Retail marketers are facing a highly competitive season where every budget decision needs to prove it can drive real sales. Digital audio stands out here because it captures attention at the right moments, helping brands spark conversions and build lasting shopper loyalty.

The Retail Rush Meets the Audio Advantage

This peak shopping period brings intense competition, and brands are prioritizing media that can influence shoppers closer to the moment of purchase. Retail media spend is climbing globally, and in the US, programmatic digital audio is expected to reach $2.26 billion in 2025. The reason is simple: During Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and year-end promotions, shoppers are flooded with messages on every screen. 

Today’s shoppers move fluidly from one screen to another and from one place to the next. Someone might scroll through gift ideas on a phone during a commute, compare prices on a laptop later in the evening, then stop by a store on the drive home. Digital audio reaches people in those in-between moments, when their hands might be busy but their attention is still open.

About 79% of Americans age 12 and up listen each month, with even higher numbers among younger listeners. And it works. Studies show that audio ads create strong recall and can influence brand choice, helping turn seasonal interest into actual purchases.

Audio Adtech Has Your Back

As more shoppers tune in through digital audio, the technology behind it has accelerated to meet the pace of retail. Modern audio adtech gives marketers the flexibility and automation they need during the busiest time of year.

With the right adtech in place, retail marketers can automate key processes and still deliver ads that feel timely and personal. Imagine promoting a new line of sweaters on a cold morning or reminding a shopper about curbside pickup when they are just minutes away from your store.

This kind of agility sets the stage for what comes next, moving from reactive campaigns to storytelling that adapts to every listener’s moment.

Personalization at Scale With Dynamic Creatives

Personalized audio advertising no longer has to be complicated. By leveraging Dynamic Creatives with Synthetic Voice technology, brands can now produce studio-quality audio spots in minutes. This tech uses data such as location, weather, time of day, device type, demographics, and listening context to create millions of unique ad variations in real time. A listener in Chicago on a rainy afternoon might hear something completely different from someone in Austin on a sunny morning.

By making personalization fast and scalable, dynamic audio helps brands move beyond one-size-fits-all messaging and connect with people in more meaningful ways.

Here is how marketers use it:

• Instant voice production: Generate natural-sounding voiceovers without studio time or voice talent.
• Flexible workflows: Preview, edit, and launch campaigns quickly through a self-service platform.
• Consistent branding: Maintain a unified brand voice across thousands of creative variations.
• Real-time personalization: Match each listener’s moment, mood, or location so every ad feels relevant.

Smarter Targeting That Reaches Every Listener

Personalization is powerful, and precision targeting takes it even further. As the retail season ramps up and consumers face endless messages, the real advantage lies in reaching the right people at exactly the right time with messages that feel natural and relevant.

Tools like contextual targeting make this possible by using non-personal, privacy-friendly signals like listening patterns and even music choice. This helps brands move beyond one-size-fits-all campaigns and deliver messages that feel timely, relatable, and personal.

Here are a few ways this can work:

• Location targeting: Reach listeners nearby. A shopper walking past a mall might hear an ad for a weekend sale close by.
• Weather targeting: Match creative to the forecast. A coffee brand can push hot drinks on a cold morning or iced options when the temperature climbs.
• Multicultural targeting: Reflect diverse audiences. Build connections with growth audiences using bilingual ads or cultural messaging that resonates.
• Contextual music targeting: Align ads with what people are listening to. A shopper streaming a holiday playlist or relaxing after work hears a message that fits the mood.

How Retailers Can Activate Audio Campaigns

For retailers, success during the shopping season depends on being present at the moments that influence buying decisions. Audio connects with listeners throughout their day in ways that feel natural and personal.

Here is how to make it work:

• Plan for key retail moments: Launch campaigns early to build awareness before major sale events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Use audio to stay top of mind while other channels compete for visual space.
• Keep creative fresh: Update messages based on timing, weather, or product trends. Highlight weekend deals, feature trending categories, and shift tone as the season evolves.
• Reach nearby shoppers: Use location data to deliver local promotions and combine it with multicultural and contextual targeting for greater relevance.
• Integrate across channels: Pair audio with display, social, or in-store messaging to strengthen recognition. Someone who hears a podcast ad is more likely to recall the product later while shopping.
• Measure and refine: Track engagement, conversions, and brand lift, then use insights to optimize creative and targeting in real time.

