Audio: the new must-have digital content?

An interview with Tim Flattery, head of CarsGuide Labs

Why are you and your team interested in digital audio content?

There are some really big players dipping their toe into the digital audio content pool at the moment. The BBC, The Washington Post, Apple News and the New York Times have all started to invest in some really cool audio products in the past few years. The BBC is particularly interesting - its product is a synthetic voice! The BBC has created a ‘synthetic voice’? Tell me more. Yeah, they launched in November 2020, they call it a ‘smart text-to-speech tool’. They chose a warm and friendly northern-English accented male voice. Why is the BBC moving into the audio space? For the BBC and other publishers, it’s about accessibility - according to research by the NCIB, 30% of people are audible learners. Meaning that they take in information more readily when they hear it, rather than read it. But it’s also about maximising convenience for consumers - and audio is easier for many people. In an interview with NPR, the AI voice explained why they’re so interested in this space: “Life can get busy, so I can help by reading articles out loud, letting you get on with other things at the same time”.

Errol Baran, the global SVP of Business Development & Innovation from the BBC said their investment in audio “offers audiences another complementary way of engaging with our content in a format that suits them”. What’s the audio market like here in Australia?

Audio has taken off! According to Edison Research’s 2020 report, “The Infinite Dial”, 37% of Australians listen to at least one podcast per month in 2021, up from 25% in 2020. This along with a huge uptake in smart speakers (25% of Australians own one, according to the Smart Audio Report by Edison Research), speaks to a trend towards more and more Aussies wanting to consume audio content. What sort of stuff are you working on at CarsGuide Labs? My team has been testing a few audio offerings to ensure that our content meets our consumers where they are and maximises the opportunities for them to engage with our brands.

In the first half this year, we launched our new REACH product called REACH Aloud. It’s a new take on our existing REACH product using VO artists to create a more immersive and inclusive ad unit. We’re seeing some really promising results. Have you looked into any editorial solutions? Yes! We kicked off a partnership with a Boston-based audio company, Adsonica, to introduce audio on our editorial advice articles. All this, along with our long-running CarsGuide PodCarst by our editorial team, gives us a firm foothold in the new must-have content stream.

How can marketers get involved? We’re working with Adsonica to look at some DisplayPlus audio ideas, which will become available very shortly. And, as always, talk to your account manager if you’re interested in exploring audio content options with us.