YouTube introduces audio ads on the video streaming platform

The ad format is designed to connect a brand with audiences in engaged and ambient listening on YouTube.

Music streaming saw a spike in the times of coronavirus lockdown. Whether its to watch a virtual concert, listen to a podcast or just more music, people are increasingly turning to music streaming apps and services as they spend more time at home.

To help tailor a brand's media and creative approach to the different ways consumers are engaging with YouTube, introduced audio ads - the platform's first ad format designed to connect a brand with audiences in engaged and ambient listening on YouTube.

According to a blog post, audio ads, are currently in beta phase, and claim to help brands efficiently expand reach and grow brand awareness with audio-based creative and the same measurement, audience and brand safety features as video campaigns.

Music video streaming at an all-time high on YouTube. More than 50 percent of logged-in viewers consume music content in a day, consume more than 10 minutes of musical audio content. Google also claims to be introducing new solutions for a brand to be seen, heard and recognized alongside music content.

Audio ads are characterized by creatives where the audio soundtrack plays the starring role in delivering your message. The visual component is typically a still image or simple animation.

In the months of alpha testing, the company found that more than 75 percent of measured audio ad campaigns on YouTube drove a significant lift in brand awareness.

One of our early testers, of audio ads on the platform, Shutterfly claims that the ads drive upto 14 percent lift in ad recall and 2 percent lift in brand favorability among their target audience.

Google notes its in its blog post that while a brand prepares audio ad campaigns, it should keep in mind that audio should play the leading role. "Think: If I close my eyes, I can still clearly understand what this ad is about. Be clear and specific with your message and pick a friendly, authentic voice to deliver it. If you aren’t sure what creative to use, you can use experiments to run a test and get results quickly and at no extra cost," reads the post.

Audio ads are available in beta via auction on Google Ads and Display & Video 360 on a CPM basis with the same audience targeting options, bidding strategies and Brand Lift measurement capabilities as your YouTube video campaigns. Using both video and audio ads together, you can reach more people, consuming content they love, with the ad format that’s best suited for their unique YouTube experience.

In addition to audio ads, YouTube is also launching dynamic music lineups, dedicated groups of music-focused channels across popular genres such as Latin music, K-pop, hip-hop and 100, as well as moods or interests like fitness, so brands can easily reach music fans globally and drive results for a business.