Boost Your Retail Season With Audio

Ready to enhance your retail marketing strategy? 

Contact AdsWizz to learn how our digital audio solutions can help you increase both in-store and online sales this season.

by Bianca Stanescu, Senior Director, Product Marketing

The post Driving Conversions with Audio Ads During Peak Retail Season appeared first on AdsWizz.

Audio advertising is revolutionizing how brands connect with audiences. In 2025, this vibrant space continues to inspire marketers to move beyond traditional strategies and embrace its disruptive potential. With digital audio advertising spending in North America projected to hit $8 billion by 2028, the medium’s rapid expansion and influence are undeniable.

This momentum was exemplified at CES 2025, where AdsWizz and SiriusXM Media took center stage, showcasing the transformative potential of digital audio. By unveiling cutting-edge features and sharing groundbreaking insights on multicultural targeting, we’ve set new standards in innovation, engaging brands and publishers eager to thrive in a competitive landscape.

Anne Frisbie on Shaping the Future of Digital Audio

AdsWizz’s Head of Global Business Development, Anne Frisbie, joined host, James Kotecki in the CES Studio to dive into what makes digital audio so impactful today and how AdsWizz is shaping its future.

Check out this video for the full interview

Showcasing AdsWizz Innovations

AdsWizz unveiled innovations in its suite that are revolutionizing digital audio advertising—empowering brands to connect with diverse audiences, optimize programmatic demand, and ensure brand safety. Let’s explore how this cutting-edge adtech is shaping the future!

The Power of Multicultural Targeting

We highlighted the incredible potential of reaching multicultural audiences. Why? Because the impact is undeniable, with $5.6 trillion in spending power in the U.S. ready to be unlocked. 

• 78% of Black podcast listeners are more likely to buy a product advertised on a culturally relevant show
• 45% of Asian American listeners prefer ads that reflect their identity
• 76% of Hispanic listeners feel pride and empowerment when they see positive Latino representation in media

Predictive Audiences, powered by Comscore, revolutionizes multicultural targeting by enabling advanced segmentation rooted in behavioral and cultural relevance. This cutting-edge solution empowers brands to deliver tailored messages that truly resonate with diverse communities. Using privacy-friendly contextual signals, Comscore Predictive Audiences helps brands seamlessly target audiences by focusing on the content where they over-index, rather than relying on traditional identifiers. 

Whether reaching Asian, Black/African American, or Hispanic audiences, this partnership provides future-proof podcast targeting with access to over 300 audience segments across categories such as TV viewership, shopping habits, gaming behavior, location-based insights, and more.

AudioMax: Manage All Programmatic Demand in One Platform

With AudioMax SSP, AdsWizz brings publishers and podcasters a seamless way to take control of their programmatic ad inventory. This cutting-edge, audio-native SSP connects to 80% of global demand sources, consolidating and optimizing deals across DSPs, agency trading desks, and ad exchanges.¹ 

Publishers can maximize efficiency with tools that streamline yield strategies, block unwanted categories, and apply advanced frequency capping to improve the listener experience. Plus, the ability to preview multi-format ad creatives before approval ensures every campaign meets the highest standards. With AudioMax SSP, managing programmatic demand is not a challenge, but an opportunity for growth.

AudioMatic: Plan, Buy, Measure, and Optimize

AdsWizz’s AudioMatic DSP is not just a tool—it’s the ultimate partner for executing effective audio campaigns. Designed for agencies and brands, AudioMatic provides a single platform to plan, buy, measure, and optimize campaigns. From targeting audiences by behavior, language, and genre to leveraging predictive inventory forecasting, AudioMatic DSP ensures advertisers can connect with listeners in the most meaningful way. 

The platform simplifies access to premium inventory, making it easier than ever to deliver high-performing campaigns that align with advertiser goals. AudioMatic DSP takes the guesswork out of digital audio advertising, so advertisers can focus on reaching and engaging audiences.

Brand Safety: Protecting Reputations, One Ad at a Time

At AdsWizz, we understand that where ads appear is just as important as the message they convey. That’s why we also underscored our brand safety tools designed to protect brands from being associated with harmful or misaligned content, safeguarding their integrity and reputation.

