Innovation in cars, smartphones, and other devices allows today’s consumer to be constantly online, bombarded with impressions. Advertisers must search for opportunities in this overcrowded connected media environment. Digital Audio’s unique ability to overcome these challenges makes it an important tool for today’s marketers, offering an effective messaging environment that provides digital delivering and targeting capabilities, innovative creative options, sophisticated buying, and reporting tools.The IAB, along with members of the Digital Audio Committee, pursue the goal of educating marketers and agencies about digital audio advertising opportunities, and discuss best practices and guidelines for reducing operational costs while driving sector growth. With the release of the IAB Digital Audio Buyer’s Guide, they aim to dive further into these points and answer questions that creatives, planners and buyers have about investment in digital audio advertising.The demand for Digital Audio is growing, driven by connected lives that increasingly rely on mobile devices. According to The Infinite Dial 2016 by Edison, 57% of Americans (12+) listen to online radio, and 21% listen to podcasts. Digital Audio creates outstanding opportunities for marketers to impact the right consumers with the right message at the right moment, improving campaign effectiveness, by delivering their messages when the consumer is listening but not looking at their device (while driving, exercising, working, walking, or cleaning their house).“In an always-on, always connected world, attention-based media solutions are required to capture peoples’ attention” says Doug Sterne, Pandora’s VP Audio Development and Strategy. “Digital audio is perfect for that, delivering impact even when screens are hidden, offering advertisers enormous options.”