YOTO UNVEILS NEW GLOBAL BRAND PLATFORM ‘IT’S A LISTENING THING’ CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AKCELO

Yoto, the award-winning kids’ audio company, has launched a new global creative platform, ‘It’s a listening thing’ from brand experience and innovation company Akcelo.

Created to introduce Yoto to more families around the world, ‘It’s a listening thing’ is inspired by conversations and research with parents across the UK, US and Australia. The research explored the positive effects parents see when their children are given the space to simply listen. The work celebrates what can happen when children tune out the noise of a busy world and listen to their Yoto – sparking imagination, curiosity, learning, confidence and calm.

The integrated campaign is Akcelo’s first for Yoto since being appointed global agency of record in June 2026. The launch supports the global rollout of the 4th Generation Yoto Player and Yoto Mini, their biggest hardware launch in three years. Yoto offers a library of more than 1,200 audio titles spanning some of the biggest names in children’s publishing, entertainment and music, alongside their award-winning Yoto Originals which are produced in-house by a specialist Yoto Studios team.

At the heart of the campaign is a hero film which follows a child stuck on a long car journey. As he puts a Yoto Card into his Yoto Mini, the theatre of his mind takes over and what should have been a long and boring journey is transformed into an adventure featuring audio from family-favourites The Gruffalo (Macmillan), Bluey (Ludo, BBC, PRH) and Harry Potter (Pottermore Publishing).

Sylvia Woon, VP Growth at Yoto, said: “Yoto is built to give children the freedom to choose what they listen to and discover audio they love on their own terms. Akcelo’s campaign captures something families tell us about all the time – that listening on Yoto opens up their kids’ minds – sparking curiosity and imagination, encouraging creativity, and inviting calm. As we introduce the 4th Generation of our award-winning audio players, we’re excited to share that experience with many more families around the world.”

Three additional executions explore other dimensions of screen-free listening. In one, a young girl rocks out with her cuddly toys as she listens to music; in another, listening becomes the starting point for learning through play and discovering fascinating facts about bugs. In another, listening calms and helps children get to sleep. Together with hundreds of social and digital executions, the films build out the new platform by showing the different ways listening can inspire a child and fit into the rhythms of family life.

Aden Hepburn, CEO and Founder of Akcelo, said: “Parents who already own a Yoto have so much to say about what it brings to their children’s lives. Our job was to make that experience tangible for families who haven’t discovered it yet. ‘It’s a listening thing’ gives us a simple way to introduce Yoto, but also a much bigger creative platform for all of the ways listening positively impacts children. We’re incredibly proud that this is the first work from our new London office.”

The campaign is rolling out across the UK, US, France and Australia.

Akcelo also executed a series of launch experiences in London, New York and Sydney giving selected audiences an early look at Yoto’s 4th Gen players ahead of their official shipping dates. Designed around the role Yoto can play in everyday family life, the events brought the products into an interactive environment and introduced guests to its new features, including the innovative Green Button, which adults can customise with personal playlists of up to 20 favourite titles for day and night.

Yoto is an interactive audio platform designed for screen-free listening that kids control. The company was founded by Ben Drury and Filip Denker, two dads who wanted to create a better way for their children to enjoy audio without needing to use tech built for an adult. Child-first by design, Yoto Players are designed for agency without addiction so children can discover, imagine and learn on a device that was built for them.

Yoto launched on Kickstarter in 2017 and has since grown into a global brand loved by families everywhere, creating a world-class audio experience that grows with children and sits at the heart of everyday family life.

Source: Akcelo

  Advertising, Akcelo, Brand Platform, Campaign, Marketing, Yoto