A recent UK study, undertaken by The Guardian and independent research company Tapestry, found that podcast advertising commands the highest levels of attention of any media channel. This is indicative of global podcast industry trends. The study found 65% of listeners paid attention to podcast adverts - more than adverts on TV at 39% and adverts on the radio at 38%. The study also highlighted podcast advertising’s multiplier effect on other ad formats. Yet brands are still prioritising traditional media over this lucrative medium for their campaigns. So why aren’t they considering putting podcasts on the plan? Why is the podcast industry growing and how can it be harnessed to achieve strong results in your media mix?
1. Podcast advertising is the least intrusive form of digital advertising
Non-skippable video ads can get pretty annoying. Digital banner ads are jarring to your user experience. It’s a bit creepy when Facebook serves you an ad for that restaurant you were just telling your mate about. A report found that if people have to receive ads, they'd rather hear them in podcasts. (Comscore.)
This is for a variety of reasons unique to podcasting. One is the potential for contextual alignment. There are a great deal of podcasts out there that cover almost all subjects, general and niche, allowing advertisers to align their brand with hyper relevant audiences.
“You can pick any topic and there’ll be a podcast for what you're interested in,” says Will Higham, behavioral futurist and author of The Next Big Thing. “And if there isn’t one, start one yourself.”
So why aren’t brands queuing up to advertise on podcasts? Advertisers have been rightly cautious about brand safety when placing their ads programmatically. Most don’t want to get caught being associated with unsavoury or violent content. That is why many agencies and brands stick with trusted publishing companies. However, when partnering with an independent podcast agency, you can rest assured that the media is vetted and bespoke plans can be created to maximise alignment and minimise risk.
2. Podcast Ads help rank your brand as authoritative
Until recently, podcasts – and other forms of audio content – were not seen as direct SEO assets. However, as Google start to embrace audio and make it more searchable, using the right keywords in your podcast ad or alignment can help drive SEO benefits.
Adding podcasts to other SEO-rich formats in your plan such as branded articles and video means that your campaign can get stronger ranking.
3. A variety of ad formats to suit your objective
As the podcast ad industry matures, more and more options for ad formats have come to fruition. Host-read ads are amongst the most effective, with 52% of podcast listeners proven to trust advertising more if the podcast host endorses the brand.(Spotify) With more and more celebrities such as Oprah, Obama and Prince Harry getting onboard with podcasting, there are great opportunities to get your brand’s message read by a trusted and authoritative personality. A trusted local influencer such as Abbie Chatfield is also an awesome option. You can listen to some examples of successful host-read ads here to get inspired.
“For brands, these real first-person accounts provide a remarkably effective way to connect with audiences,”
writes Spotify. “When listeners hear these hosts evangelizing products, they don’t feel like they’re being marketed to — the effect is more like hearing about a product or service from a trusted friend.”
Additionally, the introduction of brand lift studies have also allowed us to gain important insight into top of funnel metrics such as awareness versus lower funnel metrics such as brand favorability and taking action. The podcast industry has adapted to provide detailed and insightful data to take podcast advertising from guesswork to science.
Other great options for podcast ads include producer reads, brand sponsorships, branded podcasts as well as pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads. We can hold your hand on this journey and introduce you to some of the best quality podcasts and ad options out there.
4. Usage of voice activated devices is growing
First made popular by smartphone voice assistants like Siri, voice control devices such as Amazon’s Echo and Google Home are becoming part of our everyday lives. Three-quarters of all US households are expected to own at least one smart speaker and more than half of all owners of smart speakers use their devices daily. (eMarketer)
This means that playing your favorite podcast just got even more screenless and quick, plus multitasking is even easier, as you can activate listening to a show whilst cooking, working out or cleaning. This also means that you don’t need to commit to a whole show - pausing and rewinding are easier than ever, meaning listeners can find new moments in their day for podcasts.
5. Podcast advertising has a multiplier effect on other ad formats
Advertisers are finding that whilst a podcast campaign is strong enough to stand up on its own, when combined with other media in a campaign, the overall effectiveness is maximised. The Guardian (UK) found that:
Those saying “it tells me something new about the brand” increases by 34% when podcasts are added alongside a radio campaign.
They also help dial-up the ‘brand’ part of branded content - 47% of those exposed to branded content said “it improves my opinion of the brand”.
Combined with the visual cues of digital display, podcasts make campaigns more memorable and trustworthy. Trust levels increase from 45% to 63% when podcasts are added into the media mix. (Guardian).
Podcasts ads offer an audio ad that complements and expands upon other ad types such as OOH, social media and above the line, appealing to the consumer in a non-visual manner.
With Australians aged 12+ spending over 12 hours per week listening to online audio (The Infinite Dial 21), there’s never been a better time to get to the truth of the podcasting world. Although the industry has had explosive growth, the medium remains relatively underutilised, allowing brands to advertise in a cost-effective space with less competition. As more and more people tune into podcasts, more opportunities for brands to reach their perfect audience emerge. Get in touch with us anytime to explore this further.
Comments