The 30-Second Symphony: Orchestrating Podcast Ad Magic
I’ve been mulling something over for sometime. And it seems that other leaders in the industry are becoming more vocal about this too: advertisers are losing sight of the power of good creative when it comes to delivering their message.
At the London Podcast Show in May, author and Vice Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Rory Sutherland spoke specifically about the podcast industry. His key message was that there is so much noise about how ads are bought and sold as well as the ad tech and targeting involved, but not enough focus on the actual creative. But, as Sutherland emphasised, this is really where the magic happens –- the connection to the brains of the audience.
Then just last week in Cannes, I enjoyed watching CEO of WPP Mark Read in discussion with the New York Times where he spoke about the importance of the creative. He explained how we all strive to deliver the right message, to the right people, at the right time. But all too often it is the wrong message to the right people at the right time.
I completely agree with this sentiment, especially when it comes to the growing podcast advertising industry. With recent forecasts anticipating a global market value of $43 billion by 2032, advancements in audience targeting solutions, like Acast’s Conversational Targeting or First-Party Data Targeting and Podchaser’s Collections+ tools, have played a significant role in the growth of the market in recent years.
The correlation between improved targeting and investment in the medium is quite simple: as advertisers are able to more effectively reach their target audiences, they are re-investing and increasing investments in podcasts.
But as Sutherland and Read have also pointed out, the other key ingredient for successful podcast advertising is often ignored or underestimated by advertisers: creative.
Instinctively when we discuss creativity in podcasting, we think of the engagement of the sponsor or host reads, and the long-form branded content that clients love to create. But there is still so much incredible creativity that can come from a short-form creative.
In fact, according to Tor Myhren, Vice President of Marketing Communications at Apple Inc, and The Film Lions President, such a high number of Cannes Lions Award entries this year were using long-form content and that the industry should focus on what can be achieved in short form ads.
When it comes to podcasting specifically, Director of Content for Fresh Air, Michaela Hallam recently spoke about the British Podcast Awards and how creative brand storytelling played a significant role in this year’s awards. According to Hallam, brands that are leveraging podcasting correctly have recognized just how powerful the right creative in the medium is in capturing audiences and forming valuable connections.
I agree, ads are an audio blank canvas that hold infinite possibilities. Specifically creative for what are usually 30 second ads. Often referred to ‘pre-produced’ ads, and sometimes mistakenly referred to as ‘programmatic ads’ (programmatic is the way of buying these ads, not the format itself.)
At Acast, we estimate these ads comprise around half of the budgets we receive from brands and agencies, give or take a bit depending on the market. In which case, why are we not talking more about the actual content of these ads?
According to a recent study by Westwood One and Cumulus Media, creative is responsible for driving half of sales, which is 2.5 times greater than what advertisers perceive the impact to be. The study specifically revealed that brands and agencies say creative only represents 19% of the total sales effect, but that it actually generates 49% of sales. Moreover, the report finds that this perception from marketers has remained unchanged from 2020 to 2024. Clearly there is a huge misalignment here.
So here lies both our challenge and opportunity as an industry to bring new ways of thinking to our advertisers, to drive their investment in the medium further, and ultimately a better listening experience for podcast audiences around the world.
The potential here for an advertiser is essentially an audio blank canvas. It’s an opportunity to connect to a listener’s brain with any sounds or words, that in turn will create a connection, an emotion, and possibly a memory.
At Acast, we have seen five clear ways that advertisers have improved the creative quality of their 30 second ad spots.
Create an immersive listening experience with 3D audio
Spatial or 3D audio isn’t a new technique, but remains one of the most effective at capturing listener attention by creating a fully immersive experience. According to Acast research, podcast listeners find 3D ads to be more clear and likeable than both radio ads and traditional podcast ads.
While we’ve seen brands across all industries from auto companies to insurance and travel thrive with implementing 3D audio techniques, our clients at Visit Victoria have a great example here:
Be A Part of The Listening Experience – Not a Disruption
Podcasting is one of the most effective forms of advertising because audiences are highly engaged with the content they are listening to – more so than any other medium. In fact, Acast research has found that in the US 82% of podcast listeners agree that listening to ads is a way to support their favourite podcasters.
