Storytelling ads resonate best for co-listeners, study

To uncover what marketers need to know about co-listening (the act of sharing digital audio experiences with one or more people), MAGNA’s Media Trails unit partnered with Spotify Advertising on new research: “The Togetherness Effect: Why Brands Should Be Paying Attention to Co-Listening.”

The Togetherness Effect found co-listening is a natural behavior for most people, with the majority of respondents (74%) saying they co-listen once a week or more often. Of those listeners: 86% are Gen Z, proving co-listening presents a real opportunity for brands looking to connect with hard-to-reach audiences.

The study also found co-listeners reported feeling happier (indexing at 307 above an average range of all emotions), more relaxed (285) and excited (173). Co-listeners also applied positive associations to the advertising they heard, with +12% pts. in search intent, +11% pts. in favorability and +8% pts. in purchase intent.

Kara Manatt, EVP, Intelligence Solutions, MAGNA, the investment and intelligence arm of IPG Mediabrands: “Our research finds that advertisers who reach co-listeners are sharing a moment with an audience that is more likely to be feeling good, having fun and dialed into the content, ads included. Co-listeners represent an untapped segment for advertisers to explore and an opportunity to maximize impact and build closer relationships with key audiences.”

How brands can engage co-listeners:

Focus on Storytelling: Storytelling ads performed better than product-focused ads, with respondents agreeing the test spot “caught my attention” (at 114/100), “was something I was open to” (108/100) and “improved perception of the brand” (107/100).

Device Matters: The study defined which connected devices are most favored by co-listeners. 79% of people on gaming consoles co-listen. For TV watchers, it’s 73%, smart speaker (62%), in-car speaker (58%), smartphone (52%) and laptop/desktop (50%).

Pick your Time Wisely: Co-listening has its prime dayparts, too. More people are co listening during lunch, their commute, and at night time, compared to solo listening.

The Top 5 Co-Listening Moments: Respondents shared what else they were doing while co-listening, topped by relaxing, and followed by hanging out with friends and cooking, entertaining kids and doing yoga.

Mood Matters: 19% of study participants listening to podcast content reported feeling excited, 13% said they were focused and 9% felt curious, surpassing music listeners for each of these mood descriptors. Podcast listeners also reported a 17% increase in search intent and were 10% more willing to learn more about the brand.

Good Vibrations: Study participants shared their feelings, stating co-listening: provided a “special bonding moment,” “puts us in a good mood to have fun” and was a “mood elevator.”

Jon Gibs, global director and principal data scientist, Spotify Advertising: “From Wrapped and Blend to sharing an Instagram story with a Spotify song soundtracking the photo, it is clear that listening is a social experience. Co-listening is the pinnacle of social listening but what does this mean for advertisers? Our data found that brands that looked beyond product-focused advertisements and leaned into creative storytelling in a co-listening environment saw a more powerful response from listeners. It’s actionable insights like these that help us arm advertisers to create more impactful creative that better reaches their target audiences.”

The Togetherness Effect: Why Brands Should Be Paying Attention to Co-Listening enlisted 1,357 digital audio listeners, divided into co-listener and solo listener profiles, who listened to 30 minutes of digital audio content, via smartphone, speaker or desktop/laptop. Participants heard advertising from two brands, T-Mobile and CVS Minute Clinic, featuring both product-based and story-focused executions, and answered a range of questions concerning their demographics, media-consumption habits and opinions on advertising.

The full report can be found here

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