By Paul Golliker, Founder and Co-CEO, Forever Audio
For years, audio was treated as a supporting channel in the media mix. That perception no longer reflects reality. Across streaming, podcasts and live radio, the data is aligning. The latest audio market results tell a clear story: growth, engagement and brand impact are moving in the same direction.
Spotify has reported continued growth in users and engagement, now reaching 751 million monthly active users, reinforcing streaming’s role as a daily habit. Acast reported 27% net sales growth in Q4, alongside 31% organic growth, signalling continued commercial momentum in podcasting. Meanwhile, the latest RAJAR figures once again underline the scale of commercial radio in the UK, with digital listening continuing to rise and more than 1 billion hours listened in an average week.
On top of that, World Radio Day landed with fresh research from the World Radio Alliance, which puts a spotlight on how audio is the answer to what many brands are trying to solve: genuine engagement and attention.
All together, it’s a really positive moment for audio.
Audio shows up in real life
One of the most powerful things about audio is how naturally it fits into people’s days. It becomes part of routine in a way that feels easy and welcome. That matters for brands, because those routines are where familiarity is built.
Listeners have favourite presenters, stations, playlists and podcast hosts. They come back regularly, and over time that creates trust and connection. When brands show up in those environments, audio can do something special. It can feel personal, not just present.
Attention that turns into memories
We talk a lot as an industry about attention, but the real magic happens when marketers gain attention with something memorable. The Radio: The Sound of Connection, Emotion and Attention report from the World Radio Alliance found that actively listened-to radio ads achieve around 78% brand recall. Even when radio is on during highly distracted moments, it still delivers around 30% recall.
That’s a powerful message for brands: audio is not only reaching people. It’s sticking with them.
Designing sound with purpose
As audio keeps growing across streaming, podcasts and live radio, the creative opportunity grows with it. But getting the best from audio means treating it as its own craft, not simply an extension of another channel.
The brands seeing the strongest impact are the ones making intentional choices about how they sound. They are building recognisable sonic assets, consistent voice and tone, and creative that feels right for each environment, whether that’s an audio spot on Spotify or a host-read podcast spot for example.
It’s shifting thinking from “let’s make an ad” to “let’s build an audio identity”. When you do that well, you don’t just get good campaign results, you build long-term brand memory.
Consistency through collaboration
What we’re seeing more and more is that brands and agencies want partners who can help them think strategically about audio, as well as creatively.
Audio moves quickly: formats evolve, platforms continue to innovate and audience behaviours shift. The brands that get it right tend to be the ones who keep their sound consistent while staying flexible in how they show up.
Across long-standing collaborations with audio platforms and 16 years working as a Spotify preferred partner, we have seen how valuable that continuity can be. The strongest work rarely comes from one-off executions. It comes from shared ambition and a long-term view of what the brand is trying to create through sound.
A genuinely exciting moment for brands
The latest results and research are telling a consistent story: audio is growing, it is engaging, and it is delivering real brand impact. For brand marketers, that opens up a clear opportunity to invest in sound not just as media, but as a brand-building tool.
What happens next will be shaped by how seriously brands think about sound.
