UK’s Absolute Radio set to launch tailored ads for online listeners

Absolute Radio, one of the UK’s three independent national radio stations, is set to launch tailored advert breaks for its online listeners.

As paidContent reports, Absolute Radio will deviate from the traditional radio ads that are broadcast across its DAB, FM and AM channels, opting for ‘one-to-one’ audio spots which will open the door to more personalized advertising streams.

For example, if listeners log in through to their Absolute Radio account using their Facebook credentials, the ad stream can take a user’s ‘active location’ into account. So in effect, a national radio station will be able to offer some of the benefits of a local station.

These ‘Smart Streamers’, as the station calls them, will also offer a higher quality audio feed at no extra cost, accompanied by a contextual listening experience that is tweaked for each listener.

In future, online listeners will also be able to control their exposure to advertising by building up loyalty credits through their listening habits, so in effect they will be able to listen to an extra song in place of an advert.

James Wigley, Absolute Radio’s Head of Digital Sales, told Radio Today:

“As you listen more and accumulate virtual points one of the rewards you could get is to choose a track from our database of songs which you could use to replace an ad for instance. That’s a benefit for the user because they’re getting more music, and a benefit for the advertiser in that they’re getting more stand-out.”

Absolute Radio was launched initially in 1993 as Virgin Radio, making the switch to its new moniker in 2008. This is one of the first radio broadcasters in the UK to offer premium targeted audio spot commercials in-stream.