Ad Agency Mindshare Finds Audio Ads Elicit Higher Levels Of Emotional Intensity.
A recent study by WPP advertising agency Mindshare has shown that audio ads regularly increase recall and engagement compared to other media formats. Research in cognitive neuroscience and neuroscience found that an increase in the intensity of emotions evoked through audio ads was higher by 12% than benchmarks for all media in the world and was correlated with a rise in the brand’s breakthrough.
Researchers from Mindshare’s NeuroLab unit, as well as Spotify’s Sonic Science team, examined consumers conscious and subconscious responses to ads and examined what parts of the brain respond to the various advertising materials to determine which work of art resonates with people in a format that is audio-only.
NeuroLab researchers conducted the study, which surveyed participants about their demographics, preferences, and behaviour about music and podcasts. “We wanted to understand how these attributes influence interests and vary amongst different cohorts of audiences, such as different generations,” Terence Scroope, executive director of Data Strategies at Mindshare, stated in the blog article outlining the research methodology and findings.
To test the audio’s creativity, NeuroLab ran a facial expression analysis and then showed the participants an in-person video that mimicked the feeling of walking around an urban area. This was done to focus on the subject without distracting from the ad’s audio.
The analysis of facial expressions focused on two primary measures: valence, which measures the overall positivity or negative impact of the experience. The other is expressiveness, which measures the emotional intensity of the experience. More expressiveness is related to higher memory processing. Scroope claims that previous research has demonstrated that dynamic advertisements lead to greater perceived intent to take action and higher branding favorability.
The research also revealed how using a celebrity’s voice in a commercial can help create a connection between brands and consumers. For one brand NeuroLab looked at, ads with celebrities’ voices resulted in an increase of 21% in engagement and emotional intensity. “For marketers, a celebrity’s body of work or associations in culture can have a halo effect for the brand,” Scroope stated. “This is what will draw in the consumer and deliver credibility.”
The Mindshare Spotify study adds to the growing body of research regarding identifying the brand on an audio ad. The study concluded that ads with branding at the beginning were the most effective in terms of emotional sensitivity.
The study also offers more evidence of the benefits of sound branding. Gaming companies, for instance, were able to train their players to associate their sound signature with the popular video game. NeuroLab saw a marked increase in positive emotions sustained throughout the commercial when the sound signature was used.
The findings “highlight the strength of audio as a medium,” Scroppe declares. It’s the beginning of research into audio’s influence on consumer mentality “and uncovering further opportunities to optimise consumer engagement.”
Also Read:- Enhancing Brand-Target Connection: Audience Buying in Audio Advertising