Showcasing how brands used audio to deliver business success
Below, we explore how brands have used audio to drive business success. Spark Foundry, IRS+, and Foe showcase The Tastiest Election in Ireland and how they created a cultural catalyst for Cadbury Snack by leveraging radio’s unique ability to sound both local and national. Zenith Media, in partnership with audioXi, explain how they produced 245,700 unique ads for McDelivery, redefining how brands can use audio to drive intent, loyalty, and real-world sales—especially when every moment counts.
Background
Unlike rivals, McDelivery’s Irish app doesn’t support direct ordering. This meant we couldn’t win customers at the checkout—we had to win them earlier. In an ultra-competitive, aggregator-led market, our presence on third-party apps put us side-by-side with competitors at the moment of decision.
To succeed,McDelivery needed to influence consumers before they made a decision, ensuring it was the first and only brand on their minds when opening a delivery app. The challenge: intercept that moment before it happened.
We aimed to:
1) Grow sales in a declining market
2) Increase Return on Marketing Spend
3) Improve brand recall and delivery perception
Insight
Research from Red C & IAB further confirmed that younger audiences are heavy digital audio users and that personalized messaging drives higher engagement in food-related categories.
McDelivery faced a unique challenge in Ireland, unlike other markets, its app doesn’t support ordering, meaning it had to win on third-party platforms. Over 9 in 10 adults know their order before they even open a delivery app. We had to influence intent before the platform screen loaded.
Creative Idea
Partnering with Bauer Media-owned audioXi, we set out to push the boundaries of digital audio at an unprecedented scale. Instead of traditional audio ads, we leveraged AI-powered dynamic audio through AMA to create hyper-relevant, real-time ads.
Our campaign used hundreds of data points, dynamically adjusting ads based on key triggers like weather, time of day, and location. Whether it was a rainy evening perfect for a McDelivery or a lunchtime craving cue, McDonald's was always front and center when consumers were most likely to order.
This became Ireland’s largest-ever dynamic audio campaign, redefining how brands use audio for engagement and conversion.
Strategy
McDelivery needed to win before the order screen, not on it. That required intercepting consumer intent at the most contextually relevant moment. Traditional static messaging lacked the precision and flexibility we needed.
We turned to digital audio, not just for reach, but for its ability to deliver personalisation at scale. Testing had already shown digital audio delivered strong ROI’s. More importantly, it allowed us to be present, personalised, and persuasive, without needing visual engagement.
The strategy was to combine McDonald’s menu data with real-time consumer context using AMA’s AI-powered dynamic audio engine. We developed a custom creative matrix that adapted messaging based on time of day, day of week, weather, and location.
Partnering with audioXi for scale (Ireland's largest audio network), and layering in regional nuance through localisation, this strategy enabled us to meet each listener with the right product, mood, and offer—precisely when they were most likely to act.
Execution & Channel / Title Mix
This was Ireland’s most ambitious dynamic audio build to date by some distance, with an incredible 245,700 ad variations stitched together in real time using AI.
Instead of repurposing traditional radio ads which are seen as "one size fits all", we built a context-aware system that dynamically adapted messaging in real time at an ambitious scale never seen in Ireland.
AMA’s dynamic engine pulled from a logic-based matrix covering:
- 7 days of the week
- 15 daypart-based food triggers
- 5 weather conditions
- 6 product lines
- 26 locations
- 3 delivery app messages
Each ad maintained a human, conversational tone, seamlessly integrating into the listening experience. To enhance localization, we used regional voices for larger counties Dublin, Galway, and Cork, making each message feel authentic and relevant, not verging into "salesy".
The campaign was delivered across the extensive audioXi network, delivering the necessary scale to drive real results. The audioXi network is made up of:
- 35 radio stations
- 106 music streaming platforms
- Over 1,300 podcast series
Every impression was personally tuned—this wasn’t ad frequency, it was auditory familiarity. With the right tech, logic, and creative nuance, we made one-to-one audio feel effortless at scale.
Results
The success of the McDelivery dynamic audio campaign was exceptional, delivering impressive business and brand metric results.
- McDelivery sales grew, outpacing competitors in a shrinking market.
- Market share increased, despite market contraction.
- The average cheque grew, showing consumers were committing to bigger orders
Econometric analysis revealed that Dynamic Activity had an above average ROI and a 45% improvement over McDelivery linear radio. Analytic Partners’ independent analysis found listeners exposed to the campaign were twice as likely to convert compared to those exposed to traditional audio ads.
In terms of media scale and engagement, the campaign delivered over 3 million impressions, reached over 1.3 million unique listeners, and achieved an impressive 92% listen-through rate (KPI: 80%).
This campaign didn’t just achieve short-term success; it proved dynamic audio is a game-changer for fast-food marketing, redefining the role of audio advertising in driving brand impact and real-world sales.
Turning Political Fatigue into a Nation’s Favourite Debate
In early 2024, political fatigue gripped Ireland. Newsfeeds buzzed with talk of snap elections, party manifestos, and endless polling. But while the nation’s appetite for politics waned, its appetite for joy was as strong as ever. Cadbury saw an opportunity to tap into this moment and ask a question no government dared to answer:
Which is better- Cadbury Snack Purple or Cadbury SnackYellow?
Thus, the Cadbury Snack Election was born: a playful, audio-first campaign that parodied a real election while putting two iconic biscuits on the national ballot. The result? A tongue-in-cheek cultural moment that captured the country’s imagination, powered by the intimacy and immediacy of radio.
Bringing Joy to the Airwaves
At the heart of the campaign was a simple, deliciously democratic idea: turn a heritage snack into the star of a national media moment. Partnering with IRS+ and its network of 15 local radio stations, we embedded ourselves in communities across Ireland to stage a three-week election spectacle- funny, friendly, and completely edible.
Listeners were invited to vote via text for their favourite: the rich chocolate coating of Snack Purple or the crumbly biscuit charm of Snack Yellow. Each vote counted. And each region crowned a winner live on air every Friday- celebrated by blasting the winning bar’s anthem, either “Purple Rain” or “Yellow” by Coldplay.
It wasn’t just a radio ad- it was a fully fledged show, complete with satirical party-political broadcasts, comic debates voiced by Irish comedians, and cheeky campaign commentary that varied by region.
The Strategy Behind the Smile
The campaign’s brilliance lay in its blend of national scale and local flavour. By using radio as both platform and stage, Cadbury turned passive listeners into passionate participants. We tapped into a universal truth- all politics is local, and so is taste.
Each station became a campaign HQ, with presenters getting involved, championing their favourite “candidate” and dialling into community banter. Friday voting moments became local events. Winners were rewarded with not just airtime and bragging rights, but also weekly vouchers, adding real-world value to the fun.
Even outside of broadcast hours, the campaign lived on via station-led social content, sharing debate clips, poll updates, and regional results-flooding timelines with laughs, engagement, and nostalgia.
Sound Results
The campaign exceeded all expectations:
And perhaps most importantly, it delivered a wave of public affection for a much-loved product- reminding audiences why Cadbury Snack holds such a special place in Irish culture.
Why It Worked
Radio gave Cadbury a unique platform to be both locally personal and nationally relevant. The medium’s warmth made it the perfect vehicle for unique Irish wit, participation and joy. And by inviting listeners into the fun, the campaign transformed a passive ad into an unforgettable experience.
In a world dominated by visual media, Cadbury Snack’s“ audio-first election” cut through by simply sounding different.
When the results were in, one thing was clear: joy won by a landslide.
Click on the button below to watch the webinar showcasing the award winning work.
