AdTonos Launches YoursTruly Interactive Audio Advertising Platform
Audio advertising technology startup AdTonos celebrated the official launch of its YoursTruly platform for interactive audio ads by showcasing a futuristic music video for the platform’s namesake song Yours Truly, 2095 by Electric Light Orchestra. The official launch follows AdTonos’ successful pilot campaign of YoursTruly interactive ads for Audi played through commercial radio on smart speakers that offered prospective drivers information and the chance to book a test drive.
AdTonos Ads
YoursTruly embeds AI interactions into more traditional audio advertising, leveraging the existing voice assistant and making the ad a kind of temporary audio app. For instance, the Audi commercial pilot, which ran in the UK at the end of 2020, played common ads on commercial radio stations streaming through Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa-powered smart speakers. The difference is that they ended with the voice assistant asking listeners if they wanted to book a test drive. For those who said yes, the AI would determine the nearest Audi dealer to their location and begin the booking process.
“Voice skills are going to be like landing pages, every company will need them. That’s where we step in with interactive ads to drive traffic and customers through the whole journey,” AdTonos CEO Michal Marcinik told Voicebot in an interview. “Interactive advertising like [YoursTruly] is really going to be the next big thing. The ads can be on any smart speaker and give the listener a good experience.”
Audio Ad AI
Interactive audio ads have become increasingly popular since early test runs by XAPPMedia. Half of smart speaker owners who hear advertising through their device have a positive reaction to it, according to recent surveys. Pandora tried an interactive ad campaign, while Spotify has produced a few for Unilever brands and cosmetics firm Nars. The technology has also fueled Pizza Hut’s recent actionable audio ads, with more brands likely to want to incorporate the tech into their marketing plans in the near future.
AdTonos raised $2 million in a funding round earlier this year to further its ambitions. Marcinik said the company is in talks to roll out ads for companies in the U.S. and Germany, as well as more in the UK, though he couldn’t speak as to who the specific clients are yet. The timing is auspicious for new audio advertising ideas. This year is the centennial of the first radio ad ever, a 15-minute speech encouraging people to check out an apartment complex in Jackson Heights, Queens, and broadcast on New York’s WEAF (now WFAN). AdTonos’ interactive addition to advertising boosts engagement potential compared to the one-way standard, though any production would seem snappy compared to the progenitor of the form. That’s part of why the platform’s name and the music video are linked.
“It’s about storytelling. The video is all about love and tech in the year 2095. We see love, like technology requires our investment and commitment,” Marcinik said. “The boy rushes out to find the girl, to find the real connection. That’s what we want our technology to [provide] customers.”
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