Anyone who has ever used YouTube is familiar with ads interrupting watching your favorite videos if you’re not subscribed to the Premium version. They can, of course, be annoying especially those that appear mid-stream but that’s one of the prices we pay for getting services for “free”. Since a lot of people are also using YouTube to stream music or podcasts, Google is now introducing audio ads, a new format for advertisers to reach that segment of the market.
This is actually YouTube’s first ad format that is meant to connect brands with audiences that are “in engaged and ambient listening” on the video platform that also serves as an audio platform now. For brands and products that are meant more for an audio execution of their advertising material, this is a new way to be able to implement creativity in an audio-based manner. They will still be able to enjoy the same benefits as a video campaign.
YouTube is also introducing dynamic music lineups made up of dedicated groups of music-focused channels for those genres that have a specific but popular audience. You’ll get channels for K-pop, hip-hop, Latin music, as well as the Top 100. You also get channels for mood and interests so brands will be able to easily reach their target audience and “be there at scale” for those watching YouTube or listening to it while doing other activities.
YouTube said that the results of their alpha testing showed that more than 75% of the measured ad campaigns resulted in a “lift” in brand awareness. The audio track plays a starring role in the advertising material even though there are still visuals like a still image or even a simple animation. Ultimately, to reach your audience who may be using YouTube as their ambient sound, then you have to be more creative aurally.
Audio ads on YouTube is of course good news for brands who are targeting the music and podcast listening market. End users will of course have to adjust to hearing ads in between but as we said, that’s the price for accessing these platforms for free. If you want an ad-free experience, there’s always YouTube Premium at around $12 per month.