The average human attention span is eight seconds. That isn’t a very long time.

In the world of content overload that we live in today, advertisers must find ways to effectively make an imprint on their consumers that doesn’t simply wash away when those eight seconds are up.

So how do you connect with listeners?

For starters, an influential and emotional encounter must occur that is heard amongst the thousands of ads that your audience is exposed to every day. Really, it should be heard.

Scientific studies have illustrated how audio has a powerful influence over our emotional state and strengthens memory encoding. And when emotions are affected, so is our behavior. Consumer psychologists state that people primarily use their personal feelings and experiences rather than brand features or facts when making purchasing decisions. So developing a way to spark an emotional connection is essential when it comes to developing a brand strategy.

We take music with us everywhere. It is the soundtrack to our life experiences because it is the only medium that can reach us anywhere — at home, in the car, at work, and everywhere in between. And, interactive mediums, like voice technology, have unlocked more opportunities for advertisers to further connect with their audience. A recent NPR and Edison Research report showed that 7% of Americans now own a smart speaker. That’s a 130% increase since last year.

“In a connected world, audio has the power to cut through the clutter, often with a more emotionally resonant and intimate message than other forms of advertising.” - John Trimble, Chief Revenue Officer, Pandora

Why audio?

Dominant medium for reach:

Audio allows you to be the impression champion. Even with the increase in entertainment options, traditional radio still takes up more of our time than any other form of entertainment, according to a recent Nielsen study.

“Nielsen's Comparable Metrics Report, which measured the second quarter of 2017, says more Americans age 18 and up listen to AM/FM radio than the number who watch TV or browse the internet on their smartphones.” - Cleveland Business

Not to mention, listeners are more engaged while listening to the radio than they are when watching television or scrolling through Facebook. It’s no secret that impressions are stronger when we’re fully present in the moment, thus creating a more memorable experience. These moments stick with us and can influence our buying decisions. And the more opportunities you get to engage your audience through a compelling medium, like audio, the better.

People spend more than 202 billion minutes listening to audio each week in the United States. Of that total, 188.6 billion minutes comes from AM/FM radio. That’s a lot of time for you to engage with your audience when they aren’t surrounded by competing distractions.

“Listening, unlike watching, is never passive. It is an activity that involves our attention, our imagination, and our engagement.” - Strategic Media

Influences purchasing habits:

Time also plays a role in connecting and audio can be the magic elixir that influences a listener as the point-of-purchase approaches. For example, think of the home improvement ad that reminds you to grab a bucket of paint during your Saturday morning errands. How about the ad you hear during your morning commute that reminds you to stop for a latte on the way to work? Sound familiar?

Nielsen Catalina Solutions studied the power of audio’s recency and how it affects purchasing behavior. They found that brand share increased 9% when audiences heard ads one day prior to purchase while the same ads heard 28 days before purchasing increased brand share by 3.4%.

Whether it’s at home with our smart speaker, in our connected car on the way to work, or on-the-go through our headphones — sound will continue to play a significant role in our everyday lives. And as the screenless world evolves, brands will continue to grasp their audience’s emotions, create memorable experiences with them, and affect consumer behavior through audio’s expansive reach. Sounds like exciting stuff to me.

Do you have a favorite audio advertisement memory or story? Share it with us on twitter!