Editorial
Research Report
The 2026 State of CX Outsourcing
The Gist
- Audio is miscast as brand-only theater. Too often treated as “unmeasurable awareness,” audio advertising sits outside CX strategy — creating disconnects that erode relevance and continuity.
- Programmatic audio unlocks journey-level precision. Integrated with CDPs and first-party data, audio can reinforce mid-funnel intent, reduce message fatigue and align with real-time customer context.
- CX teams must close the attribution loop. Moving beyond last-click metrics toward multi-touch attribution and lifetime value reveals audio’s measurable impact on loyalty, recall and long-term growth.
For so long, audio advertising has been the "cool kid" in the marketing toolbox—dynamic, engaging and fun at parties (read: brand awareness campaigns). However, when the music stops, and the hard data for customer experience (CX) rolls in, audio messaging gets relegated to a secondary role.
There's a disconnect in many businesses. The marketing department thinks of audio as a megaphone, a tool for storytelling in the earlier stage of the customer acquisition funnel, and CX teams are off designing complex, data-led customer journeys. The reality is, leaving audio advertising as a disconnected brand play simply ignores the one thing that makes CX so successful in the modern era: relevance.
The solution is to rethink the value of audio in the martech stack and align it with the entire CX. Here's where marketers are falling short and where the CX-first approach will transform audio into a performance powerhouse.
Table of Contents
- The Misconception: Audio Is Unmeasurable Brand Magic
- The Misconception: Audio Is Only for the Top of the Funnel
- The Misconception: Audio Is a Standalone Channel
- The Data Gap: Closing the Loop
- Conclusion: Turning Up the Volume on CX
The Misconception: Audio Is Unmeasurable Brand Magic
Perhaps the most pervasive myth is the idea that audio ads are a "black box." Since you can't click on a podcast ad from the car or a digital radio ad from the kitchen, the myth is that the end of the audio ad means the trail goes cold.
This creates a "spray and pray" strategy that's very frustrating for CX teams who are attempting to have a constant and personalized dialogue with the consumer. When a customer has made a recent purchase and is then bombarded with a general introductory offer ad on Spotify, the CX is broken.
The CX Fix: Programmatic Precision and Attribution
Martech enables us to now apply the same level of surgical precision to audio that we apply to display or search ads. By incorporating audio into a customer data platform like Segment or Tealium, we can make sure the message carries the context of the consumer's current engagement with the journey.
Self-service platforms like AudioGo have made it easier for brands to implement programmatic audio advertising within a broader digital ecosystem at much lower cost. With such tools, brands can move beyond demographic targeting toward real-time behavior or interests.
"Audio should be a core part of any modern marketing plan," said Chris Bolte, VP of SiriusXM Media Self Service at AudioGo. "It drives awareness at the top of the funnel and supports performance across lower-funnel channels by reinforcing messages customers already see in search, social, and on the site."
Tools like these help bridge the gap between campaign intent and execution by giving CX and marketing teams control over ad targeting, pacing and frequency without adding operational complexity. It's easy to use, programmatic model allows teams to activate audio using first-party data, geographic context and behavioral data, rather than relying on broad audience proxies. This allows teams to test, optimize, and align their audio campaigns with downstream CX goals, such as reducing message fatigue and increasing relevance across all touchpoints.
The Misconception: Audio Is Only for the Top of the Funnel
Marketers can easily find themselves stuck in the "awareness only" mentality. They rely on audio to shout a brand name from the rooftops, trying to get it to "stick." However, CX professionals know that the middle of the sales funnel, the consideration and intent phases, is where customers can be won or lost.
When audio is disconnected from CX, it misses out on the opportunity to add value. It becomes simply background noise.
The CX Fix: Contextual Relevance and the 'Mid-Funnel' Listen
Audio is particularly well-suited to mid-funnel engagement because it fills "screenless" moments. A CX strategy with audio will address customer questions or issues raised in prior interactions.
