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Spotify releases new tools for podcast advertisers

Music and podcast streaming giant Spotify has released a suite of new tools in the US for brands wanting to reach consumers via podcasts.

Spotify’s Streaming Ad Insertion (SAI) will provide data such as ad impressions, frequency (how many times a listener heard an ad), reach and anonymised audience insight, including age, gender and device type. Spotify said this is the first time this data has been available for advertisers and podcast creators.

For now, SAI will be available to select advertisers in the US market, however Mumbrella understands Spotify plans on evaluating market expansion later this year.

Spotify said despite podcasting’s immense growth – ad revenue for podcasts in the US is set to surpass US$1bn in 2021 – and its existence in the digital realm, the industry still measures audience, reach and impact much like a print magazine.

“Advertisers generally have a sense for who they’re reaching, based on survey data and the magazine’s target audience. Total circulation measures the number of doorsteps that the issue hits, but there’s no precise data on how many readers actually opened the magazine, let alone reached or acted on the ad,” the company said.

“Until now, podcast advertising has experienced many of these same challenges because the medium is still largely downloaded via static RSS feeds. But the shift in consumption from downloads to streaming has opened the door for advances in data-driven podcast advertising, and here at Spotify, we’re moving beyond these constraints to reimagine what’s possible for this uniquely powerful and intimate medium.”

Spotify said SAI will allow for the quality and efficacy of traditional podcast ads, but combine this with the precision and transparency of modern-day marketing.

“In short, we’re keeping what podcast listeners, creators, and advertisers love about podcast ads and making the medium addressable for digital advertisers,” it said.

Puma was among the first brands to trial the technology, with Spotify saying the results were “mega”.

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