The Media Leader Podcast
To mark the 10th anniversary of AudioTrack, the UK’s commercial audio delivery service owned and operated by The Media Leader‘s parent company Adwanted, podcast host Charli West sat down with some of the industry’s leading audio practitioners to take a deep dive into the audio creative process.
Across three conversations, this episode explores what makes audio advertising memorable, how digital transformation is reshaping the creative process, and where AI fits in.
Authenticity isn’t just a voice
What makes an audio ad resonate with listeners?
For producer-director Pam Myers of Rorschach Radio authenticity is at the heart, encompassing the production, casting, placement, as well as the voice.
Joining her, Colourtext radio data analyst Jason Brownlee points to long-term brand campaigns: Carpetways, Jet2, and Compare the Market. They all demonstrate the value of consistency, with repeated exposure building familiarity over time rather than wearing audiences out. On Jet2’s branding, his advice is blunt: “Please don’t ever change it. The listeners are not bored yet.”
Audio becomes the soundtrack to everyday life
One of the biggest changes in audio advertising over the past decade is the move to digital.
Silke Zetzsche, VP of global commercial partnerships at AudioStack, describes the industry’s shift from audio as a single-platform broadcast medium to what she calls the soundtrack of everyday life: audio accompanies audiences throughout the day, across multiple devices and environments.
The creative implication is a move away from one asset served to many, towards relevance at the individual level. AI-powered dynamic creative, she argues, is the mechanism that finally makes this possible at scale, but she is careful to frame it as amplification rather than replacement.
AI as copilot, not author
The conversation concludes with freelance producer Nick Angell and Trisonic founder and CEO Matt Hopper, who offer the bluntest verdict on generative AI. Both use it for audio restoration, dynamic ad assembly, creative testing, but resist it as an end-to-end creative tool.
Hopper says that you can put a brief into AI and 30 seconds later you will have an ad: “But what AI can’t tell you is if that ad is any good.”
Angell’s concern is synthetic voice cloning and the need to protect creative talent as AI capabilities advance.
As Angell concludes: “It’s a craft, and I feel a responsibility to uphold it.”
Listen now by hitting the play button or use the appropriate entry point into Spotify, Apple or Google Podcasts:
Highlights
3:29 — Regionality, why great sonic branding bears infinite repetition, and the power of brand characters
10:38 — Pam Myers on the Ben Kinsella Trust campaign: why placement on Rinse FM made it work
15:20 — The 95% rule and what it demands of audio creative
24:52 — Silke Zetzsche: the shift from broadcasting one asset to many, to relevance at scale
33:50 — AI’s biggest challenge in audio: trust, rights, governance, and responsible use
44:37 — Matt Hopper: AI is a copilot, not a standalone generative ad creator
52:06 — Nick Angell and Matt Hopper on synthetic voices, voice cloning, and why the craft still matters
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Adwanted UK are the audio experts at the centre of audio trading, distribution, and analytics. We operate J‑ET - the UK’s trading and accountability system for both linear and digital radio. We also created Audiotrack, the country’s premier commercial audio distribution platform, and AudioLab, the single-point, multi‑platform digital audio reporting solution delivering real‑time insight.
To scale up your audio strategy,
contact us today.