Picture a customer who has been browsing a certain category of enterprise software. They receive a 30-second "audio tip" or a case-study teaser rather than a generic brand ad. This is an extension of a helpful customer experience. It's not just a marketing campaign.
Related Article: 6 Marketing Technology Trends to Watch in 2026
The Misconception: Audio Is a Standalone Channel
One of the biggest errors is treating audio as an island. In many martech stacks, the audio budget is managed by a separate agency or a specialized team, whose database doesn't include CRM or the web analytics dashboard.
This creates a "broken record" effect, as customers hear one thing and see something else on the screen.
The CX Fix: Omni-channel Synchronization
Customer experience teams are experts at the omnichannel view. They grasp that customer experience is a series of interwoven loops. To repair the audio advertising experience, it must be synchronized with more visual and interactive channels.
When a user listens to an ad for a new offering, the next time they visit the site, that offer must be prominently displayed. This needs a martech infrastructure that incorporates audio triggers within the automated process.
Audio Advertising: Misconceptions vs. CX-First Execution
A breakdown of where marketers misapply audio — and how CX-driven martech integration turns it into a measurable performance channel.
| Common Misconception | What Breaks in the Customer Experience | The CX-First Fix | Martech Enablers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio is unmeasurable “brand magic” | Spray-and-pray messaging, poor attribution and irrelevant ads (e.g., intro offers shown to recent buyers) disrupt journey continuity and erode trust. | Apply programmatic precision and multi-touch attribution. Treat audio like search or display — context-aware, data-driven and measurable. | CDP integration (Segment, Tealium), first-party data activation, household/IP matching, promo codes, lift studies, AudioGo self-service platform. |
| Audio is only for top-of-funnel awareness | Mid-funnel consideration moments go unsupported. Audio becomes background noise instead of helpful reinforcement during intent phases. | Use contextual, mid-funnel messaging that responds to prior behavior — turning screenless moments into relevant touchpoints. | Behavioral targeting, real-time journey data, case-study teasers, dynamic creative aligned to browsing or product interest signals. |
| Audio is a standalone channel | Disconnected messaging creates a “broken record” effect — customers hear one offer and see another, undermining omni-channel consistency. | Synchronize audio with web, CRM, search and social touchpoints. Ensure offers and messaging persist across channels. | Omni-channel orchestration platforms, automated journey triggers, CRM and analytics integration, frequency and pacing controls. |
The Data Gap: Closing the Loop
The final barrier for the marketers is attribution. They abandon audio because they can't see the "last-click" conversion. CX teams are more concerned about customer lifetime value (CLV) and multi-touch attribution.
By promoting vanity URLs, promo codes or—more effectively—household IP matching and lifts, CX teams can show that audio listeners retain higher levels of loyalty and LTV compared to those captured by intrusive pop-ups.
A study conducted by Dentsu found that audio ads elicit greater attention and brand recall than video ads because audio is perceived as less intrusive.
Audio offers marketers a direct path to engage and influence consumers wherever they listen through its unique ability to entertain, inform and deliver the content, music and companionship that keep people connected to their communities and the world.
"With its massive reach, trusted influencers and these new insights, which further validate audio's effectiveness, marketers have all the evidence they need to understand why a true multi-platform audio strategy is so critical to their efforts," Brian Kaminsky, chief data officer for iHeartMedia, said in the Dentsu report.
When CX teams make a case for audio ads, it's not simply a call to increase ad spend but to upgrade the quality of interaction and treat the user's time and attention with the utmost respect.
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Conclusion: Turning Up the Volume on CX
The future of marketing isn't about shouting louder, but about listening better. Executing audio advertising through the lens of customer experience becomes a powerful way to build intimacy and trust with customers.
The industry should move away from treating audio as a digital reinvention of a 1950s radio spot. Looking ahead, using programmatic platforms and focusing on customer experience, incorporating audio into a customer experience strategy can help a brand be heard and not just noise in a consumer's ear.
It's high time for CX teams to take ownership of audio. After all, great customer experiences aren't just seen. They're heard.
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