Brand advertising 2.0 is here, but is your marketing team ready for it?
Brand advertising 2.0 is the next stage of advertising, where we’re finding podcasting to be a central pillar of the marketing campaign. But while the podcast advertising space is growing, it’s still relatively small. Not all brands see the value in centering their marketing campaign on podcasts – but they should.
“What an advertiser is doing with podcasting; they’re really leaning into or capitalizing on the super intimate relationship that the host has built with their audience.”
Brand advertising 2.0 is here. If you’re here, that means you’re ready for it. It’s time we reflect on Heather Osgood‘s episode with Meredith Krantz, the VP of Digital Partnerships at Westwood One.
Make sure you check out Essential Tips & Tactics for Brand Advertisers in Podcasting.
I’m in the test-and-learn phase of podcast advertising. What do I need to know?
All marketers know the old marketing trope that says you have to reach somebody at least seven times before they take action. But, with a lot of advertisers, we’re seeing they’ll only test something three times – which is not enough for podcasting.
Podcast advertising is different than typical direct response. The same standardization won’t work in podcasting.
This doesn’t mean we’re saying you won’t have to collect the data to see attribution, but instead that it might look a little different than what you’re used to.
More than anything, it’s important that your brand has a podcast media plan. In this plan, make sure you have a mix of scale and different types of content. When creating your podcast media plan, ask yourself what podcast you’re doing this for. Look at certain podcast content, know how it aligns with your brand’s tentpole or message, and use that to scale.
Ultimately, podcast advertising isn’t a one-holiday campaign for your brand. Yes, you might see it help you crush your sales goals, but podcast advertising should be part of your long-term marketing plan.
Our test and learn phase went great; now, how do we scale?
“Our audio active team has done a lot of research on that. And they say decrease your frequency and increase your reach.”
If you’re seeing success with podcast advertising, it’s time to add more shows. Don’t reinvest in the one show that’s already successful Diversity is essential to your content because, without it, you’ll burn out your listeners.
This also opens up a great opportunity for your brand to start experimenting with different genres. Let’s say the first show you advertised on was a true crime podcast and that produced great results. Your instinct might be to search for similar true crime podcasts to try and replicate the same results, but it’s time to come out of your comfort zone.
Your relationship with a host is your own unique relationship. Just because you don’t have a strong relationship with a host doesn’t mean that host doesn’t have a strong and unique relationship with their listeners.
People are many things. Someone that loves true crime podcasts could also love a podcast about sports or business. Just like you would diversify your investment portfolio, you also need to diversify the shows you work with.
“You came up with a method that works in your test period, but you’re always going to continue. You should always be testing… I know this creative works, but if there’s an element that you’re testing that will give you the ability to scale.”
How do I even begin to decide which podcasts to partner with?
Deciding what podcast to partner with is more than choosing a show you enjoy listening to.
“Consider some podcasts that might not be your cup of tea… The client will only come to us because they listen to a particular podcaster, but at the end of the day, you’re not trying to sell dog food to that host. You’re trying to sell dog food to their millions and millions of listeners.”
If you don’t know which show to partner with because you don’t know your audience very well yet, you’re not alone. As Meredith said, the podcast space is still growing – we’re still trying to figure it out.
Which is another reason why you should come out of your comfort zone when looking at shows to partner with. If you have a partner you love to work with and have great results with, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. You might miss out on other opportunities.
Remember – the podcast space is still small. The more targeting you layer on, the smaller your audience is going to be.
What do I do if no content appeals to me?
Well, stop looking at just the content.
Deciding on a podcast to partner with is more than just the content they put out; it’s also about their audience.
As we’ve mentioned before, people can be more than one thing. Don’t look at a show with a chef for a host and think they won’t align with your brand since your brand isn’t centered on cooking. A person that listens to a podcast with a chef as a host could also be into comedy, business, ice fishing, or rugby. The overlap is endless.
“Don’t be afraid to show up somewhere you didn’t show up before… Don’t be afraid to show up somewhere unexpected.”
What’s next for podcast advertising?
In her conversation with Heather, Meredith shared that she is most excited about sonic logos in podcast advertising.
Sonic logos, or sonic branding, is a unique set of notes that a client or customer associates with your brand. This unique set of notes will help build your overall brand awareness with your customer without taking away the authenticity that makes podcasting so magical.
Let’s say you’re working at your desk with the TV on in the background. If a commercial came on with the jingle “ba da ba ba baaaa” you would know it was McDonald’s before the “I’m lovin’ it” even played.
Sonic branding is incredibly powerful but also something not all brands are doing right now. This might be the chance for you to use podcast advertising to really set your brand apart from your competitors.
Podcast advertising isn’t something a lot of brands have in their “always on” bucket, but it could be changing very soon. Brand advertising 2.0 is putting podcast advertising at the center of campaigns because of the foundation of trust and authenticity that podcasting is built on.
If you are interested in buying podcast ads but have no idea where to start, read this article, Podcast Advertising Best Practices Every Marketer Should Know, and contact us at truenativemedia.com.
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