Audiotrack at 10: If you’re not going to do it for 20 years, then you probably need a rethink

At Cannes Lions last month, Mark Ritson unveiled a global study that showed audio drives profit and trust when included in the marketing mix. But what actually makes an effective audio ad? According to two industry experts, the answer lies in authenticity, consistency, and a clear understanding of the audience.

Speaking on The Media Leader podcast, Jason Brownlee, founder and CEO of Colourtext, and Pam Myers, an audio producer and director at Rorschach Radio, analyse a number of their favourites and discuss what makes them so memorable.

Listen in full here:

From Jet2Holiday and Compare the Market, to Dove and Dexcom, the pair explore how brands have used humour, brand characters, and regional accents to resonate with listeners.

For Brownlee, the key is developing a palette of distinctive audio assets than can be deployed consistently for a long time.

“If you’re not going to do it for 20 years, then you probably need a rethink,” he says.

Building trust, familiarity and likability is paramount, he adds. As Myers puts it, effective audio advertising is about “creating a relationship, not delivering a lecture”.

Myer’s reflects on how a comment from her sound engineer: “I can make anything fit in 30 seconds, but you won’t like it”. She considers whether a lack of confidence is holding brands back and argues that trusting producers to do what they do best can unlock audio’s full potential.

The episode is part of a series produced in partnership with Audiotrack, the UK’s commercial audio delivery service and sister company of The Media Leader, which marks its tenth anniversary this year.

Listen to the episode here.