Spotify's Creative Lab Makes the Case for Audio Over Video
Spotify's Creative Lab argues that as video, audio and social formats converge, sound is the 'common denominator' that can tie a brand's presence together — a timely reminder that marketers are underinvesting in audio in a video-obsessed market.
The argument
Spotify's in-house Creative Lab, via executive Kay Hsu, has made a pointed case that audio deserves a bigger seat at the marketing table. As media formats converge and audiences move fluidly between video, audio and social, the argument goes, sound can act as 'the common denominator' — the connective tissue that carries a brand across contexts. Adweek reported the remarks on 17 September.
It is, of course, a self-interested argument from a platform that sells audio. But that does not make it wrong. The industry's fixation on video has left audio strategically underused, even as listening hours climb.
Why audio is underrated
Audio's superpower is that it works where attention is divided. People listen while commuting, cooking, exercising and working — moments when a screen cannot reach them. That makes audio one of the few channels that can add incremental reach rather than competing for the same eyeballs as everyone else's video.
Audio also travels well across the fragmented media landscape. A distinctive sonic identity — a mnemonic, a voice, a track — can appear in a podcast, a video ad and a social clip, giving a brand recognisable continuity even when the visual format changes. That is precisely the 'common denominator' Spotify is describing.
The discipline of sonic branding
Most brands still treat audio as an afterthought, slapping a voiceover onto a repurposed video script. The brands that win in audio build for the ear first: a consistent sonic logo, a recognisable voice, and creative designed to work without pictures. Distinctive audio assets are as valuable as visual ones, and far rarer.
There is a measurement dividend too. As attention becomes harder to buy and prove, channels that reach people in screen-free moments look increasingly attractive on both reach and efficiency — provided marketers invest in the craft rather than treating audio as leftover video.
What marketers should do
Audit your brand's audio assets. Do you have a sonic identity that is as consistent and recognisable as your logo? If not, you are leaving reach and memorability on the table. Building distinctive audio codes now is a cheap advantage while competitors remain fixated on video.
Our read is that the convergence Spotify describes is real, and it rewards brands that are format-fluid. Design your ideas so they can flex from screen to sound without losing their identity, and audio stops being a bolt-on and becomes a multiplier.
Quick FAQ
What is Spotify's Creative Lab arguing?
That as media formats converge, audio can be the 'common denominator' tying a brand's presence together across video, audio and social contexts, per remarks reported by Adweek on 17 September 2026.
Why is audio underrated?
Audio reaches people in screen-free moments — commuting, cooking, exercising — so it adds incremental reach rather than competing for the same attention as video.
How should brands invest in audio?
Build for the ear first with a consistent sonic identity, and design creative that works without visuals, treating distinctive audio assets as seriously as visual ones.
The industry's video obsession has left a channel wide open. Audio reaches people exactly where screens can't — commuting, cooking, working — so it adds reach instead of fighting for the same eyeballs. Brands that build a sonic identity as recognisable as their logo are buying a cheap advantage while everyone else pours everything into video. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
The takeaway: as formats converge, audio is the connective tissue most brands underuse — build a distinctive sonic identity that works without visuals and you gain incremental reach while competitors stay fixated on video.
Does your brand have a sonic identity as recognisable as its logo — or is audio still an afterthought bolted onto your video?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Adweek.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
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