Christmas In July: Time For Holiday Audio Campaign Planning, Audacy Says.

As July slowly give way to August, it might feel like it’s a bit early to plan a holiday audio campaign — but it’s not, according to a new insights article from Audacy.

Forty-one percent of shoppers say they’ll be buying gifts before Halloween, which means marketers should be looking ahead. “So start long before those Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals start rolling out and stay consistent to engage your target consumers throughout the season,” Audacy says. “The sooner your campaign kicks off, the better your chances of being top-of-mind when that festive holiday music starts playing.”

In a case study of a holiday campaign, Audacy cites an e-commerce advertiser whose brand enjoyed success through the funnel via a podcast campaign that ran from October through December.

Creative played a major role, with more than 80% of listeners agreeing the campaign’s holiday ads were “appealing, relevant, and gave them new information,” Audacy says. Additionally, brand attributes also benefitted, including a +6.6-point lift in “a brand for people like me” and +5 points in “offers the fastest delivery option.”

And repetition paid dividends, with listeners that were exposed to four or more ads being the most likely to convert.

Audacy says podcasts that utilize proven audio ad techniques are gifts that keep on giving.

“Want to connect with shoppers in a buying mindset? Don’t overlook podcasts,” Audacy says. “Roughly 75% of consumers say they’d like to hear holiday shopping ads during their favorite podcasts, and 58% of podcast listeners plan to do extra research this season to find the best deals. Santa has elves — but podcast listeners have you. Help them shop smarter, and you’ll build the kind of brand loyalty that lasts well beyond the holidays.”

A key benefit of audio is that it has a long shelf life: Even after 15 or more exposures, listeners still show increasingly strong attention and purchase intent. Each impression counts, which means marketers can maximize their campaign’s effectiveness by increasing the frequency.

It will also pay to make your high-impact podcast messages festive with sonic characteristics like jingling bells, crunching snow or upbeat holiday music. “Holiday-themed ads see a 26% lift in both recall and purchase intent,” Audacy says. “Audio’s the easiest medium to customize and scale seasonal creative, helping your brand stand out in all the right ways.”