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Last week, YouTube announced the launch of new audio advertising formats as part of their slate of audio investments in 2020. Other announcements have included new sales capabilities in AdsManager and better optimisation opportunities in DV360. With more than 50% of logged-in users listening to more than 10 minutes of music per day, audio ads fit seamlessly into media plans already utilising YouTube. Our top three tips to get the best out of these ads are as follows:
When creating audio assets to use on YouTube, remember that you’re intruding upon someone’s listening. Nobody *wants* to listen to ads when they have a playlist on and so it’s imperative to make sure the tone is casual but succinct. We recommend a softer spoken voiceover with a clear mention of the brand and product within the first sentence. These ads are only 15” long so it’s important that the message is clear. Your script should be no more than 3 sentences. See Google’s example here:
Whilst this is a great addition to any YouTube campaign, it’s important to note that 85% of music listening on YouTube is still done in the foreground (and 60% on mobile – where background listening still isn’t possible).
As such, by only targeting with audio ads, you won’t reach the majority of your audience so our recommendation is to run both video and audio, with a similar message theme running throughout.
One of YouTube’s biggest selling points for media planner/buyers are the targeting and optimisation capabilities available. If you keep using video, there’s no need to neglect these in favour of scale and you’ll get more bang for your buck.
Settings ideal for use with audio ads include:
Content consumption habits are changing rapidly and audio is at the forefront of that so make sure it’s included in your media plans.
For more information on programmatic audio see Tug’s post here and get in touch to talk to us more about YouTube audio ads!
