This Week’s Influencer: Kraig Kitchin & Stew Redwine Recap CAO Summit ‘25, Give a Radio History Lesson, Discuss Audio’s AI Future, and Much More

Want better insights into the chaotic world of podcasting? You need to hear from the audio experts, who’ve returned from their hiatus to discuss all things CAO Summit 2025.

The world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back! Presenting Ad Infinitum Season 3, Episode 11: “When the Helmets Come Off—Kraig T. Kitchin at CAO Summit 2025”

Host Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) welcomes back Hall of Fame legend Kraig T. Kitchin (Senior Strategic Advisor for Oxford Road) to break down their biggest takeaways from July’s event.

“[The CAOs] brought their best material and they didn’t hold back vulnerabilities of the goods, the bads, and the uglies of what it is they do.” – Kraig T. Kitchin (Senior Strategic Advisor for Oxford Road & Bonafide Audio Legend)

Collaborators, Not Competitors: One magical part of the CAO Summit? The attendees – some of the biggest names in podcast advertising – were honest about their successes and challenges. Fierce competitors took off their game faces and helmets and became vulnerable–sparking breakthroughs for all attendees. The lesson? Mutual success in our industry can grow the pie for all.

Audio’s Built-In Edge: What makes podcasting talent different? Their ability to manage two vastly different roles: the entertainer and the authentic salesperson. Since the days of radio, audiences have been comfortable with hosts playing dual roles, which has proven to be a strength for the medium. However, to maintain the effectiveness of ads, podcasting should also look to radio as a cautionary tale. Oversaturate the content with ads, and you will lose the audience. CAOs, when you’re buying ads, keep an eye on ad load. For best performance, we recommend no more than 10%.

Use AI to  Be More Human: At an event where in-person interactions, vulnerability, and authenticity reigned, one question echoed throughout the halls: how do you reconcile the human touch with the growing power of AI in creative? Stew lays out the cure: “The antidote to the fear of AI is caring.” AI can do a lot of work, but it can’t care for you. For the most potent creative, care for your audience, and your product shines through. However you choose to integrate AI into your work, it should always center on humans. The hosts, your audience, your partners, and your own creative sensibilities. Ensure that any AI elements facilitate deeper connections for you, rather than trying to replace them.

Want more views from the top of the (CAO) Summit? Tune in to the full episode here:

The Classifieds

Every Angel Gets Its Wings

Network: Playmaker Podcast Network / Monthly Downloads: 100k

As women’s sports continue their rise in popularity, advertisers have begun looking for ways to meet fans outside of stadiums and fields. Women’s basketball has exploded in popularity thanks to players such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, so it only makes sense that the latter has decided to start her own podcast. Launching its second season next month, Unapologetically Angel is a sit-down interview show presenting weekly conversations with her friends, collaborators, and cultural equals. Guests from season one included reality star and musician Chrisean Rock, rapper Lady London, and American football player/NFL commentator Cam Newton. The show has availability for Q4 testing, as well as social & title sponsorships, live events, and more. This is a solid opportunity for sports-focused advertisers or those looking to reach a female-skewing audience interested in African-American cultural touchstones. If you want an invite to the Bayou Barbie dream house, ring the bell in the link below.

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A Trio of Legends Create a Hall of Fame Podcast

Network: Nativ.ly / Monthly Downloads: 250k

There’s a party going on over at Nativ.ly, and the guest list contains some of the biggest names in women’s sports. Women’s sports icons Abby Wambach, Billie Jean King, and Julie Foudy are inviting you to join them week after week to discuss the hows, whats, and whens associated with women’s sports. Coming from the disparate worlds of tennis and soccer, these co-hosts discuss a wide range of sports-related topics that haven’t always gotten their due. Since premiering in September, the show has featured interviews with well-known figures, including NBC Sports presenter Rebecca Lowe, WNBA star Breanna Stewart, and retired US track and field Olympian Allyson Felix. Advertisers seeking opportunities across multiple sports are highly encouraged to test at this time. This is a home run, ace, turkey, hat trick, and touchdown that will have you seeing gold, so if you want to lock in your place at the podium, please click below.

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In Case You Missed It

Dynamic Sponsorships or Disappearing Brand Placements?

