As I continue to interview podcasters for my book Podcasting for Profit, I’m discovering more and more that advertising and sponsorship can work in a podcast (although some do think they’re truly awful). So, it’s not surprising that eMarketer would release a report saying that spending on podcast advertising will reach $400-million by 2011.
While I don’t doubt these numbers, what concerns me is that many companies still don’t understand that advertising in a podcast has to be treated differently from advertising in other media, specifically television and radio.
There are so many benefits to consider when choosing to advertise in podcast:
- Most podcasts target a niche audience. This allows a company to speak to a target audience that will not only listen, but take action.
- The content in a podcast is evergreen. Scott Bourne talked about this on his blog. The fact that podcast episodes are available online well beyond its published date gives an advertiser an advantage that no other media does.
Advertising (and sponsorship) in a podcast has to be non-instrusive. The ad can’t stand out so much that the only thing the podcast listener or viewer remembers is how much the ad interrupted what they were consuming.
This is similiar to taking pictures. Personally, I hate taking pictures simply because I find the whole process to be contrived, fake and pretentious. Instead of the camera capturing the moment as it occurs, the photographer interrupts your conversation by asking everyone to stop, smile and say cheese. The best pictures are those that catch people in the moment. In other words, the camera should be non-intrusive and should weave seamlessly into the event.
The same of advertising. It should be non-intrusive and fit into the content of the podcast, not become a glaring interruption. Until those who buy advertising understand this, podcast advertising will be treated as nothing more than a gimmick or a stunt and I can’t forsee spending reaching anywhere close to $400-million.
Tags:
podvertising,
podcast advertising,
scott bourne,
emarketer
Love this post Leesa. You’re very good at providing insightful content that helps. Thanks!
Hi,
I completely agree with you. I’ve spent years producing radio shows for brands that want subtle sponsor credits that blend with the content. The shows we create for Heineken are music shows, and we created sonic branding that sounds like it’s part of the mix.
The shows for Heineken go out across the Caribbean, and the audience knows it’s music. They are also very wary when it comes to brands getting involved with music. I think the same applies to podcast audiences. I certainly find obvious sponsor credits off putting and tend to skip them if I can. I would be much more inclined to continue listening if the branding was subtle and clever.
I really like that photo analogy. I think I might have to use that in the future.