Farmers Insurance had the best performing audio ad during February, according to Veritonic’s monthly Audio Ad Index. The ranker looks at which audio ads are performing best with listeners on traditional radio, podcasts, and streaming audio services. The winners are based on which ads have the highest purchase intent scores relative to their sector’s benchmark using Veritonic’s Audio Intelligence platform.
Farmers Insurance was the “big winner” according to Veritonic, which says its humorous spot and their unmistakable brand voice, actor J K Simmons, as well as a mnemonic at the end of the ad, combined into a spot that scored 24 points above the benchmark for the insurance category when it comes to a purchase intent score.
“The power of that voice is equally unmistakable,” said Veritonic of Simmon’s role in the campaign’s success. It points out a recent study showed that insurance brands that leverage a unique personality in their audio ads are considerably more recognizable to consumers than “standard” voiceover actors.
Fifth place Capital One has taken a similar strategy, using actor Jennifer Garner across its campaigns. The result was its audio spot scored nine points above the benchmark for finance ads in February.
Yet not all ads need celebrity voices. Veritonic says sometimes the ad just connects with listeners. Take Bank of America’s ad which had the highest purchase intent last month – it scored a 79 – with an ad that was more relevant to the moment. The ad focused on socially distanced gatherings on an outdoor deck complete with chirping birds and power-washing sound effects. The result was Bank of America beat its segment’s benchmark by 19 points last month.
The home improvement retailer Lowe’s ranked second in February, outperforming its category by 14 points. February’s top 10 audio ads saw some new entrants, including the streaming television service Peacock, Capital One, Discover, and Bank of America.
February also brought what Veritonic says is a rare repeat top ten appearance with Stamps.com coming in at No. 7 with a message that is focused on making pandemic life easier. “The spot’s completely unadorned delivery – simply a male voiceover – likely has a lot to do with its extremely high score (80) for uniqueness,” the company says in a blog post.