Take a look at this new piece in The Drum by Garrison Dua, VP of Demand, North America!

In 2024, US digital audio ad spend reached $7.12bn, a 6.8% increase from the year before, according to eMarketer. If digital audio isn’t part of your media strategy, you’re leaving opportunity on the table.

At AdsWizz, I’ve seen this transformation firsthand. With automation, AI, dynamic creative, and privacy-safe targeting, audio has become one of the most agile and measurable tools in a marketer’s toolkit.

The post Why Smart Marketers Are Doubling Down on Digital Audio appeared first on AdsWizz.

With all this innovation, where should advertisers focus, what trends are shaping digital audio, and how can brands make the most of it?

To answer these questions, I sat down with Garrison Dua, VP of Demand at AdsWizz, to explore how advancements in audio adtech are transforming the industry and what advertisers should expect in the near future. 

Programmatic Audio Delivers Scale, Efficiency, and Personalization

How has programmatic audio advertising evolved, and what role does AdsWizz play in this transformation?

Garrison: Programmatic audio has grown exponentially, enabling advertisers to scale and optimize campaigns in real time. By leveraging automation, dynamic ad insertion (DAI), and host-read ads, brands can reach audiences in more engaging and efficient ways.

 

Additionally, advancements in AI-driven targeting and real-time bidding have further empowered advertisers to fine-tune messaging and maximize ROI. With increased personalization and seamless cross-platform integration, programmatic audio has become a vital part of any digital strategy aimed at connecting with today’s audiences.

Contextual and Privacy-First Targeting Are Redefining Relevance

What trends in audience targeting are shaping the future of audio advertising?

Garrison: We’re seeing a major shift toward first-party data and contextual targeting. At AdsWizz, 60% of our targeting dimensions are contextual, allowing advertisers to reach listeners based on mood, location, and even weather. This kind of hyper-relevant messaging enhances engagement while maintaining consumer trust.

 

Advancements in AI-driven contextual analysis are refining targeting precision, ensuring ads are both relevant and timed for maximum impact. As third-party cookies disappear, brands are turning to these advanced methods to engage consumers in a more meaningful, compliant way.

 

As brands navigate this terrain, they’re rethinking not just who they reach, but how they say it and when it hits. Dynamic creative optimization (DCO) and Synthetic Voice are reshaping audio advertising, allowing real-time testing of variations in tone, length, and calls to action. Combined with real-time inventory data from custom DSP dashboards, this agile, data-driven approach accelerates testing, cuts costs, and confirms audio as a high-performing channel.

Anonymized Data and Predictive Audiences Enable Safe Personalization

With privacy regulations tightening, how is AdsWizz ensuring advertisers can still deliver personalized campaigns?

Garrison: Privacy is a top priority. AdsWizz enables brands to maintain personalization without compromising user trust by leveraging anonymized data and predictive audiences. Through partnerships with behavioral intelligence firms, anonymized data helps predict audience demographics and preferences while ensuring personal information is never collected.

 

Comscore Predictive Audiences technology uses AI-driven models to segment and engage users in a privacy-safe manner, replacing traditional identifiers with data-backed insights.

 

To future-proof audience targeting, AdsWizz integrates with UID2 and ID5, ensuring advertisers can continue reaching their audiences in a cookieless world. Additionally, data clean rooms are providing a secure way to analyze and activate insights while maintaining transparency and compliance with privacy regulations.

Omnichannel Audio Is Breaking the Screen Barrier

How is the integration of audio with video and social media changing the digital advertising landscape?

Garrison: The lines between audio, video, and social media are blurring. Podcasts are often consumed on video platforms, and we’re seeing brands lean into this shift. By combining interactive audio ads with dynamic video placements, advertisers can create truly omnichannel experiences. Tools like second-screen retargeting and AudioPixel help unify these touchpoints—driving measurable outcomes, maintaining user privacy, and delivering personalized engagement across every screen.

AI, Automation, and Open Ecosystems Are Leading the Way

What’s next for AdsWizz and the broader audio adtech industry in 2025 and beyond?

Garrison Dua: Automation and AI will continue to drive efficiency, making campaigns smarter and more responsive. Programmatic podcast advertising is set to explode, and open ecosystems will gain traction over walled gardens. At AdsWizz, we’re focused on helping advertisers and publishers stay ahead of these shifts with cutting-edge tools that maximize engagement, brand safety, and monetization opportunities.

The Future of Audio Advertising: Smarter, More Personalized, and Already Here

After talking with Garrison, it’s clear that audio advertising is entering a new era, driven by automation, personalization, and seamless omnichannel integration. Brands that embrace programmatic innovation and privacy-first solutions will be the ones capturing audience attention in the most meaningful ways. With AdsWizz leading the charge, the future of digital audio isn’t just promising; it is already here.

Want to Dive Deeper into the Future of Audio Adtech? 

• Ready to collaborate on your next campaign? Let’s connect!
• Want to dive deeper into audio adtech? Download The State of Audio Adtech Report 2025 for the latest insights and innovations shaping digital audio.

by Daniel Einhorn, Senior Manager, Content Marketing

The post How to Win in the New Era of Digital Audio Advertising appeared first on AdsWizz.

Check out this latest piece published in The Drum by Garrison Dua, VP of Demand, North America!

