In keeping with MiQ, the curiosity for audio-based campaigns is considerably greater in Asia Pacific in comparison with North America. Weekly podcast listenership has elevated 17% since 2021 due to the pandemic. For instance, Spotify skilled a 30% enhance in ad-supported month-to-month lively customers in 2021 versus 2020.
Swedish podcast platform Acast has introduced on Jamie Squires to assist handle the demand for programmatic audio in rising markets. As Acast’s automation supervisor for worldwide, Squires will symbolize the corporate in Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, Singapore, Hong Kong and, extra broadly, the Center East and Africa. His earlier roles embody working for publishers Haymarket and AutoTrader, distributors similar to Nectar 360, and businesses together with OMD EMEA.
In an unique interview with Marketing campaign Asia-Pacific, Squires says programmatic is Acast’s fastest-growing gross sales channel, so the platform should educate media consumers and creators on how this expertise can profit them.
He explains that Acast invests a number of its time in sharing its information and expertise and constructing relationships with advertisers which are extra open to giving automated execution of podcast provide a go.
Acast can also be eager to work with advertisers who will assist the platform make programmatic expertise work higher with the podcast channel.
For instance, Acast first began testing programmatic within the Australian market, a extremely developed area with broad adoption of programmatic however not so giant as to be unwieldy or troublesome to handle. By its learnings and successes there, the platform has been capable of switch its learnings throughout a number of markets in Europe, North and South America, and now in Asia.
“We discover that by constructing on these relationships, advertisers come again to us extra persistently and with extra formidable briefs, highlighting to us that they see the worth automated options can convey,” says Squires.
“Arguably, our hardest problem is at all times to persuade podcasters that programmatic generally is a profitable software to include into their reveals, However, most significantly, we try this by delivering outcomes.”
Audio adverts at Acast shouldn’t have clickable companion banners because the platform believes in providing a pure audio expertise. As a substitute, the audio advert artistic each captures consideration and provides directions for interplay.
For instance, it makes use of a novel code or encourages the listener to go to a web site.
As a substitute of clicks, Squires says Acast measures the impression of adverts utilizing a number of metrics, together with listen-through price, code take-up, model elevate, and attribution by working with third-party distributors.
He provides transparency can also be crucial to Acast. Squires claims the platform supplies a clear, secure listing of all its podcasts, cut up by focusing on segments. Upon request, Acast additionally provides day by day stories detailing advert impressions by the present, which is essential for its advertiser and company purchasers in establishing belief.
Nevertheless, he notes the final method to focusing on is for consumers to select from a contextual assortment of podcast reveals similar to way of life and sport, or podcast reveals grouped by demographics.
“We are able to supply extra customized present lists taken from these collections for particular briefs and, in sure markets such because the US, Canada and Australia, we will supply a number of third-party trusted viewers segments. This practice present listing is what we’re engaged on increasing to all different markets,” Squire explains.
“Our conversational focusing on permits for a extra exact resolution whereas retaining excessive scale ranges. Conversational focusing on is an AI-driven, contextual resolution, utilizing transcription of podcast reveals and pure language processing to supply advert alternatives at an episodic degree.”
He provides: “We align this with IAB classes (tiers one, two and even as granular as three), or particular key phrases. This enhanced resolution is good for podcasting because it presents the chance to succeed in listeners with an advert artistic at a extremely related second within the dialog they’re avidly listening to.”
Having launched in Singapore and Spain, Acast has acquired Podchaser and signed podcasts, together with WTF with Marc Maron.