19. AUDIOMOB

Founders: Christian Facey and Wilfrid Obeng
Founded: 2019
Website: audiomob.com

Everyone and their mother knows the pain of being immersed in an article, game or video only to be unceremoniously interrupted by a vicious ad. It’s annoying, disruptive, and ruins the flow of an otherwise entertaining piece of content.

Well, what if that didn’t have to be the case? This is the question Chrisian Facey and Wilfrid Obeng seek out on a journey to answer. And answer they did, in the form of AudioMob, the company they founded together to bring a more seamless experience when it came to ads in gaming.

Through AudioMob’s approach, there’s minimal interruption on the consumer side, but profit remains as potential sponsors still get their message across.

AudioMob began off the back of a Christmas party meeting between the two cofounders. A friendship soon formed through a shared love of hip hop and jazz music, game design and advertising. They lamented that current ad formats – with video ads constantly interrupting gameplay, it reduces game retention and creates frustration for players. Above all, this meant the adverts weren’t as effective as they could be – because who wants to start out a customer journey with irritation? 

Through AudioMob’s approach, there’s minimal interruption on the consumer side, but profit remains as potential sponsors still get their message across.

They also noticed that newer or indie game developers were struggling to find any other ways to monetise their games.

AudioMob solves a 3-in-1 problem with the approach of audio ads that integrate into a game seamlessly. The in-game audio ad format allows advertisers to begin long-term relationships with millions of gamers worldwide; it gives developers an easier way to monetise their games, and gamers get a non-intrusive mobile gaming experience.

The approach is innovative, exciting, and it appears to be working well. Clients report up to a 2,000% increase in engagement, compared to banner ads. 

One prime example of the system in action was when the AudioMob team were approached by the University Of West England in Bristol, who wanted to reach students and potential undergraduates. AudioMob’s in-game audio solution provided an opportunity to cut through, letting the university engage a relevant target audience in a completely new way.

AudioMob is innovating in the mobile audio space, creating new standards while also listening to customers. Its aim is to build simple, intuitive products that help customers meet their goals, so we can definitely see a lot of potential for this company and its growth in the future.

The approach is innovative, exciting, and it appears to be working well. Clients report up to a 2,000% increase in engagement, compared to banner ads.

The business has scaled its team from nine employees at the start of 2022, to more than 35 by the end of the year, and has plans to grow to over 100 employees in the near future. The founders have made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, too.

AudioMob’s plans for the future include expanding its business to the United States. It’s already making inroads in the European, Asian and Middle Eastern markets (with the business making strides into Abu Dhabi as just one example).

This is an exciting startup we’ll be keeping our eyes on, and we’re looking forward to seeing what comes next from the AudioMob team.