demonstrate with data. We are starting to understand the power of the audio audiences. In 2019, digital audio will soar.”

James Welch, Lead Consultant, Orchestra

Radio budgets will shift to digital audio

“This year has seen programmatic audio move from niche to the mainstream. Across Europe, the UK, Germany, and France have led the charge with both programmatic traders and AV buyers leaning in to test the channel. This shift can be put down to three key trends: overall increase in consumers spending time with audio, which is being driven by the adoption of connected devices; growth of voice activation and exciting new content with streaming and podcasts; and ad tech innovation, with all major SSP and DSP platforms facilitating audio, and new technologies providing the ability to deliver personalisation through data with dynamic creative insertion.”

“Advertisers are waking up to the unique value audio brings to reach consumers in screen-less moments, and enabling them to fill key gaps in the consumer journey. I predict that 2019 will be a significant growth year for programmatic audio and I am excited to be at the forefront of this at Spotify.”

“Key drivers will be: radio budgets continuing to shift to digital audio platforms, as buyers better understand the power of addressability and data; more brands building audio-specific strategies, and investing further in quality creative designed for the ears versus the eyes; and audio platforms will innovate with the expansion of self-service buying and activation tools.”

Zuzanna Gerlinska, Head of Programmatic, Europe, Spotify

Audio will take the main stage

“2019 will be an extraordinary year for the programmatic audio marketplace. Increased activity by industry-leading DSPs such as Google Display Video 360, The Trade Desk, MediaMath, Oath, Adobe, and Amazon, as well as specialised DSPs, such as AudioTrade, DynAdmic, Fusio by S4M, and Platform 161, will contribute to solidifying digital audio’s position as an indispensable component of advertising strategies around the world.”

“From streaming radio to podcasts, online music services, to multiplayer gaming soundtracks, audio in all forms will continue to bring unparalleled reach and efficacy to the online advertising industry at large, reaching listeners at home, at work, and while commuting on any connected device. With audio fully emerging over the last 18 months, 2019 is the year that it will take the main stage.”

Benjamin Masse, Managing Director, Market Development & Strategy, Triton Digital

So the good news is…

According to Media Space Solutions, we will be likely to see more online publishers embrace voice and publish audio content to these devices in an effort to land a spot on listener’s “Flash Briefing.” Also, we will likely see Amazon, Google and Apple monetize their content by allowing companies to buy and sell ad space.

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