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5 Benefits of Audiobooks

Audiobooks are now a staple for many because they provide a practical substitute for traditional reading, and due to the rise of digital applications, are now widely accessible and portable. So here are 5 benefits of the audiobook.

Convenience

One of the primary benefits of audiobooks is their convenience. You can obviously pop a hard copy book in your bag, but because audiobooks are kept on a digital device, or stored in the ‘cloud’, they enable you to carry any number of books with you.

The Experience

Audiobooks can improve the ‘experience’ of a story. Being voiced by a professional voice over artist, the narrator can create the emotions expressed by the characters.

Reading Challenges

People with low vision, or reading challenges can also access books through audio. They can also encourage a love of reading for those who might not have been able to connect with written materials in the past.

Companionship

A narrator’s voice can provide a sense of connection and companionship for people who may spend a lot of time by themselves.

Group Reading

Audiobooks can bring people together. For example, a family might listen to a story together, provoking discussion, or book clubs might debate books in-depth and examine new works together.

Why You Should Be Using Audio Ads

Audio advertising has always been a fantastic tool in an advertiser’s box of tricks.

So why does audio advertising remain so popular today, in a world so full of new media platforms?

Here are five reasons why we think audio advertising remains so effective today:

It’s audience targeted
It amplifies the multi-channel effect
It allows data tracking
It’s relevant to the listener
It improves brand recall

Plus, there are a number of options to choose from. With audio advertising you can choose from:

Podcasts
Streaming music platforms
Digital radio
Voice activated devices

You might also think of audio advertising as a top-of-funnel medium only however, with new insight and analytics, retargeting allows audio to be used in mid-and lower-funnel sales as well.

Just like video was the trend in the early 2000s, audio advertising has now hit its stride, so right now is the time to take advantage of audio’s continued growth in the market.

YouTube Rolling Out Dedicated Podcast Feature

YouTube has started to rollout a ‘podcasts’ tab on the platform across the U.S, with the application to roll out globally in the future.

Historically, podcasting on YouTube has seen a number of challenges because the platform’s algorithm could not distinguish between a podcast and regular video content.

This meant that reduced watch times saw the content penalised. As a result, creators typically set up a separate YouTube channel for podcasts.

YouTube is also apparently in the middle of testing a tool that ports video uploads marked as podcasts to YouTube Music. This functionality is being tested with limited availability.

The new changes are just the latest in a long line of developments that show YouTube is committed to getting into the podcast game.

Voice Over Styles

Voice over artists take on a variety of roles, from storyteller, to instructor, to salesperson. Here’s a quick breakdown of the 4 primary voice over styles.

Documentary

A documentary narrator skillfully creates an engaging journey for the viewer. Voice over artists often employ storytelling skills to bring emotion, suspense and drama to a subject. Just imagine exploring the natural world without the emotive voice of David Attenborough.

Audiobook

Audiobook narration requires more characterisation in the performance. A voice over artist can play a number of different characters, or develop a variety of voices. In the Harry Potter series Stephen Fry takes on the individual personalities of the characters through his narration.

Commercial

In commercial narration, a voice over artist must become an extension of the brand. They must convey a message, rather than tell a story. This requires a specific tone and cadence to personify the brand, or product. For example, imagine an adventure park advertisement being read with the same style and tone as a personal injury lawyer.

Corporate and Education

Corporate and education narration requires retention and even behavior change, where the audience is required to learn something new. As a result the voice over artists must establish trust and keep the listener engaged. Similar to commercial narration, corporate narration must also convey the overarching brand style and tone.

Media Agency Audio Ad Spend On The Rise In 2023

The recently released IAB Audio Advertising State of the Nation Report suggests that despite our current economic uncertainty, media agencies will increase their digital audio expenditure in 2023.

The results suggest that in 2023, 71% of media agencies will increase their investment in audio streaming and 78% will increase their investment in podcast advertising.

Integration is becoming more consistent with 80% of media agencies buying digital audio in combination with digital video advertising, and 69% intending to buy digital audio bundled with other media.

However, 7 out of 10 agencies state that while digital audio is effective at increasing brand awareness, some want more proof of the effectiveness of audio in brand building.

IAB’s CEO Gai Le Roy said, “One of the most pleasing results of the study was the marked increase in planning and buying audio in combination with other digital activities.”

