The future of creativity is audio: The Drum and Spotify podcast series

The increasing importance of audio to the brand marketer has grown manifold in the last few years and brands have just started recognising the power of sound. The episodes would look at how digital audio presents brands with boundless creative opportunities - from music to podcasts and beyond - to be heard by consumers at the right time and in the right moment.

The specially curated first episode of the ‘listen and learn’ session covers various aspects of the world of audio. Some of the themes covered include the science of sound, why sound is a powerful influencer, the science behind the receptiveness to sound. It also touches upon how context and data can power the effectiveness of ads - now that we have audio and music with us all the time and on-demand.

Highlighting the possibilities in which sound can be used, Spotify’s Goh says, “Sound can be used in many interesting ways. Basically, sound triggers can be used smartly to push to the right people and in the right manner basis their personalities, what they like etc.”

With global ad spend on digital audio advertising projected to reach $4.5bn this year and the number of listeners set to exceed 976 million, according to Statista data, this is one medium that marketers and advertisers cannot afford to ignore.

VaynerMedia’s Anand, says, “Audio is really powerful though it tends to be a bit underrated.”

Audio has increasingly become a powerful influencer in the last few years with brands starting to recognise the capability of audio in various facets of creative storytelling. The next episode looks at what is behind the effectiveness of digital ads, now that we have audio and music with us all the time on-demand.

The second episode of the ‘listen and learn’ session covers the journey and the possibilities of storytelling by deploying the power of audio.

Elaborating on storytelling in sound, Spotify’s Goh says, “audio is storytelling, it's one human speaking to another.”

Some of the themes covered include the true creative capability of audio highlighting best practices from brands that have used it well and delving into what’s holding sound’s full potential to be unlocked. It also looks at the particularly important and often overlooked layer around what do consumers want and how brands can learn and make their storytelling better.

Vayner Media’s Anand, who discusses his journey creating a sonic branding for his former employer Gojek in the episode, adds, “It's actually branding that you want your sound to be embedded in, like history or a memory, or until it becomes a cult classic.”

The recognition of audio as a great storytelling tool has been growing and with it also the importance of sound to the brand marketer. The increasing realisation of its potential has made it a medium generating a lot of curiosity from the marketers.

As the final instalment of the series, the third episode of the ‘listen and learn’ session covers the role and scope of innovation in the future of audio. Some of the discussions include the future of audio innovations and what’s in store next or interactivity.

Vayner Media’s Anand, says, “The future of audio ads will actually be ads that can interact with the listeners or the consumers”.

It also looks at the impact that the mainstream adoption of smart speakers has on audio and what’s the future of branding in a less visual context?

Spotify’s Goh, says, “Consumer wants two things [from audio as a medium], it either entertains, or it gives them value, or it does both.

Tune in as The Drum and Spotify explore the emerging trends of innovation in this high potential creative medium, looking at how technology, data and emotion can come together and help create a powerful digital advertising platform.

To find out more about audio, and its future as a digital and creative platform, subscribe to the series on Spotify.