Why Audio Drives Higher Attention and Brand Recall
Marcos Malagris examines how audio formats and podcasts capture attention and outperform purely visual stimuli.
Speaking on Marketing - The Podcast, Marcos Malagris explains how audio captures attention and boosts brand recall compared to visual stimuli. Malagris breaks down effectiveness data and retention dynamics in podcast consumption.
Marcos Malagris, LATAM General Manager at System1, spoke with Bruno Gimenes on Marketing - The Podcast about the impact of audio and attention metrics in podcast consumption. The segment is part of the episode "O Dado Não Mente, Mas Também Não Decide Sozinho," which addresses data-driven decision-making and media effectiveness.
In the video above, the discussion details how audio formats fit seamlessly into audiences' daily routines during moments when screens and conventional visual media lose traction.
High attention and consumption metrics
When assessing the role of podcasts in media plans, Malagris notes that industry research points to audience retention rates higher than the digital average. "Yeah, the studies I always see on podcasts show just that—very high levels of attention," Malagris explains, highlighting that lower gross volume compared to mass media requires a qualitative evaluation of exposure time.
For Malagris, the key step toward the medium's maturity lies in how this exposure is priced and measured, aiming to understand the cost per second actually watched or listened to. He points out that major global media comparison studies still leave the format out, viewing it as a more niche channel, which limits the availability of direct cross-channel data between podcasts and broadcast television.
Audio versus visual stimuli in brand recall
Comparing the cognitive response generated by sound and image, Malagris cites data from the Creative Effectiveness Playbook, a study conducted by System1 with TikTok to evaluate creator-led content. According to the tests, brand memorability was higher when the name was spoken aloud compared to when it appeared solely on screen.
The reason lies in visual field overload. On cluttered screens, viewers may look away or blink, whereas spoken information continues to be processed. As Malagris puts it, "audio sometimes gets in where video can't," reaching listeners during daily activities such as driving or doing chores.
Association, memory, and the Listen Up study
As a hypothesis regarding the channel's effectiveness, Malagris links the staying power of sound to Pavlov's classic conditioning experiments. By pairing a neutral stimulus with a memory response, sound acts as a direct associative trigger that other senses struggle to replicate with the same speed.
This ability of audio to build consistent recall is one of the key areas explored in the Listen Up report, developed by System1 to map advertising effectiveness in radio. According to Malagris, deeper research into audio will help the industry gain a practical understanding of how different formats build mental availability without relying entirely on constant visual attention.