Sound is a “fundamental part of life”, says Alex McGibbon. To illustrate his point McGibbon – Vice President, Client Solutions at GroupM’s programmatic business Xaxis – serenaded the audience at IAB Interact (Warsaw, June 2019) with audio recordings of his two children. In one clip, attendees heard a baby gurgling with pleasure during a game of peekaboo; in the other, a young girl screeched in frustration at her broken toy. Sure enough, the two sounds elicited the desired responses, from sympathetic smiles to the gnashing of teeth.
“From the moment we come into the world, you’re able to recognise...