The new trend? Podcasts for companies
Audio stimulates the imagination but can also be a useful tool for improving one’s image and advertising
Podcasts, with the skillful use of the voice, know how to stimulate the imagination but can also become very useful and effective tools for companies. On the other hand, at the moment the services and opportunities offered by the audio world, available to companies, brands, and agencies, are almost infinite. Here is a summary of the last webinar I attended.
In particular, podcasts, intended as unpublished audio content available on the web, which can be archived and listened to even offline, are increasingly proving to be the new frontier of inventiveness and creativity in the field of advertising.
Target
It should be borne in mind that, on average, 72% of listeners listen to the episodes in their entirety: this is a really important figure because it indicates the existence of a very attentive and concentrated target, essential for those who want to invest in commercials and images.
The “listeners” of this sector are constantly increasing: in the last year, in Italy alone, they reached over 9.3 million. About half are under 35 and almost one in three has a degree; many love podcasts because they allow you to do more while listening — doing housework, cooking, eating, playing sports — and in general they offer a healthy and rich type of relaxation.
In addition, the average time dedicated to listening to podcasts is 40 minutes a day, an incredible number for the rhythms of contemporary life.
In summary, podcasts manage to capture the attention of an audience that is usually hard to reach in the eyes of brands.
Advertising
The advertisements inserted within podcasts involve users without being intrusive and take up less than 5% of the entire duration of an episode, compared to very active and reactive listening.
There are several ways to promote yourself within an episode. The first example, the more traditional one, is represented by the classic commercials that can be inserted at different times of certain podcasts, selected based on demographic, geographical, and target characteristics.
It is not the same mechanism as Spotify, where advertisements appear only between one song and another on the “free” profiles of users.
The case of podcasts, on the other hand, is different: there the advertisement will hit the audience of a person who at that moment is really focused on audio.
The Host-Read, on the other hand, is a contribution interpreted by the host himself with his own style and integrated into the show, with such effectiveness that often the user does not realize that he is in front of a commercial.
Branded Content
There are therefore sponsored episodes, dedicated series, and branded episodes.
For example, an episode can be “offered” or “sponsored” by a certain brand: in this case, the content remains free and independent, enriched by fast, direct, and minimally invasive advertising.
The episodes on a brand, on the other hand, are created and built to create a story entirely centered on that particular protagonist.
The next level consists of the entire series dedicated to a brand, which usually revolve around a single theme or in any case have a common thread.
Branded Podcast and Sponsored Originals
Finally, companies can directly create highly personalized editorial content to underline their history and values.
The original sponsored content, on the other hand, is a mix of creations, closer to the idea of an advertisement with testimonials, ambassadors, and famous people.
There is a last case to mention again: making meta-podcasts, that is, inserting the advertisement of a podcast within another podcast, to invite listening and open a virtuous circle.
