• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, May 30, 2018

Google’s programmatic audio ads are now available to all advertisers using its demand-side platform DoubleClick Bid Manager. The news, announced Wednesday, gives marketers global access to advertising inventory from Google Play Music, Spotify, SoundCloud and TuneIn, with Pandora coming soon.

The move offers marketers the opportunity to bring audio and digital campaigns together in one place, helping brands connect with listeners throughout the day. Google estimates that in 2018, about 1.2 billion people will use music-streaming services globally.

It's not clear, however, whether in the future the audio ads will become available through Google Home or other smart devices, but a Google spokesperson said there are no plans at this time. 

Zuzanna Gierlinska -- European head of programmatic at Spotify, which launched the ability to run programmatic ads in 2016 -- believes the launch makes it possible for Bid Manager customers to reach Spotify’s audience across video, display and audio formats.

In January, Google tested programmatic audio with about 30 advertisers.

The audio ads now arrive at a time when buyers are demanding tailored audio ads. Jean-Claude Homawoo, product manager at Google, in a blog post cites research from WideOrbit showing that 85% of U.S. radio buyers are interested in buying audio ads in real-time to reach their core consumers, and more than half believe that buying audio ads programmatically can streamline workflows. About 75% believe that buying audio ads programmatically provides the benefits of real-time optimization and reporting.

Some early adopters have seen success with programmatic audio ads, per Homawoo. MightyHive, for example, used Bid Manager to access audio ads on Google Play Music. This strategy enabled the company to find new audiences for a Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) client and deliver more than 7.5 million impressions and over 7,500 clicks across the mobile web, desktop and app. The campaign achieved ad completion rates of more than 95% and drove a click-through rate of 0.11%.