Why Brands Aren't Spending That Extra $1B on Podcasts (Yet)

Why Brands Aren’t Spending That Extra $1B on Podcasts (Yet)

Advertisers want to spend an extra $1B in podcasting, but they’re holding back until we address the industry’s most significant issues.

This week on The Media Roundtable, we’ve assembled a powerhouse of CAOs to talk about the findings of our 2025 “What Brands Want” report.

At this summer’s CAO Summit, we learned that podcasting could be one billion dollars bigger… if brands had what they need today. After polling brand leaders on their hurdles and needs, the results are in.

Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) breaks down the findings with:

• Justin Fitzpatrick (Head of Performance Marketing, Found)
• Julianna Crozier (Associate Director, Influencer Partnerships & Growth Marketing, Thrive Market)
• Will Flaherty (SVP, Growth, Ro)
• Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy, Oxford Road)

The team is talking: Closing the Measurement Gap, Beating the Clutter, Minding the Macro, and more. Let’s dig in:

“Any sort of improvement that we can make on the measurement side to prove the efficacy of our ad dollars is going to only enable us to put more and more budget into the channel.” – Justin Fitzpatrick (Head of Performance Marketing, Found)

Close the Measurement Gap – The industry’s most significant hurdle to unlocking the next billion? The lack of standardized measurement, especially between RSS and YouTube impressions. We’re pushing for the big players to give CAOs standardized tracking, but until then, we recommend a two-step HDYHAU to capture performance by channel AND show. Bonus: listeners actually want to give credit to their favorite hosts; we just need to make sure there’s a way for them to do so.

Beat the Clutter – Podcasts thrive on breakthrough authenticity. Rising ad loads and undisclosed AI voice clones threaten podcasting’s golden goose. CAOs want to protect that authentic connection between the brand and host, while maintaining an authentic host/audience connection. Creators and publishers take note: brands want to spend more for results. You can grow more with fewer, customized, and authentic ads than with skippable ad blocks. CAOs, keep asking questions about ad loads and checking the Oxford Clock.

Mind the Macro – If measurement is the first blocker for expanding budgets, then macro environment concerns (e.g. tariffs) are the second. How can CAOs and creators respond? Resonant creative messaging. Our panel doubles down on understanding their audience and how their products can help current issues. Authentic partnerships with hosts and solid measurement practices (see above) give you the certainty you need to increase budgets in uncertain times.

Want more know-how on the industry’s hurdles and solutions? Grab the full “What Brands Want” report here. And for in-depth insights, check out the full episode below: