Study shows positive impact of 3D audio advertising

Sky Sports and DAX have partnered with Neuro-Insight to measure the effects of 3D audio advertising on the brain. In March, Sky Sports ran a multimedia campaign to increase subscriptions to its Formula 1 channel, featuring 3D digital audio ads through DAX, the world’s largest digital audio advertising platform.

Neuro-Insight examined the brain reactions of 48 men to Sky Sports’ 3D audio ads and tested long-term memory encoding, emotional intensity and attention levels. In total, the neuroscience session involved measuring the brain reactions of 99 people, including 48 males aged 18-64.

The 3D audio ads increased long-term memory encoding by 36 per cent compared to stereo ads. This was the important neuroscience metric measured because it correlates with decision-making and purchase intent.

Participants’ emotional responses were 39 per cent stronger in reaction to 3D audio ads compared to stereo, while attention levels evoked by the Sky Sports ad were 15 per cent higher in 3D audio compared to stereo audio.

Ollie Deane, director of commercial digital at Global, the media and entertainment group which owns DAX, said: “The advertising industry has been experimenting with 3D audio for some time and we’ve had positive feedback on the highly immersive experience it creates. Until now, we hadn’t been able to fully understand listener’s reactions to 3D audio campaigns. This new study demonstrates the impact of 3D audio and with this insight, we expect to see more advertisers invest in 3D audio advertising.”

Bhavesh Patel, media investment controller at Sky, said: “For a campaign like F1 that lends itself to more visual branding, it has been pleasing to see the strides DAX have made in innovation to find new and creative ways to use the unique strength of sound and deliver immersive and engaging content via audio. The results of the test are pleasing and we look forward to experimenting with the format on future campaigns.”

Results from quantitative research conducted by Differentology in March 2018, revealed that after hearing the 3D version of the ad, 68 per cent of listeners would consider Sky F1, up from 23 per cent who heard the stereo version. 34 per cent of listeners recommended Sky F1, up from 9 per cent who heard the stereo version. 32 per cent of listeners posted about Sky F1, up from 8 per cent who heard the stereo version. And 17 per cent of listeners bought access to Sky, F1 up from 4 per cent who heard the stereo version.