Audio ad testing
Hear how your audio ad lands
Play your radio, podcast or streaming spot to the people you want to reach, then ask what they remember. With no picture to lean on, the brand name, the voice and the music have to do all the work.
Podcast ad · 30 seconds
Heard once, as on air
Answering out loud
"The mattress one. He said he sleeps on it himself."
Why test the spot
No logo on screen to help
In an audio ad the brand only exists if someone says it, sings it or plays a sound people already know. Listeners are often driving, cooking or at the gym. A test shows whether the brand name gets through and whether the message survives a single listen.
What can go on the bench
Spot by spot
Five measures for each spot
Each row is one measure, named the way the report names it.
Base: Two groups of US adults who listen to podcasts; each heard one ad, once.
Shares of listeners. Feeling is the share who picked a happy or excited face.
Heard once
Watch a spot play once, as on air
- 01The spot plays once
- 02What came through?
- 03Recall builds up, spot by spot
- 04The version to air
Step 1 / 4
The spot plays once
Listeners hear the ad inside the survey, once, as they would on air, before any questions appear.
Study set-up
Audio ad testing
- StimulusTwo podcast ads: one read by a show host, one produced with music and a voice actor
- WhoUS adults who listen to podcasts
- DesignTwo groups; each hears one ad
- ListeningOnce, as on air, before any questions
- ThenBrand, offer, feeling, and answers out loud
Set up with our team, or yourself in CatalyseAI
Step 2 / 4
What came through?
Which brand was it for, what was it saying, and did the voice and the music suit the brand? People can answer out loud.
Question 1 of 9
Which company was the ad for?
How well did the voice suit the brand?
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Not at allVery well
"The host sounded like he actually uses it."
"Nice music, but I missed the name."
"Thirty nights free, I remember that."
Voice answer
AI follow-up: What made you remember it?
"The host said he sleeps on it himself, and he said the name twice."
- Length
- Words
- Topic relevance 0.82
Transcribed, checked and searchable. Up to three follow-ups per answer.
Step 3 / 4
Recall builds up, spot by spot
Who named the company and who caught the offer, for each version. Set against the script, it shows where the name was said and whether it landed.
Live tally, as answers arrive
Host readThe name, said twice by the host0:30
- Named the company58%
- Remembered the offer47%
Produced spotThe name, said once, under the music0:30
- Named the company46%
- Remembered the offer39%
Step 4 / 4
The version to air
The voice answers explain the numbers: why one version is linked to the brand more often.
Four steps
How an audio ad test works
From the spot to the version that airs.
- 01
Send the spot
A finished radio ad, a podcast read or a streaming spot. A scratch recording is enough to choose between two scripts.
- 02
Play it once
Listeners hear the ad inside the survey, once, as they would on air, before any questions appear.
- 03
Ask what came through
Which brand was it for, what was it saying, how did it make you feel, and did the voice and the music suit the brand?
- 04
Let them answer out loud
People can reply by voice. Answers are transcribed, and an AI interviewer can ask up to three follow-up questions.
On air
Example: host read or produced spot?
A mattress company has two podcast ads: one read by a show host, one produced with music and a voice actor. Two groups of US adults who listen to podcasts each hear one ad. The test shows which version people link to the company more often and which offer they remember, and the voice answers explain why.
Host read
Air it
Linked to the company more often, 58% against 46%, and the offer is remembered.
Keep the name in twice.
Produced spot
Say the name sooner
Liked as much, but the name gets lost under the music.
Move the name to the first five seconds.
Ask the studyAnswers from your own data
Why was the host read linked to the brand more often?
In the voice answers, people say the host named the company twice and sounded like a real user. In the produced spot the name came once, under the music.
It checks its numbers against your data and draws the chart.
What you get
What you get
Output 01
Brand and message results
Who named the brand and which message they took away, for each spot you test.
Output 02
Spoken reactions, transcribed
Voice answers with transcripts, the words people used most, and themes across all answers.
Output 03
Listener groups compared
Results for up to five groups side by side, such as podcast listeners and radio listeners.
Output 04
Deck and data
A PowerPoint deck, an Excel workbook and CSV files.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Can listeners replay the ad?
You choose. In one-play mode the spot plays once, as it would on air, before the questions appear. Or leave the normal controls on.
Can I test a script before it is recorded?
A rough recording is enough to compare scripts. If there is no recording at all, test the written lines with message testing first.
Can people answer by voice?
Yes. Voice answers are recorded in the survey and transcribed, and the report shows the words and themes that come up most.
Related
Goes well with
Have a spot ready for air?
Tell us the format and who should hear it. We will suggest the set-up and the listeners to recruit.
Nearest office: Orlando, FL (corporate office)