Our advanced features allow advertisers to block specific audience categories, publishers, IAB content segments, or topics, ensuring precise alignment with their values and target audiences. With AI transcription technology, advertisers gain deep insights into podcast content, while Invalid Traffic Filtering (IVT), powered by our partnership with HUMAN Security, ensures campaigns reach real people—not bots.

Looking Ahead

At CES 2025, AdsWizz reaffirmed our commitment to shaping the future of digital audio advertising. Through groundbreaking innovations in multicultural targeting, programmatic solutions, and brand safety, we’re empowering brands and publishers to connect with audiences like never before.

• Ready to amplify your audio strategy? Contact us today to discover how our platforms can elevate your campaigns!
• Also take a look at this recap of CES 2025, shared from the perspective of our sister company, SiriusXM Media!
• That’s not it! Check out some cool pics from the SiriusXM experience at CES 2025 below!

¹AdsWizz Internal Data as of March 2024.

The post AdsWizz at CES 2025 Recap appeared first on AdsWizz.

What Is Multicultural Targeting in Digital Audio?

Multicultural targeting is an advertising tool and a bridge to authentic relationships with diverse audiences. It enables advertisers to go beyond traditional demographics, using custom audience segments to deliver messages that reflect the culture, passions, and identity of their listeners.

Here’s how it works:

• Custom campaigns: Tailor messages by leveraging data on music genres, content language, and behavioral patterns.
• Trusted networks: Access one of the most diverse networks of premium publishers, ensuring messages reach the right audiences in spaces they trust.
• Predictive personas: Target specific segments, such as “Black/African-American” or “Hispanic,” to refine campaigns and improve relevance.

Why Multicultural Audiences Matter for Advertisers

In today’s diverse media landscape, advertisers have a unique opportunity to connect with multicultural audiences. Studies reveal that 78% of Black podcast listeners are more likely to purchase products advertised on podcasts hosted by Black creators, while 76% of Hispanic listeners feel pride and empowerment from positive media representation. Additionally, 45% of Asian listeners favor brands that feature culturally relevant ads, highlighting the importance of authentic messages in reaching these influential groups.

How AdsWizz Connects Brands with Diverse Audiences

AdsWizz combines advanced targeting capabilities with deep audience insights, allowing advertisers to deliver campaigns that truly connect.

Here’s how:

• Music genres: Target audiences based on their favorite genres, such as hip-hop, pop, or Latin music.
• Content language: Create ads in English, Spanish, or bilingual formats to connect authentically.
• Behavioral data: Align campaigns with passions like sports, cooking, or beauty.
• Predictive personas: Use predefined personas for precise targeting, ensuring relevance.
• Geo-targeting: Optimize reach with census-based data or focus on key urban centers

Top Publishers for Multicultural Campaigns

AdsWizz has formed partnerships with a diverse range of premium publishers, enabling advertisers to connect with audiences in trusted and culturally relevant spaces. From community-focused podcasts to global music platforms, advertisers can leverage powerful tools to amplify their messages across high-impact channels. Notable partners include the Spanish Broadcasting System, Entravision, TelevisaUnivision, SoundCloud, and Audiomack, ensuring a broad and effective reach for brand campaigns.

The Benefits of Multicultural Targeting in Programmatic Audio Ads

Multicultural targeting offers measurable advantages that go beyond impressions:

• Cultural relevance: Show audiences they are understood and celebrated with ads tailored to their identity.
• Enhanced engagement: Ads that feel personal inspire action and loyalty.
• Premium inventory: Access diverse publishers to ensure messages reach the ideal audience.
• Reduced waste: Make impressions count and protect your ad spend with precise targeting.

Why Multicultural Targeting is a Must-Do (Not a Nice-to-Have)

Today’s audiences expect more than generic advertising—they seek authenticity, cultural relevance, and meaningful connections. With AdsWizz’s multicultural targeting, brands can craft campaigns that celebrate diversity, embrace culture, and amplify voices. 

• Ready to elevate your campaigns? Download our Advanced Targeting in Digital Audio Advertising eBook today and discover how to create ads that truly resonate, making every impression count.
• Looking to connect with us directly? Reach out today!

by Eric Loughridge, Associate Director, Global Marketing

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