This means that there is not the same need as more passive listening media, like radio, to increase volume levels or use shouting voices to gain audience attention. You already have it, the trick is not to lose it.
This example from Tesco immediately uses music to capture audience attention and create an upbeat environment. Importantly, the ad maintains an even volume and energy level to convey the brand message.
Create a Clear Call to Action
This may be Advertising 101, but it’s worth noting that the most effective advertising has a clear and concise message that drives some form of action.
Take this ad from Mercedes Benz for example, which is driving listeners to explore their fantasy of owning one of their luxury vehicles more online.
Leverage Podcasting’s Word of Mouth Advertising Power By Using Creator Voices
One of the many reasons that podcast advertising is so effective is because of the deep relationship between hosts and their audiences. In fact, Acast research shows that in the US, 75% of podcast listeners have sought out a podcast for a product endorsement.
This proves that podcast creators are one of the most effective ways to reach consumers with advertising. With products like Acast’s Sponsorship+ tool, advertisers can also leverage this power of host-read sponsorships at scale with their message dynamically inserted within a 30 second ad spot across appropriate catalogues.
Take for example, this 30 second ad read for Airbnb by Michele Norris, host of the Your Mama’s Kitchen podcast from our partners at Higher Ground.
Think Beyond Your 30 Seconds
The storytelling nature of podcasting presents infinite opportunities for your brand to create an engaging experience with the audience. At Acast, we often encourage our advertisers to go beyond their 30 second framework with short form storytelling content, called Sponsored Stories, that leverages the podcast host to capture their audience attention.
Take for example this Canada Goose example with Acast’s The Good Life Project where host Jonathan Fields interviews one of their brand ambassadors. Truly really powerful and just 4 minutes.
Podcast advertising remains highly effective and on the rise, but to avoid missing a trick, and to reach the full potential of the industry, advertisers must invest in the quality of their ad creative. At Acast, and as an industry, we embrace pioneering ad tech to help deliver the message, but let’s not lose sight of what this message can actually be.
To learn more about creating podcast campaigns with quality ad production, please contact sales@acast.com.
I’ve been mulling something over for sometime. And it seems that other leaders in the industry are becoming more vocal about this too: advertisers are losing sight of the power of good creative when it comes to delivering their message.
At the London Podcast Show in May, author and Vice Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Rory Sutherland spoke specifically about the podcast industry. His key message was that there is so much noise about how ads are bought and sold as well as the ad tech and targeting involved, but not enough focus on the actual creative. But, as Sutherland emphasised, this is really where the magic happens –- the connection to the brains of the audience.
Then just last week in Cannes, I enjoyed watching CEO of WPP Mark Read in discussion with the New York Times where he spoke about the importance of the creative. He explained how we all strive to deliver the right message, to the right people, at the right time. But all too often it is the wrong message to the right people at the right time.
I completely agree with this sentiment, especially when it comes to the growing podcast advertising industry. With recent forecasts anticipating a global market value of $43 billion by 2032, advancements in audience targeting solutions, like Acast’s Conversational Targeting or First-Party Data Targeting and Podchaser’s Collections+ tools, have played a significant role in the growth of the market in recent years.
The correlation between improved targeting and investment in the medium is quite simple: as advertisers are able to more effectively reach their target audiences, they are re-investing and increasing investments in podcasts.
But as Sutherland and Read have also pointed out, the other key ingredient for successful podcast advertising is often ignored or underestimated by advertisers: creative.
Instinctively when we discuss creativity in podcasting, we think of the engagement of the sponsor or host reads, and the long-form branded content that clients love to create. But there is still so much incredible creativity that can come from a short-form creative.
In fact, according to Tor Myhren, Vice President of Marketing Communications at Apple Inc, and The Film Lions President, such a high number of Cannes Lions Award entries this year were using long-form content and that the industry should focus on what can be achieved in short form ads.
When it comes to podcasting specifically, Director of Content for Fresh Air, Michaela Hallam recently spoke about the British Podcast Awards and how creative brand storytelling played a significant role in this year’s awards. According to Hallam, brands that are leveraging podcasting correctly have recognized just how powerful the right creative in the medium is in capturing audiences and forming valuable connections.
