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According to the recent IAB Australian Audio State of the Nation Report, advertisers are leaning into programmatic audio.

The report suggests 64% of media agencies intend to use programmatic for audio advertising over the next 12 months (up from 59% in 2021), 73% now have streaming digital audio advertising as a regular part of their activity and 59% regularly consider podcast advertising, (up 36% from 2021).

The report suggests audio advertising enhances brand building and is one of the most important reasons why agencies undertake audio advertising. In fact, the report found that digital audio has continued to increase its role in brand building with 87% of media agencies using streaming digital audio advertising and 84% using podcast advertising to increase brand awareness. Further, 46% consistently use an audio or sonic logo as a branding asset in their creative.

According to this year’s Iab Australia Audio Summit, combining digital audio advertising with digital display and out of home advertising seems to be a successful combination for many agencies.

A report from Roy Morgan and the Australian Retailers Association suggests Australians are expected to spend $415 million on Valentine’s Day this year, with the average individual expected to spend $111.00. 

According to the report, 39% will purchase flowers, 28% chocolate, food and alcohol and 9% will purchase jewellery. 

In Australia, roughly a third of consumers said they would be increasing their Valentine’s Day spend compared to last year, but the majority (65%) said they would be spending the same amount.

Valentine’s Day gifting is more prevalent with younger Australians. 38% of 18-24 year old’s plan to buy a gift, while only 7% of people over 65 plan to celebrate the day.

In the U.S. the Valentine’s Day bounty expects to take a hit this year, with surveys suggesting the usual gifts will be replaced by home-cooked meals and takeout.

As a result U.S. brands started selling Valentine’s Day items much earlier in the year, an advertising strategy employed with Black Friday and Christmas sales in 2021.

It’s a new year so there are plenty of thrilling, exciting and fun new podcasts to listen to. Here are a few to sink your teeth into.

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

If you’re not familiar with Private Eye Magazine, it’s a British satirical and current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. Published in London, the magazine has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986 and is widely recognised for its prominent criticism and lampooning of public figures. Today, Ian and Private Eye magazine venture into the world of audio with Page 94, a podcast hosted by Andrew Hunter Murray.

Room 5

What happens when a diagnosis changes everything? One afternoon, Helena Merriman walked into a doctor’s surgery and was given a shock diagnosis. In this series, Helena interviews people who, like her, were changed by a diagnosis. The podcast series shines a light on misunderstood conditions, asking how we cope when our bodies and our minds no longer behave as we want them to.

The Wait

One night at 4 am in 2013, Mozhgan Moarefizadeh and her family slip away from immigration detention in Jakarta. They walk for hours in heavy rain, with no phones and no idea where they are. Mozhgan is 21-years old. In The Wait, Mozhgan and journalist Nicole Curby investigate how Australia has created a new border, inside Indonesia, and ask who’s responsible for its consequences. What does it mean to be caught forever on the run, trapped in a permanent in-between?

Things Fell Apart

Things Fell Apart is a series of strange and unexpected human stories from the history of the culture wars. What are the origins of cancel culture? How did we become such a divisive society? The podcast explores topics like abortion, sex education, gay liberation and school curriculums and discovers the strange and sometimes heartwarming examples of how things came to be. 

Disgraceland

Disgraceland is a podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. The Thirty-ish minute episodes trace the most insane criminal stories surrounding our most interesting and infamous pop stars. Season 1 of Disgraceland was released on February 13, 2018 and within two days reached number 7 in the Apple Podcasts ‘top podcasts’ chart. It has since been downloaded millions of times in over 150 countries.

When we examine the various generation audience segments it’s easy to assume some sweeping and often misguided generalisations, such as baby boomers aren’t tech-savvy, and Gen Y are lazy job hoppers.

As people mature and change their views, generations can outgrow their stereotypes. So when you’re looking for ways to reach Gen Alpha (people born from 2010 onward), only smart insights should form connections through your advertising.

Actionable initiatives with transparent empathetic positioning is essential. Don’t pretend to ‘understand’ because every generation is different, and every generation is special in its own way. 

For example, if studies show that Gen Alpha is X times more likely to take a selfie than Generation Y, does that data truly matter when it comes to ad creative? Poking fun via generalisations only serves to prove a point that you don’t understand or empathise at all.