Podcasting, once supported by scrappy direct advertisers, continues to reach new levels of sophistication as more Fortune 500 brands come into the medium. That means audio ads that were at times the beginning and end of a marketing campaign, are more than ever finding a place on media plans that include a variety of other outlets.
Acast saw a 46% increase in advertisers booking multichannel campaigns during 2023 versus the prior year. To meet the growing demand, Acast has expanded its expert strategic recommendations and campaign execution for podcast advertisers across video, social media, live events and more for maximum scale and impact.
“Over the years Acast has continued to refine its multichannel offerings because of increased demand for advertisers looking to spread their message across a variety of platforms,” said Veronika Taylor, Senior VP of the Creator Network at Acast. “We’ve also seen more and more podcasters show interest in working with brands to monetize not only their podcasts, but also other media where they connect with their dedicated audiences,” she said.
That has primarily meant video, but for many creators there are also new opportunities with live events and even email newsletters. There is also a growing number of podcasters that are using their role as influencers to directly support a retail product.
Robin Sloan, Executive VP Audio Sales at AdLarge, said it is a shift they are also seeing among ad buyers.
“We see advertisers using more audio platforms in different ways to meet audience and industry needs,” she said. “Podcasting lends itself to versatile integrations across video, social media, and live events. We are finding ourselves in multiple conversations about how we can creatively work with brands to best enhance their strategic goals across several media types.”
While podcast advertising is highly effective on its own, new research indicates that incorporating complementary activity across social and digital media as well as earned channels including live events and retail lines can maximize the awareness, engagement, and performance of campaigns. A study by Nielsen found that coordinated messaging across podcasts, social media, and TV drove a 3.5-times lift in brand awareness, compared to podcast advertising alone. The key element to succeeding in these multichannel integrated marketing campaigns is consistent and coordinated messaging across all platforms.
“Podcast advertising generates fantastic results on its own, but optimizing campaigns across social, video and live events takes impact to the next level,” said Greg Glenday, Acast’s Chief Business Officer. “There’s a lot of noise around video in particular in podcasting right now, but for us, short-form video from podcasting is probably the biggest opportunity for advertisers and creators.”
The easiest cross-platform combination for podcasters is probably social media. Beyond ease of use, a Cumulus Media-Signal Hill study found half of the weekly podcast consumers follow their favorite podcasters on social media. That rises to 68% among 18-34-year-olds.
“The effectiveness of podcast ads is rooted in engagement and in trust,” said Ilwira Marciszek, Senior VP/Head of Revenue Operations and Digital Sales at AdLarge. “It’s audio meets influencer marketing. As podcasting scales, maintaining that trust and intimacy will be key - using podcast-specific creative, limiting ad breaks, and running campaigns using contextual targeting.”
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