Rules of Engagement #5: Crank up the volume

In an always-on world, attention is an increasingly valuable commodity. And when consumers are used to subtitled content on social media and auto-muted video, creating an engaging campaign can be difficult.

Audio is, after all, a key part of creating a brand experience – whether it comes via a powerful score, a catchy jingle or a recognisable voiceover – and although it’s possible to succeed without it, it’s far from ideal. This is borne out by the data: users who see and hear ads experience higher Brand Awareness, Ad Recall and Consideration than those who only see or only hear ads.¹

Music, in particular, can draw attention, stir emotion, and connect with audiences that might be unreachable across a language barrier. Audio can act as a sonic trigger – or ‘mnemonic’, to use the technical term – keeping a key phrase or message in viewers’ minds for months or years after seeing an ad. And with a surprising choice of music, or an unusual pairing of audio and visuals, an ad can create a cultural moment in its own right (think the Cadbury’s gorilla belting out the drums to Phil Collins).

YouTube viewers are primed for audio – because they’ve arrived wanting to watch video, they’re more likely to be listening. They’re also more likely to be watching. In fact, 95% of YouTube ads are audible,² and the same number are viewable,³ compared to just 66% across the rest of the web and apps.⁴

This translates into far greater levels of attention and engagement: according to a study by GfK, 83% of YouTube viewers describe themselves as ‘fully/mostly’ paying attention compared with 58% across other social platforms.⁵ So if you’re creating an audio-visual experience that demands attention, YouTube is the best platform to ensure consumers see it the way it was made to be seen.