Up until now, marketing on podcast vehicles has largely been off the radar of most digital advertisers.
But that was before National Public Radio’s “Serial” podcast became somewhat of a national hit. A product of the “This American Life” series, it grabbed a significant share of listeners and helped MailChimp, which sponsored the first season of the podcast, garner new adherents.
Recently, eMarketer’s Rebecca Chadwick spoke with Mark Book, the vice president and director of social content for agency DigitasLBi, about opportunities in podcast advertising.
“There have been a couple of brand successes in this space that have not been equally as successful as “Serial,” but have broken the barrier for brands to play as well,” Book notes. “There definitely has been, at least from our initial research, increases in audio-on-demand. People in transitional moments—whether that’s traveling to work or at the gym—want to be more entertained, informed, or educated via something like a podcast rather than music, and that’s a big opportunity for clients.”
One drawback? Targeting, which is harder to harness with podcast marketing.
“There is an opportunity in podcast advertising, but it is harder to measure against whom you are actually reaching,” Book explains. “There are three or four major podcast-focused media companies in the space, such as Panoply and Gimlet, but they are not necessarily aligned on identifying best practices—how to hone down and target.”
But there are definite opportunities, especially within a podcast market composed of more educated and more affluent consumers.
The whole interview is well worth the read. Click here to check it out.
