The Industry’s First PodLoad Report - How Many Ads Are Too Many?; Why GARM’s Dissolution is a Win In Disguise for Brand Safety; Podcast Moves Abound

For every podcast ad you’ve bought, there’s a hidden variable that swings performance in double-digit percentages. It’s time to talk about that.

This week, in a ground-breaking episode of the Media Roundtable, we reveal our newest report, The Danger of Rising PodLoad: How Increasing Clutter Erodes Podcast Advertising Value. This industry-first case study on ad loads and performance answers the question that every CAO wants to know:

“What’s the right amount of ads for a podcast?”

Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road) joins Pete Birsinger (CEO & Founder, Podscribe) onstage at our recent CAO Summit to present the PodLoad Report. Oxford Road partners with Podscribe to analyze 1.7 Billion podcast impressions across 1800+ shows, tying ad loads to real performance for 159 brands.
Here’s what we found:

“If the ad load of an episode goes from 5% to 15%, you can reasonably expect a 30-40% drop-off in conversion rate.” – Pete Birsinger, CEO & Founder, Podscribe

Ad Load Matters ⚖️- Ad load: the percentage of ads in every podcast. 10 minutes of ads in a 100 minute podcast? Ad load is 10%. When shows go past 6% ad load, performance starts to dip. Your Cost Per Purchase will be around 12% worse when ad loads hit 10%. When ad loads hit 15%? It’s 31% worse.

What’s At Stake – Compared to other channels, podcast ads are well tolerated, for now, anyway. Nearly half of listeners enjoy or don’t mind podcast ads. Less than 10% of listeners find ads intolerable. Plus 28% of listeners watch/listen to all of the ads, the high mark for all media surveyed. This is the secret sauce of podcasting. But increasing ad loads can erode podcasting trust–and effectiveness.

Starting the Oxford Clock ⏳– Ad load for shows and publishers vary widely. That’s why we propose a standard breakdown of an optimized podcasting hour. Presenting the Oxford Clock. It features a 10% ad load, emphasizing live reads and balancing listener, host, network, and brand needs. Have a show going beyond 10% ad load? Time to start asking for a discount.

For insights that’ll change the way you buy podcast ads, check out the full episode and click here to dive into the PodLoad Report.

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The Classifieds

Don’t Turn That Dial

Network: Dear Media / Monthly Downloads: 150k / Current Civility Score: Pending

While social media is a space rife with hostility and bad vibes, comfort creators provide a shining light in the darkness. This week, two such personalities have launched brand new podcasts for our eartertainment. Our first comes from Dear Media, hosted by TikTok and Instagram star Bretman Rock. Boasting an astounding 18m followers per handle, Bretman is seen as a charismatic, magnetic influencer with a heart of gold. In the first couple of episodes, Bretman muses over his own personal growth, cultural identity, and his family. (He cares so much about his tribe, that he even interviewed his niece.) Though the show has not gained a sponsor just yet, this is a great opportunity for advertisers looking to reach a Gen Z demo of internet-focused young professionals. Be da baddest marketer in podcasting by clicking the link below.

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Definitely a Girl’s Girl

Network: Brat TV / Monthly Downloads: 65k / Current Civility Score: Pending

Anna Sitar proved to be a beacon of hope during the pandemic, while promoting a positive outlook on the concept of self-fulfillment. Her 11.9m followers watched intently as she journeyed through the last stages of her Master’s degree, an alleged break-up, a move, and many many OOTDs. Always intent on being more quirky than queenly, and friend vs foe, Anna has become the ultimate girl’s girl of TikTok. In her newest venture with Brat TV, she provides a more intimate, exclusive experience, sharing her unvarnished opinions on love, life, and her own personal pursuit of happiness. Like her internet content, Anna touches on interesting, meaningful topics like; sobriety, the importance of communication in relationship building, and international travel tips. This is a great opportunity to reach young women intent on improving mental health. Guide your way to the link below for more.

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In Case You Missed It

What’s the HARM with GARM?

After last month’s congressional hearing and more recently, a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter), The Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) has “discontinued” activities. GARM was an initiative formed in 2019 by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) providing tools to help advertisers avoid inadvertently supporting harmful and/or illegal content. Musk’s allegation is that GARM “organized to collectively withhold billions of dollars in advertising” because the group was concerned Twitter had deviated from brand safety standards. Here at the Influencer, we actually look at this as a step in the right direction, but not because of the reasons Musk or the Judicial Hearings suggest. Oxford Founder and CEO, Dan Granger sums it up perfectly in a recent post, and rather than paraphrase, curious CAOs can click here to read on.

The Podcast A-List Moves

Podcasting has matured, marked by strategic dealmaking and acquisitions. SmartLess, hosted by Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes, transitioned from Wondery to SiriusXM in a $100 million deal. Wondery, in turn, acquired Armchair Expert from Spotify for $80 million. Meanwhile, Call Her Daddy’s Alex Cooper and the Kelce brothers’ New Heights podcast are also seeking high salaries. There are now fewer ‘walled-garden’ deals, with more companies opting for exclusive sales and first-look agreements with podcasters, while allowing distribution across multiple platforms. The Hollywood Reporter piece offers an excellent overview of the key players in podcasting and the recent reshuffling of network representation. It’s a worthwhile read for CAOs already in the space or those looking to incorporate podcasts into their marketing strategies.

Pay Attention to This

Adelaide’s Attentiveness Measurement Report has found that advertising attention varies across media platforms. To achieve the same attention as a $1,000 AM/FM radio advertising investment, digital ads, TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and Reddit would require twice as much. Traditional media ads have greater engagement compared to digital ads, with audio platforms satisfying unique needs. The Association of National Advertisers reveals there are three stages to what they define as the Attention Pathway:
1. Get Noticed
2. Hold Attention
3. Impact Memory

CAOs, not all ad impressions are the same. This report from the Cumulus Media | WWO Audio Active Group demonstrates that attention matters. Good news: audio excels as a high-attention medium for advertisers.

Listeners Like Their True Crime

The 2022 Sounds Profitable study, Safe and Sound, highlights true crime podcasts’ strong audience engagement and brand loyalty, with only 9% of respondents disagreeing with the phrase ‘I like it when a brand supports my favorite true crime podcast.’ Despite resembling TV procedurals, brands often avoid the genre due to its association with murder, missing an opportunity to connect with a dedicated audience. CAOs: don’t fear true crime. It’s where a lot of your audience lurks.

Learnin’ about EarnIn

Never Not Funny: The Jimmy Pardo Podcast shares a bit of invention FOMO after learnin’ about EarnIn! Jimmy Pardo exuberantly substantiates how finding out about EarnIn was an “ah-ah” moment. If only he could have come up with that idea! Pardo’s earnest sincerity and positive influence generate a glowing recommendation for the popular ‘make any day payday’ app. The combination of his setup and delivery is effective within the timeframe for EarnIn’s sponsorship. Instead of feeling limited to the 60 seconds allotted for his live read, Jimmy efficiently delivers the goods. Through playful humor, Never Not Funny: The Jimmy Pardo Podcast adds another level of greatness you can take to this week’s #STLR bank!

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If you’ve read this far, thank you!

The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road.
If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients.

Interested in seeing how we could help your business?
Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com!