• New audio-enhancing technology significantly uplifts, provides an emotional response, and can double ROI for advertisers.
  • Research highlights the need for updated measurement standards in audio advertising for platforms and brands.

London: February 14th, 2024 AdTonos, the leading independent digital audio advertising platform, today launched its bespoke ad-tech innovation Amplifier – an audio-enhancing technology born out of a world-first research project to redefine audibility and prove the impact of sound quality on emotional response.

Based on new findings from its Amplifier research project, AdTonos has created first-of-its-kind technology that enhances ad quality across the most popular devices and audio formats, transforming quality in real-time, generating outstanding experiences that grab listeners’ attention, and elevating brand recall. This dynamic enhancement can lead to as much as double the return on investment (ROI) for advertisers.

The research, which puts the vital measurement of audibility at its heart, created a groundbreaking benchmark in audio ad quality by analysing outdated definitions within the context of the explosion of new devices and environments in which an audio ad might now be consumed. By optimising sound frequencies to neutralise device-related technical limitations, Amplifier ensures clear and distinct audio ads, validated independently by MOAT/Oracle.

Michal Marcinik, CEO of AdTonos, said: “Audibility is the new viewability. With the explosion in the consumption of audio advertising, from podcasting to digital radio and in-game audio, the significance of audibility is growing in the eyes of buyers. Sound quality is essential for the impact and effectiveness of those messages. We have built Amplifier to revolutionise ad audio quality, creating engaging experiences across the devices and listening environments available today.

Michal Marcinik, added: “With the last meaningful study on definitions in audio advertising dating back to 2018, our bespoke research underscores an urgent need to establish updated comprehensive measurement standards for audibility  – to maximise return on investment for buyers and promote industry-wide awareness of this crucial metric.”

The studio-based research that informed the creation of Amplifier took the existing definitions from the IAB open framework and applied rigorous testing across the most popular audio devices on the market today through the lens of the most up-to-date guidance on metrics like volume and loudness. This led to proposing two updated specific conditions for Audible Ad Playout:

  • The ad must not be filtered or flagged as invalid traffic (IVT).
  • The player and the device’s volume settings, through which the ad is delivered, must result in the ad playing at a volume exceeding 10 dB for a minimum of 25% (any quartile) of the ad’s duration.

This redefined concept of audibility was then used to build the Amplifier audio-enhancing technology – which can dynamically enhance audio ads to meet the standards. Finally, in partnership with Neurensics, the technology was tested in a world-first scientific study using functional MRI scans to determine the impact of Amplifier enhanced audio vs non-enhanced audio. The results showed clearly that Amplifier-enhanced ad quality can shift emotional perception from negative to positive, significantly activating positive emotions in audio ads, leading to increased campaign effectiveness and improved ROI.

For further information and to view the report, please click here.