On May 30th 2018, digital media buyers received a memo on the DoubleClick Bid Manager blog about the latest feature doing the rounds– audio advertising or put simply, ads that speak out at you.

With this new development Bid Managers (digital media buyers) can now target highly engaged audiences with audio formats.

On the other hand listening and specifically, music, has long held a high place when it comes to creating consumer demand.
First in Uganda for music streaming services was ‘Sauteez’, who launched last year. The people behind this venture pay contributing artists for the music consumed by the users which is the basis of the streaming music business.

As more consumers turn to audio for entertainment across mobile and desktop devices on platforms like Spotify, Soundcloud, iTunes and now Sauteez, it makes sense for brands in Uganda to think about investing in this format with the appropriate audio messages just like they do for other medium.

The new audio ad capabilities arrive at a time of growing buyer demand for tailored audio solutions.
With Google search evolving from inputting keywords to using voice detection capabilities, I am quite certain this milestone of ‘audio ads’ will make the Google Assistant and Amazon Echo devices feasible to use in Uganda and Africa at large. Consumers will also be able to enjoy various product prepositions, but in a smarter and more direct way.

At the moment, audio content is very a niche medium to connect with users. Brands that have committed to producing content in this genre, eventually realize that the ‘users’ need to be personalized for brands to connect with their aspirations.
Niche audiences need constant attention. For example, a DJ (for no better term), has to sample weekly music genre playlists on his SoundCloud or Sportify account, to keep his community highly engaged. This DJ will always be looking out for the next bespoke playlist to stay up to date.

SoundCloud and Sportify are part of the several audio music platforms that Google Double click offers Bid Managers searching for audio programmatic solutions.
It is also a huge milestone for the digital marketing industry in general because for awhile it was not part of the Google Ad’s options for targeted ads.

The evolution of audio advertising is slowly peaking and I see in the near future ad formats produced locally to connect Ugandan audiences and East Africa at large. To conclude audio ads biggest ‘value preposition’ will be that ad’s bought through DoubleClick will help brands connect with people even when they aren’t engaged with the screen on their device.

In these ‘moments’ when they are listening to audio, people aren’t overwhelmed with multiple ads, meaning that brands who are present get higher share of voice.