Q & A: Are Audio Campaigns Measurable Across the Funnel

Do you have questions (or doubts) about the measurability of audio advertising? You’re not alone. The state of AM/FM radio advertising is likely to blame, with its one-to-many messaging and dubious measurement.

Digital audio (you know, streaming audio, podcasts, and satellite radio) is different. Not only is it fully measurable, but we can measure its effectiveness across the funnel—making it more than just an upper-funnel awareness play. Recently, we developed the Digital Audio Measurement Playbook to answer questions and educate advertisers on our solutions.

We also went to an expert for answers to common questions. Sona Cederquist, Senior Director, Ad Effectiveness sat down with us to provide responses to some audio measurement FAQs.

Digital Audio Advertising Is Measurable and Effective

Question: Can audio be measured effectively?

Answer: "That is the big question. And fortunately, the answer is yes. We can measure streaming audio as well as podcasts, both host-read and announcer-read. Audio is a big driver of upper funnel metrics like brand awareness, recall, and consideration. And this can be captured in brand lift studies. Going down the funnel, we can also track how both audio and podcasts drive people to visit stores or visit websites. And finally, audio and podcasts can be tracked through a number of attribution solutions to understand how these formats drive behaviors, such as clicking, filling out forms, downloading, and making purchases."

It's Important to Align KPIs with Creative Execution

Question: How can brands set audio campaigns up for success?

Answer: "When building out a media plan, it's important to understand the campaign's KPIs and end goals. For example, if a client's goal is to grow purchases of their product, ensure that the media plan targets existing brand buyers. Additionally, the creator should have prominent branding. You can include logos in visual formats like display and video. Within audio and podcast spots, mention the brand name frequently and include recognizable elements like taglines and audio logos. Media mix is key, too. Combine audio, which has high scale, along with high impact executions."

Post-Campaign Analysis Can Improve Future Campaigns

Question: What should advertisers do if audiences don’t respond to their audio ad?

Answer: "It can be frustrating when an ad campaign does not accomplish what it set out to do. In those scenarios, we can do some detective work. First, we'll confirm that the campaign was tracked correctly with the measurement partner. Next, we'll look to see if specific demos or targets contributed the most to poor performance. We then review the creative to better understand why the message did not resonate with those audiences. We will also double check the study design to see if say the correct look-back window was used or if the reporting was built accurately. And finally, we'll always provide you with recommendations on how to set up creative and steady design for future campaigns for success."

Let’s Build Effective and Measurable Campaigns Together

With SiriusXM Media, you get the largest addressable audience in audio (meaning you can reach them with ads) and the best suite of ad effectiveness and measurement solutions around. Not only can we help you unlock the power of audio, but we can also help you assess its impact.

Let’s talk.

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