Triton digital announced today that it will represent XAPP Ads on Slacker Radio, adding a new business dimension to Triton’s repping of Slacker’s audio inventory. XAPP Ads are voice-activated audio commercials created by XAPPmedia. The technology was launched in March, 2014. It allows listeners to respond to advertisement with literal calls to action such as “Send me email” or “Download the app.” The ads prompt listeners with commands like those.
Triton has worked with XAPP in the past, representing XAPP ads in the jacapps mobile apps used by radio stations. Slacker has also done business with XAPPmedia, using the voice-activation technology in allowing users to navigate music selection through voice commands.
The founding argument for XAPP Ads is that mobile listeners are not necessarily (or usually) looking at their screens, so engaging with an audio ad is difficult if it requires touch. “When you are walking, driving, or your mobile device is simply in a pocket or purse, touch engagement is inconvenient and often unsafe,” noted Paul Burden, SVP of Sales and Advertiser Relations at XAPPmedia. “Voice interaction is easy and fast for users and has the added benefit of improving conversion rates for advertisers.”
Better engagement is a key selling point of XAPP Ads, supported by Robert Wilde, VP of Analytics & Monetization at Slacker Radio: “The implementation of this technology to enable voice interaction with advertisements provides an easy way for listeners to act on ads that are relevant and interesting to them, which our leading advertising partners are already taking advantage of. A recent campaign run by a national casual restaurant chain saw this increased interaction first-hand, when their recent campaign garnered a response rate of 1.53%, which is an impressive lift of greater than 3X the typical industry standard of less than half-a-percent.”
Mike Reznick, EVP, Advertising Revenue at Triton Digital, sees today’s announcement as building on Slacker’s eagerness to innovate. “One of the reasons we chose to partner with Slacker Radio six years ago was its commitment to innovation and to growing the digital audio marketplace. “Incorporating XAPP interactive audio ads into its inventory shows Slacker’s continued dedication to those goals.”