I agree, ads are an audio blank canvas that hold infinite possibilities. Specifically creative for what are usually 30 second ads. Often referred to ‘pre-produced’ ads, and sometimes mistakenly referred to as ‘programmatic ads’ (programmatic is the way of buying these ads, not the format itself.)
At Acast, we estimate these ads comprise around half of the budgets we receive from brands and agencies, give or take a bit depending on the market. In which case, why are we not talking more about the actual content of these ads?
According to a recent study by Westwood One and Cumulus Media, creative is responsible for driving half of sales, which is 2.5 times greater than what advertisers perceive the impact to be. The study specifically revealed that brands and agencies say creative only represents 19% of the total sales effect, but that it actually generates 49% of sales. Moreover, the report finds that this perception from marketers has remained unchanged from 2020 to 2024. Clearly there is a huge misalignment here.
So here lies both our challenge and opportunity as an industry to bring new ways of thinking to our advertisers, to drive their investment in the medium further, and ultimately a better listening experience for podcast audiences around the world.
The potential here for an advertiser is essentially an audio blank canvas. It’s an opportunity to connect to a listener’s brain with any sounds or words, that in turn will create a connection, an emotion, and possibly a memory.
At Acast, we have seen five clear ways that advertisers have improved the creative quality of their 30 second ad spots.
Create an immersive listening experience with 3D audio
Spatial or 3D audio isn’t a new technique, but remains one of the most effective at capturing listener attention by creating a fully immersive experience. According to Acast research, podcast listeners find 3D ads to be more clear and likeable than both radio ads and traditional podcast ads.
While we’ve seen brands across all industries from auto companies to insurance and travel thrive with implementing 3D audio techniques, our clients at Visit Victoria have a great example here:
Be A Part of The Listening Experience – Not a Disruption
Podcasting is one of the most effective forms of advertising because audiences are highly engaged with the content they are listening to – more so than any other medium. In fact, Acast research has found that in the US 82% of podcast listeners agree that listening to ads is a way to support their favourite podcasters.
This means that there is not the same need as more passive listening media, like radio, to increase volume levels or use shouting voices to gain audience attention. You already have it, the trick is not to lose it.
This example from Tesco immediately uses music to capture audience attention and create an upbeat environment. Importantly, the ad maintains an even volume and energy level to convey the brand message.
Create a Clear Call to Action
This may be Advertising 101, but it’s worth noting that the most effective advertising has a clear and concise message that drives some form of action.
Take this ad from Mercedes Benz for example, which is driving listeners to explore their fantasy of owning one of their luxury vehicles more online.
Leverage Podcasting’s Word of Mouth Advertising Power By Using Creator Voices
One of the many reasons that podcast advertising is so effective is because of the deep relationship between hosts and their audiences. In fact, Acast research shows that in the US, 75% of podcast listeners have sought out a podcast for a product endorsement.
This proves that podcast creators are one of the most effective ways to reach consumers with advertising. With products like Acast’s Sponsorship+ tool, advertisers can also leverage this power of host-read sponsorships at scale with their message dynamically inserted within a 30 second ad spot across appropriate catalogues.
Take for example, this 30 second ad read for Airbnb by Michele Norris, host of the Your Mama’s Kitchen podcast from our partners at Higher Ground.
Think Beyond Your 30 Seconds
The storytelling nature of podcasting presents infinite opportunities for your brand to create an engaging experience with the audience. At Acast, we often encourage our advertisers to go beyond their 30 second framework with short form storytelling content, called Sponsored Stories, that leverages the podcast host to capture their audience attention.
Take for example this Canada Goose example with Acast’s The Good Life Project where host Jonathan Fields interviews one of their brand ambassadors. Truly really powerful and just 4 minutes.
Podcast advertising remains highly effective and on the rise, but to avoid missing a trick, and to reach the full potential of the industry, advertisers must invest in the quality of their ad creative. At Acast, and as an industry, we embrace pioneering ad tech to help deliver the message, but let’s not lose sight of what this message can actually be.
To learn more about creating podcast campaigns with quality ad production, please contact sales@acast.com.
