Japan’s mobile app economy continues to grow at pace. In 2024, the country’s gaming market alone reached ¥2.39 trillion, with more than 54 million active users. Mobile apps now reach broad, multi-generational audiences and have become a core part of daily digital behaviour, offering advertisers scalable, high-attention environments well beyond traditional assumptions about age or usage.
As mobile usage increases, advertisers are rethinking how they connect with audiences inside apps without disrupting the experience. In-app audio has emerged as one of the most effective solutions. Audiomob, the global leader in non-intrusive audio advertising, is helping drive this shift across more than 690 apps worldwide, including in Japan through its partnership with Otonal.
To explore how audio is reshaping in-app advertising and what the opportunity looks like in Japan, Otonal’s Global Communications Lead, Jordan Kanazawa, spoke with Wilfrid Obeng, Co-Founder and CTO of Audiomob.
Why Audio Is Becoming Essential in Modern Advertising
Audio may be one of the oldest media formats, but its relevance has never been greater. Today’s audiences consume content across multiple devices while multitasking, whether commuting, exercising, working or managing family life. Audio fits naturally into these moments in a way few other formats can.
This behaviour closely mirrors how mobile apps are used. App sessions are often short, frequent and intent-driven, making interruptions especially noticeable. Unlike video or interstitial formats, audio allows brands to communicate without forcing users to stop what they are doing. Audiomob’s research and case studies consistently show strong recall and engagement, demonstrating that brands can achieve scale while maintaining a user-first experience.
Do Users Actually Listen to App Audio?
A common assumption is that users mute audio inside apps. Audiomob’s data suggests otherwise. Across iOS and Android, between 80 and 85 percent of users keep their device volume above 10 percent. For rewarded placements, volume levels typically exceed 30 percent.
Even when listening is passive, audio messages perform strongly in both recall and sentiment. Humans naturally absorb sound while multitasking, making in-app audio particularly effective for narrative-led campaigns, public information messaging and emotionally driven brand storytelling.
Designing Audio Ads That Respect the User Experience
Respect for the user experience has shaped Audiomob’s product philosophy from the beginning. Early testing revealed that audiences strongly dislike overlapping app sounds and advertising audio. This insight directly informed Audiomob’s patented non-intrusive format, designed to blend seamlessly into app environments without breaking focus or flow.
Ongoing feedback from advertisers and publishers has continued to influence the platform, including developments in AI-generated voice models, intelligent volume detection and dynamic delivery logic. As app development costs rise globally, monetisation tools that generate incremental revenue without damaging retention have become increasingly important. Audiomob was built to meet that need.
Audiomob's Global Growth Strategy
Audiomob’s expansion across more than 500 apps and 690 integrations has been driven by strategic partnerships, early investment in resilient global infrastructure, and advanced audience targeting. Advertisers are able to reach specific cohorts, including Gen Z users, language-based segments and behavioural audiences, helping support adoption across international markets.
Japan: A strategic Market for Audiomob
Japan’s app ecosystem is deeply embedded in everyday life, making it a natural market for Audiomob’s non-intrusive, user-first approach. Success in Japan requires a thoughtful, localised strategy, particularly around language, cultural expectations and business norms. This is where Otonal’s role is essential.
Why Otonal Is the Ideal Partner for Japan
Otonal brings deep expertise in Japan’s audio and advertising landscape, strong relationships across publishers and advertisers, and proven experience introducing emerging audio formats to the market. Together, Audiomob and Otonal are working to establish in-app audio as a trusted and scalable advertising channel in Japan.
A Message to Japanese Advertisers and Publishers
Audio offers a way to communicate with audiences naturally while opening new monetisation opportunities that protect long-term retention. As the industry continues to move away from interruptive formats, in-app audio presents a sustainable and scalable path forward.
Today, Audiomob reaches more than 300 million monthly users worldwide, supporting advertisers, developers and partners with a format designed to deliver performance without compromising experience.
Read the full interview in Japanese on the Otonal website: https://audio-marketing.jp/58131
