Have you heard?

Recently published research commissioned by audio streaming service Spotify has identified a trend in Millennials and Generation Z reconsidering the relationship they have with digital media. Amongst other findings, the study found that these generations are increasingly integrating aural media into their lives. While they have existed in the mainstream for close to ten years now, podcasts are still a relatively new medium compared to a more traditional channel like radio. Even so, the format is booming, with the average Australian now spending more time listening to podcasts than their music collection. Podcasts present an opportunity for brands to reach consumers in tried and true ways, as wells as fresh and novel ones.

Podcast advertising has been a hugely successful channel for brand engagement, improving metrics like brand awareness, ad recall, and purchase intent. Podcast listeners respond strongly to podcast advertising, with 67% of surveyed listeners able to name a specific product feature they encountered in a podcast advertisement and 61% reporting that they have purchased a product or service they learned about on a podcast. Compared to an audio medium like radio, podcasts are far more personalised. Listeners seek out specific shows relevant to their interests, inherently creating a listenership likely to share common characteristics. For brands, ensuring a good fit between the product being promoted and the audience is simply a matter of choosing the right show. Podcast listeners also actively engage with the medium, with many experiencing an ‘intimacy effect’ where dialogue between the host and listener feels more personal and intimate.

Beyond simply advertising on existing podcasts, some major brands are using the medium as a promotional tool in and of itself. In response to a PR disaster around their long defunct Szechuan sauce, McDonalds created a three-episode true crime style podcast ‘investigating’ the case. A cheeky apology to their customers, The Sauce podcast served as a refreshing way for the brand to manage controversy while appealing to the growing podcast audience.

From a simple ad spot, to a sponsored segment or episode, to an entire standalone series, podcasts present brands with a range of opportunities to engage with consumers in more purposeful and direct ways.