Frequency: The Official AdsWizz Podcast

The Future of Podcast Advertising with Ad Result Media's Gretchen Smith

Episode Summary

Gretchen Smith, VP of Media at Ad Results Media, shared her insights into the ever-evolving landscape of podcast advertising, emphasizing the importance of strategic, well-integrated audio campaigns. The discussion covered various topics, including the challenges of podcast attribution, balancing creativity with data-driven strategies, and emerging trends in consumer engagement, such as the rise of AI and the increasing role of video in podcasting. Gretchen provided practical advice for media buyers, such as focusing on consumer behaviors, leveraging different audio touchpoints effectively, and the value of truly understanding the audience before planning campaigns.

Episode Notes

• Audio Strategy Insights: Gretchen talks about why audio should be treated as a distinct strategy within a broader marketing plan rather than just a checkmark in a "360-degree strategy."
• Podcast Advertising Landscape: The rapid growth of podcast advertising and how the way people consume podcasts has diversified. Gretchen highlights the importance of defining what a podcast means to different audiences.
• Key Challenges: Discusses the challenges of media attribution in podcast advertising, stressing the importance of balancing art and science to evaluate campaign success.
• Consumer Trends: Gretchen notes how consumers are increasingly discovering podcasts through social media clips and reels, as opposed to traditional podcast platforms.
• Creative vs. Data-Driven Content: Gretchen emphasizes the importance of building creative content with the consumer’s perspective in mind, instead of focusing solely on the metrics.
• AI and Emerging Technologies: The potential impact of AI in both enhancing consumer lives and in ad creation. Future trends may include more immersive podcast consumption experiences.
• Video Integration: The discussion shifts to the importance of embracing video, especially for multicultural audiences, and the challenges of using YouTube for targeted advertising within an integrated campaign.
• The Future of Podcast Ads: Gretchen predicts an increase in ad spending in audio, more audio-first approaches by marketers, and a continued push to improve podcast attribution.
• Advice for the Industry: Gretchen encourages brands to focus on consumer research before planning their audio strategy and to make informed, consumer-first decisions when approaching media buying.