By Nick Randall
We have explored the science behind the power of a good podcast ad and how marketers can harness that power, but which brands are leading in the space and producing best practice podcast ads and integrations? What can we learn from their work? Here are 3 examples every marketer should know about, producing campaigns that are often a more effective and cost-efficient way to reach consumers than TV or radio ads.
1. Ford
Achieving significant reach (over 200m audio impressions), Ford are pioneers in this space, creating market leading work with Gimlet Media (producer of podcast StartUp.)
Ford worked directly with Gimlet to create storytelling ads with their talent that seemed completely native to the environment. This content goes deeper than host reading from a script. A series of ten contextual spots, each recounting story-relevant Ford messages, featured as integrated elements in StartUp episodes.
This partnership shows us what's possible when producers and journalists create ad content -- authentic stories by real people, exceptionally crafted.
You can sample the content here
2. Queen Victoria Market
The iconic Melbourne institution created host-read pre and mid-roll ads that appeared on Wondery podcasts Imagined Life, Stories Podcast, Good Life Project and Business Wars. We were able to use some of the most high-profile podcast talents in the world for a campaign that is highly localised to showcase the benefits of shopping at the much-loved Melbourne market.
The ads were targeted at progressive, inner-urban professionals, geo-targeted in the market’s catchment areas. When the target audience tunes in, the ads are dynamically inserted, increasing efficiency of the campaign and reducing wastage.
You can listen to the ads here.
3. Slack
Branded podcasts have been around for some time, with varying levels of success. In my opinion, Slack pioneered in the genre creating an entertaining branded podcast that focuses on why people do the jobs they do. Work In Progress first launched in October, 2016 and is still a benchmark case study in seamless and powerful contextual and commercial alignment. It explores the daily complexities facing workers, which ties into the company’s key aims and services.
The content isn’t geared at sales conversion, but more around building brand personality and adding value. The success of the podcast lies in creating a supportive, engaged audience first, a customer base second.
Listen to Slack’s “Work in Progress” here.
We’re living in a unique time for podcast advertising, where the scope for best practice is still being defined and audiences are growing like never before. To explore your own ground-breaking podcast ads and branded opportunities, drop us a line at nick@ranieriandco.com