Ad Infinitum: Talks Value Prop - Goodbye Apps, Hello Super Apps

This week on the Media Roundtable: Industry Edition, we’re talking “Super Apps,” audiences vs. profit, and of course, ads that may or may not be ruining our listening experience.

Fresh from his latest episode of Ad Infinitum is our host, Oxford Road’s Stew Redwine, joined by fellow Oxford Road luminaries boosters Kristen Duenas, Neal Lucey, and Spencer Semonson. And joining us again with his finger on the pulse (eardrum?) of the audio world is James Cridland (Podnews, Podcast Business Journal).

“The baked-in works. Crazy to say, but it works better than anything else–for a reason.”

• Spencer Semonson, Oxford Road Media Buyer

Sounds Important 👂– To all the current and aspiring Chief Audio Officers, help your brands and lead the charge in developing your sonic toolkit. Learn from the best companies in the world on what they’re doing right to show up sonically.

Brand Ambition 🔥– You want to make a super app; you gotta kill some birds. Twitter is now X–is it the birth of a new WeChat, or is this a brand equity bonfire that no phoenix will rise from?

Audiences ≠ profit 🧐– Spotify grows its audience by double-digit percentages, up to 551 Million MAUs–but Wall Street is unimpressed because Spotify lost $272MM in the quarter. Getting the audience is the first Everest. Getting them to stay while monetizing them effectively is the second.

Get with the Programmatic? 🤨– The most common audio ad elements in a large Veritronic/ACAST study? Thirty seconds, single female speaker, no music. But when programmatic ads sound similar, what should brands do to stand out? Maybe avoid it altogether. We know programmatic isn’t going anywhere, but baked-in reads offer a unique sound that respects the audience, fits the content, and boasts better performance.

Short on time? A recap of each topic is shared below, but for industry insights, you won’t get anywhere else, listen to the full episode by clicking the link below.