“There is great potential for digital audio to increase its share of the digital ad pie with eight in 10 agencies who use digital audio now considering its use alongside digital video as well as the increase in omnichannel programmatic buying,” she said.

Relax with a good audiobook

The prospect of unwinding after a long hard day by reading a book, may not be all that appealing for some.

If not, audiobooks are a great alternative. Some even argue that audiobooks provide a more immersive and enjoyable experience.

For example, listening to the likes of Stephen Fry can be a great way to quickly immerse yourself in the world of a new story.

When on the move, audiobooks also offer convenience and the opportunity to multitask. An ability that physical books can’t match.

Are audiobooks too good to be true? Does an audiobook really have the same benefit as reading physical copy?

The short answer is yes. Studies have found that people do in fact retain the same information, regardless of whether they have read, or listened to a book. Audiobooks just activate different parts of the brain.

So if you haven’t already tried an audiobook, have a listen.

What is Lossless Audio?

Lossless audio refers to a type of digital audio compression that contains all of the information from the original file when compressed.

‘Lossless’ is the term used by many streaming services to label their CD-quality streams in order to differentiate from lower-quality streams and or Hi-Res streams.

However, lossless compression is different from lossy compression, which discards some of the original audio information in order to reduce the file size of the compressed audio file.

Lossless compression will generally still result in smaller file size compared to the original audio file however, the file size reduction is typically not as significant as with lossy compression.

Lossless audio formats include FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec), ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec), and WAV (Waveform Audio File Format).

So where does Hi-Res audio fit into the mix? The term ‘Hi-Res’ means that the audio has a bitrate above CD, or lossless quality. In practical terms, Hi-Res audio should sound superior to lossless audio because it has a higher bitrate and sample rate.

Today, lossless formats are generally favoured by audiophiles and music enthusiasts who want to preserve the full quality of the original audio, via streaming services.

Our top 5 audio advertising trends for 2023

Audience growth and brand investment made 2022 a big year for audio advertising, and we expect that momentum to continue in 2023. So in the new year ahead, here are the top five trends we expect to see.

Audio content will rival visual

The measurable impact of audio advertising and the ability to personalise ad content will continue to garner brand interest in 2023. As a result, we will see a huge range of new content, from podcasts and audiobooks to business and educational content.

Podcast advertising will grow

Podcasts have yet to reach their full potential in the advertising space, so in 2023, we will see even more investment in monetising podcasts. Not only will this guarantee the long-term sustainability of podcasts, it will provide early investors with the returns they have been hoping to realise.

Audio will drives more sales

Historically, audio advertising has been viewed as an upper-funnel awareness channel, but in 2023, with audio now providing a direct response platform, will see a shift away from awareness campaigns to performance driven, sales oriented advertising.

Podcasts will attract bigger brands

Audio ad tech now provides automation, cross-channel measurement, attribution and personalised content. As this ecosystem matures, we expect to see more big brands, with multi-billion-dollar advertising budgets, start to invest heavily in podcasts and personalised audio ads.

Advertisers will embrace ad automation

From affinity data to time, or location-sensitive information, brands can determine how best to personalise content and deliver it automatically. In 2023 we will see brands begin to invest in and expand this technology.

Turning Podcasts Into Video Content

As YouTube releases a podcast homepage and TikTok is rumored to be launching a new podcast app, it’s clear the medium is continuing to remain a top priority for media platforms.

However, young listeners are still attracted to visual media. So can the two mediums be successfully combined?

Today, podcast creators are seeing their fan bases grow via their video platforms. As a result, creators have begun investing in long and short form video content to drive further engagement on social media.

This phenomena was explored through a recent Voices podcast study, which found 57% of respondents said that YouTube was their preferred podcast listening app.

This new audience suggests there is an untapped audience for advertisers where visual podcasting can allow advertisers to integrate a logo, or product throughout the podcast.

So is this just another form of video, or is this a genuinely new market for advertisers?

The Rise Of mLearning

Smartphones have generally replaced on the go music devices, cameras and even TVs, but could they be used for learning?

Mobile learning, or mLearning, may soon become a new professional development medium that forms part of workplace flexibility, because it provides a more flexible learning experience for employees.

mLearning can allow employees to learn at their own pace, or refresh their memory via simple how-to guides. Mobile Learning can also provide a personalised training experience to help keep employees engaged.

For Millennials and Gen Z who have grown up with mobile tech, the need for businesses to adapt training and development methods will be imperative for a flexible and engaged workforce into the future.