How Audio Media Can Boost Video Ad Campaigns.

Is a marketing plan without audio really a marketing plan? In a guest column for Adweek, SiriusXM Media VP B2B Marketing Liz Lacey makes a strong argument for adding audio to video campaigns.

“If digital audio is missing from your video advertising strategy, you’re missing out,” Lacey says, noting the many advantages of adding it to the mix, including the power of audio, better interaction, omnichannel campaigns, and increased reach and frequency.

Right up top, Lacey points out that digital audio engages both the eyes and ears. “The custom, personal, and on-demand nature of digital audio makes the medium prime for interaction,” she says. “Listeners are giving tracks they like the thumbs up on platforms like Pandora, feeding the algorithm that keeps the personalized streams coming. They’re building playlists to prep for commutes, workdays, workouts, and chores. And they’re combing through artist pages and genre feeds to find the latest tunes and shows.”

Lacey also notes that “the thing about video ads [is] as much as they’re associated with visual marketing strategies, they’re often only as good as the audio. Sound illustrates key messages just as powerfully as images do, moving or still. The actors’ interplay, the voiceover context, the sounds of the environment and movement, the music and sound effects – they all tell a compelling story, even when the visual elements are out of sight. In that way, they’re a lot like audio ads. How? Because the power of audio is that it engages the mind to build worlds and create memorable moments, all through sound.”

Then there's how video ads perform well on audio platforms, while podcasts thrive on video platforms. “With screens and without, not only is digital audio the perfect complement to your video campaigns, but it’s also an efficient standalone strategy, even with video assets,” Lacey says. “With audio-forward media partners, your video ads get 100% share of voice, so they stand out in a clutter-free environment. And because these ads only play when users are engaging with the platforms, no impressions are lost and both viewability and completion rates exceed industry benchmarks.”

Likewise, she adds, “Increasingly, the most popular podcasts offer fans video formats, driving podcast consumption on video platforms like YouTube up 106% in the last five years. For brands, these audience sentiments combined with the ongoing podcast transformation open up the opportunity to launch cross-channel campaigns across podcast formats to both reach and engage new and different audiences and increase message frequency. Leveraging ad formats like video host reads and custom video segments allow advertisers to go deeper into the host-listener relationship.”

Another advantage is audio's effectiveness with and without visuals. “Music, podcasts, and talk radio don’t just feed consumer passions, they drive them,” Lacey says. “From the fresh, can’t-miss releases to the nostalgia-steeped playbacks, people talk about the audio they love in the same breath as they define who they are. That’s what makes digital audio advertising so dynamic and influential—it leverages a medium that taps into the moods, mindsets, and identities of your target consumers.”

Perhaps most important, adding audio to a video ad strategy drives incremental reach. “Not only do digital audio campaigns drive full-funnel, measurable results on their own, but they also drive incremental reach to new and different audiences,” Lacey says. “And when it comes to video activations across over the top media and connected TV, SiriusXM Media platforms and networks provide up to +50 points and +49 points in incremental reach, respectively.”