Low awareness usually indicates a sales or marketing issue, depending on what exactly it is that has low awareness. However, in the case of why local advertisers aren’t buying more digital audio, low awareness is due more to an execution issue rather than sales or marketing.

A panel discussion on innovation in audio was organised by the IAB last September as part of their Audio Week. Adam Pattison, UK Country Manager for Targetspot, gives us his thoughts and conclusions.

Audio-based media has grown tremendously over the past decade as content and technology – streaming, podcasting, smartphones, smart speakers, etc. – have created renewed interest in the power of sound.  Yet, audio still gets a disproportionately low percentage of ad spend compared to usage.

Podcasts have become something of a cultural touchstone and a new subject to bring up at the “water-cooler” alongside weekend activities and the latest episode of your favorite TV show.  Titles like Serial, This American Life, and the Joe Rogan Experience have catapulted the medium into the mainstream, and new and exciting creators continue to delight listeners with each episode.