Digital audio is a powerful bridge, allowing brands to forge meaningful connections with consumers. Thanks to advances in streaming technology and the meteoric rise of podcasts, audio has transformed into an engaging medium that allows brands to connect with audiences more authentically and relevantly than ever before. Half of podcast listeners report engaging more deeply with a brand’s sound identity than with its visual presence, and 58% consider sound elements more memorable – underscoring audio’s unique ability to foster deeper, lasting engagement.

By embracing immersive, interactive, and personalized audio strategies, brands can shift from passive messaging to rich, two-way conversations that deeply resonate with listeners. This shift goes beyond embracing a new advertising channel – it’s about creating impactful experiences that leave lasting impressions and foster deeper consumer engagement. So, let’s discover how audio innovations are transforming digital marketing and how your brand can harness its full potential.

The post How Audio Innovation is Redefining Brand-Consumer Connections appeared first on AdsWizz.

Check out this latest piece published in Adweek by Garrison Dua, VP of Demand, North America!

In today’s fragmented media landscape, leveraging digital audio is not just table stakes—it’s a game-changer for advertisers trying to connect with diverse audiences. As Americans spend over four hours a day immersed in audio content—nearly 20% of their day—the rise of digital audio is impossible to ignore.

And with the world becoming increasingly diverse, forging authentic connections through this medium is more important than ever. This strategy not only broadens a brand’s reach but also deepens its impact on audiences often overlooked by mainstream media.

 

The post How Multicultural Targeting in Digital Audio Can Engage Diverse Audiences appeared first on AdsWizz.

Check out this latest piece published in The Drum by Garrison Dua, VP of Demand, North America!

The issue of privacy has become a decisive factor in a marketer’s campaign success. As consumers become increasingly aware of how their data is handled and global privacy regulations continuously evolve, one thing is clear: adopting privacy-first strategies is no longer optional—it's essential.

The post How Marketers Can Lead with Privacy-First Targeting in Digital Audio Advertising appeared first on AdsWizz.

Check out this latest piece published in The Drum by Garrison Dua, VP of Demand, North America!

As the Cannes Lions festival fades into the background, what better time is there to reflect on the trends in marketing and advertising that are driving consumer engagement?

One standout medium is audio advertising, which can enhance brand identity through immersive experiences by utilizing advanced tools. So, let's explore the current trends, technological advancements, and strategic approaches in audio advertising that are setting new standards in brand storytelling and consumer engagement.

The post Using Audio Advertising to Enhance Brand Engagement and Drive Consumer Connections appeared first on AdsWizz.

Check out this article by Garrison Dua, VP of Demand, North America.

The rise in audio consumption presents a significant opportunity for advertisers to reach audiences. Yet, conventional methods of audio advertising have often fallen short in terms of convenience and effectiveness, leaving a noticeable gap between the potential of audio media and the investment it attracts.

Enter programmatic audio: A transformative solution that not only simplifies the ad-buying process but also elevates audience engagement to position itself as a pivotal development in audio advertising.

 

The post How Programmatic Audio is Reshaping Digital Marketing appeared first on AdsWizz.

Check out this latest piece published in The Drum by Garrison Dua, VP of Demand, North America, and Daniel Einhorn, Senior Manager, Content Marketing.

Audio advertising is experiencing a renaissance thanks to its unique ability to forge a personal bond with listeners. Listeners actively engaging in this medium develop a stronger cognitive and emotional association that can lead to higher trust for brands. Brands can benefit significantly by focusing on contextual relevance to stand out in a fragmented digital landscape and build genuine connections with their audience.

The post Audio Advertising: How Brands Can Build Trust Through Emotional and Contextual Connection appeared first on AdsWizz.

By Garrison Dua, VP Demand, North America.

We all know screens dominate today's culture. You're even looking at one right now.

Watching television, scrolling through social media, and working on a laptop, are all inherent parts of everyday life. But screen time is becoming excessive. The average American spends over 7 hours per day looking at a screen.

On the other hand, audio provides a needed and welcomed escape through music, audiobooks, or podcasts. Podcasts' popularity has steadily grown over the past few years, with Statista reporting that there were 88 million monthly podcast listeners in the U.S. in 2019, and forecast to exceed 164 million by 2023.

Brand marketers, however, have been reluctant to evolve their marketing budgets to reflect the potential of audio advertising. Total podcasting ad spend is expected to hit over $2.5 billion by 2024, according to Statista. However, WARC gives a global estimate that podcast advertising is undervalued by $40 billion.

There are actionable, scalable, and accessible opportunities for marketers to utilize programmatic audio technology - from targeting parameters to how it effectively negates ad-blocker usage. But how can marketers use programmatic podcasting to maximize the channel's full potential?

 

The post How Brand Marketers Can Leverage Programmatic in Podcasting appeared first on AdsWizz.

By Garrison Dua, VP Demand, North America.

Digital audio consumption has steadily risen over the last 10 years. There were 7.9 million music subscribers in 2014; this figure eclipsed 82 million in 2021, according to Statista. Weekly digital audio listenership has increased by over 38 percent in the past decade, with an audience of 192 million, reported by Insider Intelligence. Advertisers have been quick to take note of this shift. Global digital audio ad spend is forecast to hit $6.78 billion in 2022 and rise to more than $10 billion by 2027, via Statista

Listeners demand relevant experiences, so to avoid alienating audiences, brands must ensure their ads seamlessly integrate alongside published content; this is where programmatic audio advertising shines.

What does programmatic audio advertising look like in practice, and how can marketers successfully leverage it?

 

The post Everything You Need to Know About Programmatic Audio appeared first on AdsWizz.