The Smart TV Factor: What Growing Connected TV Listening Means for Podcasting by Tom Webster
8% of podcast consumers primarily use a smart TV for that. While it might not sound like much, it’s significant enough to draw attention to. When filtered to just Smart TV primary users, a different kind of user begins to form than one might immediately presume given the growth of video podcasting. 39% of them usually expect a podcast to be audio, but it may be video. 26% presume a podcast could be either format. A quote from Webster:
“This is fascinating because it suggests that Smart TV podcast users aren’t necessarily video absolutists. Rather, they’re pragmatists who use whatever screen happens to be in front of them at the time. For many Americans (especially in certain demographics), the Smart TV has become the central hub of media consumption—replacing both the traditional television and, in some cases, the computer. It’s the digital equivalent of that one chair in your house where everything from mail to clothes to random Amazon packages somehow accumulates.”
Webster ends with four thoughts for podcasting to mull over on how to best play to the strengths of growing smart TV usage, including consideration of the 55+ demographic who largely only engage with digital media via smart TVs, and optimizing podcasts for device-switching so audiences who jump from phone, to car, to TV can enjoy doing so.
Podcasts and Gaming: Elevating How We Cater to Industry Interests by Edward Fuller
The second in a two-part article series about the potential podcasts hold for game marketing by Media Bodies CEO Edward Fuller.
A big hurdle podcasting will need to overcome to be accepted in mainstream game marketing mix is refreshing outdated presumptions marketers have, such as the premise podcast ads are purely for brand awareness. Fuller also notes podcasting needs to demonstrate we can offer competitive CPMs (cost per thousand impressions) as an industry, emphasizing how much data is available at every step of the advertising process. The piece ends with a succinct list of areas a veteran games marketer wishes to see podcasting grow into, including more robust tracking solutions and improved behavioral targeting.
Some of the bullet points are things that need addressing, some are things the industry can deftly handle already but needs to do a better job of communicating to the wider marketing world.
Sound Insights founder Ben Robins recaps the Power of Podcasting Showcase hosted by AudioUK last week. The core theme running through the event is the open opportunity in plain sight with podcast advertising in the UK. Despite continuing growth in the market, spend noticeably lags behind in comparison to listenership-to-advertising-spend ratio in the U.S. A quote from Robins:
“AudioUK CEO Chloe Straw set the context, sharing UK podcast ad spend sits at approximately £83 million compared to $2.4 billion in the US. Even accounting for population differences, the UK’s per capita podcast ad spend ($1.60) pales against America’s ($7.00), suggesting significant untapped potential for advertisers willing to enter the space early. Notably, podcast advertising delivers an impressive 4.9 return on ad spend, outperforming the 3.7 average across other media channels.”
To paraphrase Robins’ conclusion, the piece highlights the benefit of U.K. brands getting into podcasts now, as brands that establish themselves now stand to benefit from higher engagement rates, premium audience demographics, and lower competition than in more saturated channels.
Unique Opportunity: A Spectrum of Branded Content in Podcasting by Paul Riismandel
As more and more news sources talk about the power of branded content in podcasting, Riismandel notes the marked lack of podcasting discussion at Branded Content Days, hosted by the Native Content Institute in New York shortly after Evolutions by Podcast Movement. A quote from Riismandel:
“I hear all the time that measurement is a barrier to more investment in podcasts, especially deeper brand integrations. However, Signal Hill Insights has been measuring these for a decade, and the evidence shows they’re effective marketing vehicles, delivering plenty of return on investment.
At one end of the spectrum, we’ve tested integrations in existing podcasts, where brands sponsor a segment, a whole bonus episode or even a mini-series. All of these options give brands much more listen and watch time and engagement than a typical pre- or mid-roll spot, while the audience gets extra content from their favorite creators. “
Branded podcasts work, the question becomes how much will brands escalate their brand integrations.
Finally, it’s time for our Quick Hits. These are articles that didn’t quite make the cut for today’s episode, but are still worth including in your weekend reading. This week:
- Deadline has coverage of Wondery signing a first-look deal with Lindsay Graham, allowing Amazon’s podcast company several years of first dibs at new podcast series created by Graham and Airship.
- Ashley Carman covers the Spotify Q1 earnings call, including a 12% increase in subscribers and operating income short of forecasted expectations.
- Inside Audio Marketing reports on new Guideline data showing ad spend in the U.S. jumped 7.8% year over year this March.
- Headliner has a new “Most Replayed” tool that highlights sections of YouTube videos most often skipped to and replayed by viewers, allowing podcasters to repurpose their top-performing video segments into sharable clips.
- Fairing co-founder Matt Bahr has announced on LinkedIn that the company has made LTV (Lifetime Value) Analytics free for all Fairing customers on current plans, allowing them to connect post-purchase survey response data to their spending patterns, which can empower predictions of future purchase behavior.
