NEW YORK: Brands seeking to generate “long clicks” with their digital-audio advertising should consider factors such as storytelling, solo voiceovers and using music, according to research from Pandora, the streaming platform.

Lizzie Widhelm, SVP/Ad Product Sales & Strategy at Pandora, discussed this subject at the 2017 Strategy Festival held by the 4A’s (American Association of Advertising Agencies).

One study she referenced sought to determine the creative-advertising elements that prompted Pandora’s users to respond with “long clicks” – a form of engagement with resonance for many brands.

“When I say ‘long clicks’, I mean not just the initial click, but time spent on a landing page, time spent within the advertiser’s environment – and are there attributes of creative that, if that’s your measurement strategy, you can set yourself up for success?” she said. (For more details, read WARC’s in-depth report: Digital-audio advertising tips from Pandora.)

To identify the long-click drivers, Pandora analyzed 7,000 ads that ran in May and June this year. And the findings highlighted the importance of various factors.

“For a high-quality ad that’s optimized for that type of engagement, you want storytelling – so the ‘theatre of the mind’; getting the listener to be an active participant in thinking about what that vision was,” Widhelm said.

The form of voiceover also made a significant difference, according to Widhelm. A “clear, solo voice” was most impactful of the options tested, as it aided clarity and minimized confusion on the part of the listener.

Unsurprisingly for a platform where music is a major draw for users, this feature of ads was found to leave a meaningful impression, as well.

“In our top [advertising] performers, music was a consistent variable that helped the performance of creative. Within this environment, it’s probably not a shock,” said Widhelm.

Ads that performed poorly, by contrast, incorporated “too much explaining; too much [of a] fast-paced rhythm; too many sound effects,” she reported.

Sourced from WARC