Five reasons podcasts are a perfect fit for holiday ad campaigns

IN TODAY’s CHALLENGING MEDIA LANDSCAPE, THE PODCAST EXCHANGE OFFERS SMART SOLUTIONS FOR ADVERTISERS

On July 14, 65,000 actors with the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) started picketing in Los Angeles, California, and New York City.

Normally at this time of year, we'd be celebrating the launch of a brand new TV/streaming season. We'd be reading and sharing stories online about new shows we want to see, as well as our favourite returning series.

For advertisers, this would be an opportunity to reach mass audiences after a summer of vacations and decreased media attention. It also marks the start of the countdown to Black Friday and Christmas, the time when consumer dollars are most likely to be spent.

But this is no ordinary year - Hollywood is on strike. Writers and actors cannot work. Production of scripted programs and films has been at a standstill for months, with no end in sight. There’s no convergence of mass audiences glued to their screens to get their video fix. When a labour agreement is finally reached, productions will still need time to ramp up before viewers can reap the rewards.

Not only that, even if there were news stories about your favourite shows to get excited about, Facebook and Instagram wouldn't let you share them with your friends. That's because Meta (their parent company) is in a battle with the federal government over payment for linking to all Canadian publishers' news content, and has removed them completely from its platforms in protest. That translates to even fewer opportunities for advertisers to reach Canadian consumers.

Fortunately, there is a solution for audiences (and the advertisers who want to reach them) who are hungry for an alternative. Canadians are increasingly turning to podcasts as their new mass medium of choice. Listeners are deeply and uniquely engaged, they respond very positively to podcast ads, and they have money to spend on the things that matter to them.

Here the Top 5 reasons you should work with The Podcast Exchange on your brand's holiday advertising campaigns this year:

Maximize your GRP’s.

While broadcast reach is receding, podcasting's reach continues to grow every year, with 34% of Canadian adults listening at least monthly in 2022 (Canadian Podcast Listener, 2022). That's up to 37% for Anglophone Canadians, and reach is even higher in major urban centres like Toronto and Vancouver.

Podcasting is now the second most popular ad-supported audio medium next to AM/FM. It's also the perfect complement to other popular audio choices like streaming music and radio.

Reach is particularly significant among younger adults, with podcasting now reaching nearly as many 18-34 year-olds as Radio and TV (Sounds Profitable, 2023). That demographic is also the most likely to boycott media due to the strike (Westwood One).

Across all age groups combined, podcasting does a better job than YouTube, online video, social media, Radio and TV at reaching weekly users of ad-free, on-demand media. With a listenership that skews young, educated, higher income and more diverse than the general population, podcasting is a valuable channel for reaching an attractive consumer base who might not otherwise be exposed to your brand’s message.

Consumers are hungry for new stories and voices, and they can't get them from TV, video or movies right now. News junkies aren't getting their fix on social media. Podcasting is where it's all happening. Meet them where they are!

2. Podcast ads work.

Weekly podcast listeners are much more likely than TV or Radio listeners to support brands that support their favourite shows, and to make a purchase as a result of hearing an ad (Sounds Profitable, 2023).

According to Nielsen’s Podcast Ad Effectiveness database, podcast ads drive strong brand awareness and are high-performing from the top to the bottom of the funnel, with retail being one of the stronger performing categories.

TPX has also done proprietary case studies demonstrating high conversion rates for podcast advertising relative to other media. TPX-managed campaigns routinely exceed industry benchmarks of 5x ROAS.

If you're looking to validate your podcast campaign strategy, you don't need to rely solely on industry studies. TPX will work with you track attribution on your ads so you can monitor their effectiveness and make changes if necessary to optimize your campaign over time.

3. premium Canadian podcast inventory.

TPX offers access to the largest English and French-language Canadian podcast publishers and indies in the country, ranging from giant networks like CBC, Corus and Quebecor to high-performing indies like The Loonie Hour (business/finance), The Strategists (politics) and Studio SF (the #1 French Canadian indie network).

In an environment where Canadian news is no longer available on Facebook and Instagram, TPX can help you reach millions of Canadian news fans daily with a collection of the most popular news podcasts in the country.

All in all, nearly one quarter of all adult Canadians (23%) can be reached through TPX's made-in-Canada podcast inventory. In addition, we can reach even more Canadians listening to content produced in the US and elsewhere.

TPX is the only Canadian ad rep house focused exclusively on podcasts. We believe in supporting local Canadian creators and media companies, especially in today's challenging environment. When you work with The Podcast Exchange, you're investing in Canada!

4. FLEXIBILITY AND CUSTOMIZATION.

No matter what kind of podcast ad campaign you're looking to run, TPX can help you hone your strategy and support your success.

Here are some ways TPX can work with you:

curation of specific podcast titles that align with your objectives (direct sales)

audience buys with demographic targeting (programmatic sales) - we can give you a DealID or we can manage the buy for you through our DSP
scale (podcasts/networks with massive reach) as well as niche (collections of smaller, indie podcasts with loyal audiences)
host-read ads, endorsements and pre-produced ads
production support, for example converting a broadcast ad that isn't delivering to a podcast-friendly spot that works
customized campaigns - you decide the start/end dates and impression goals

5. WORK WITH THE EXPERTS.

TPX has been at the forefront of the industry since we launched in January, 2018 - we’re the OG’s of Canadian podcast advertising!

Lina Kim has been TPX’s President since 2021, prior to which she was Managing Director for Havas Media Group. She brings 17 years of agency experience and perspective to TPX. Co-founder/VP Jeff Ulster is also the co-publisher of The Canadian Podcast Listener report, the most comprehensive study on podcast listening in Canada. TPX is title sponsor.

The annual survey results, in combination with TPX’s first-party technology and data, help us provide actionable insights to our clients unmatched by any competing organization in Canada.

We run campaigns for some of the biggest advertisers in the country, and we've provided consulting services to an impressive range of publishers and other organizations looking to launch or optimize their podcast strategies.

Our sales team has decades of collective experience, and our company continues to grow year-over-year, along with the industry.

We know our stuff! We're happy to help support our industry partners as they learn more about the space, even if they have yet to dip their feet into podcast advertising.

We’ll leave you with a sampler of three podcasts that we recommend as standout advertising opportunities for the holiday season, from the thousands of titles we can curate to meet your campaign’s goals.

For more about how podcasting can help your holiday campaign, or about podcast advertising in general, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at TPX.

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