“Hips don’t lie,” as the Shakira song tells us. That’s doubly true for the heart – which is why we, in a recent research study, turned to our partners at Alter Agents and Immersion. Their leading-edge technology uses smart watches to gauge the cardiac fluctuations of Audio listeners. After crunching the data, their algorithms show Immersion, or the attention and emotional connection, for Radio, streaming, and podcasting properties¹.  

The study reviewed the heart rates of consumers while they were listening in their homes to Audio ads in the retail, financial services, and QSR industries. 

The second-by-second analysis showed us not only which ads listeners liked the most, but which elements of that ad were most impactful at grabbing and holding our attention. 

Here are five quick creative tips gleaned from that data:

Ever swivel your head when you hear a whistle, horn, or someone randomly clapping? It’s the same for Audio creative. Beginning with a moving, meaningful, or surprising stimuli naturally grabs our attention. But this study found, depending on the way you weave the rest of the story, you may either hold or lose that attention. The Immersion data shows that better performances are the ones that grab attention, weave a story, and then grab attention again, ending on a high note.

When Audio ads mention the brand soon after start and repeat the brand’s name frequently, it activates the orienting response, a characteristic behavioral and psychological reaction to something that’s interesting.

It just makes sense and comes down to WIIFM — “What’s In It For Me?”. When your creative speaks to the benefit for consumers — like saving money — they will listen.

When analyzing creative from a national credit card, this study showed that Immersion increased with the use of the word “yes” as well as a mention of “no limit.”

The “Peak-End Rule” states that message endings are particularly important, as engagement during endings defines the quality of the experience. Grabbing attention at the start of a brand message and driving engagement back up at the end proves a successful formula for Immersion and memorability.

Ready to learn more? Insights into crafting winning Audio creative and selecting the right frequency for your Audio campaigns is all here in our latest research study: Audio Content Peaks: How Ad Frequency Drives Purchase.