New Ad Tech Is Swapping Out The Old Ads In Podcasts

What Happened
Panoply, the Slate Group’s podcasting arm, introduced a dynamic ad platform called Megaphone, which can swap out the ads in old podcast episodes with new ones at the time they are downloaded. The platform allows for one-click insertion of ads into podcasts, geo-targeting to reach specific regional podcast listeners, as well as A/B testing to compare ad performance. Megaphone will be available to all of Panoply’s partners, including major publishers such as New York Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and The Huffington Post, who have all been creating ad-supported podcasts.

What Brands Need To Do
Dynamic ads present a great tool for both podcast-makers and advertisers, increasing ad inventory while also making sure brand messaging stays fresh and up-to-date. Before Megaphone, Sweden-based podcast ad platforms Acast has worked with Buzzfeed and Financial Times to provide dynamic ad insertions in their podcasts. With dynamic ads slowly taking off in podcasting, brands will have more opportunities to reach targeted audiences with relevant new ads.

 


Source: AdAge

Pandora Gets Big-Name Brand Sponsors On Board For Serial Podcast

What Happened
Two weeks ago, Pandora announced a deal to stream Serial, the surprise runaway hit that propelled podcasting into the mainstream in 2014, as each episode becomes available. Now, two well-known brands have signed on as the sponsors on Pandora. Warner Bros. will sponsor the Season 1 stream and the first half of Season 2, while Esurance will advertise during the second half of Season 2. As sponsors, they will get NPR-style audio ads at the beginning and end of each episode, with a persistent banner ad displayed on screen throughout Pandora’s stream.

What Retailers Need To Do
Podcasts provide a growing opportunity for brands to effectively target a niche audience with sponsorships and native ads. The first season of Serial was sponsored by Mailchimp, a marketing newsletter service, and study showed 81% of “Serial” listeners correctly recalled its ads. Getting these two new big-name sponsors on board cements podcasting’s place in the mainstream media landscape as a burgeoning marketing channel, which brands of all types should explore.

 


Source: AdWeek