YouTube is reportedly rolling out new tools that allow creators more flexibility to integrate and manage brand partnerships. The most significant shift for advertisers: creators will be able to dynamically insert or swap branded content within long-form videos. That means embedded ads aren’t permanently locked into a piece of content and can be updated, resold, or customized by market. YouTube says this move helps creators monetize more flexibly. For advertisers, it’s a double-edged sword. The upside is more inventory, lower barriers to entry, and new ways to integrate into content. On the other side, the shift to dynamic ad swaps risks weakening the halo effect that baked-in ads provide, which is one of the larger appeals for the buy type. Time will tell how the change affects this growing influencer channel’s ability to monetize while maintaining performance for advertisers.

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Nielsen: Why You Should Reallocate Some TV Dollars

Audacy is leaning on Nielsen and Commspoint data to argue that reallocating even small slices of TV spend into AM/FM radio and streaming audio delivers outsized gains in reach and impressions. A simulated March 2025 plan shifting 15% of TV dollars to radio nearly doubled impressions (11.7M to 21M) and lifted reach from 44% to over 70% without increasing spend. The analysis also highlights radio’s ability to connect “engagement gap” audiences that use little TV or the internet to advertisers. Reaching light TV viewers is great, but that ship has already sailed. About three-quarters of ad spend is in digital. Radio needs to show how it complements digital so it works even harder to reach your goals. It can’t just hang its hat on extending TV reach, because that slice of the pie keeps shrinking.

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Spanish Podcasts: The Secret Weapon Brands Ignore

In a LinkedIn post, Edison Research highlighted the growing influence of Spanish-speaking podcast audiences. Hispanic listeners engage deeply with shows in both English and Spanish. Younger Hispanic listeners are setting broader digital media trends, adopting a mobile-first and personalized approach to their audio habits. The Hispanic population accounts for nearly 20% of the U.S. and is growing, and brands that engage with this audience see success. Spanish-language audio, especially within the podcast space, is no longer niche. The brands that tap into the culture right will gain an advantage.

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#SaveTheLiveReads

Shopify Brings a Divided, True Crime Couple Together

Murder With My Husband, starring true-crime-loving couple Payton and Garrett Moreland, who partner with Shopify as the host for their merch store, graces our #STLR spotlight this week. Opening the spot with a playful “Shopify” chant, the duo immediately showcases their seven-year history with the platform, providing the listener with the credibility and warmth of a personal recommendation rather than a scripted pitch. Instead of rattling off generic features, they weave in personally tested benefits, such as ease of use, intuitive design, and powerful tools for both online and in-store sales, creating a clear picture of how Shopify helps small businesses grow. Their upbeat, conversational tone makes even complex features, such as POS integration and first-party data, sound approachable and straightforward. They conclude with an irresistible call to action, encouraging listeners to jump in and start selling. While this husband-and-wife duo might not agree on everything, including the topic of their podcast, one thing is clear: they both give Shopify an enthusiastic chant of approval.

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OXFORd In The News

Back the Indies Before It’s Too Late

Our very own Giles Martin (EVP of Strategy, Oxford Road) just dropped a wake-up call in Fast Company’s Ask The Experts column. His message? Don’t let shiny video podcasts from big networks distract you from the soul of the medium: independents. Yes, buying indie shows comes with less-flashy production and trickier measurement, but that’s precisely why they need marketplace support. Giles argues that without brand investment, the voices that make podcasting authentic and diverse risk being drowned out by cookie-cutter video productions from major networks. The bottom line: if advertisers want podcasting to keep its edge, they need to put dollars behind indie creators, imperfections and all.

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Oxford Road’s Podload Report In Practice

The Wall Street Journal just profiled tech-bros-turned-podcasters John Coogan and Jordi Hays of TBPN, who’ve built an 11-month-old daily live show into a $5M revenue-generating machine. Their latest move: hiring newly elected president Dylan Abruscato to triple that number by 2026. And tucked inside the piece was a beautiful shoutout to Oxford Road’s Podload Report (built in conjunction with Podscribe), which gave TBPN the baseline on how much ad load their show could handle. While the industry average sits at 10.9%, TBPN clocks in at just 5% — proof that moderation is key. For us, it’s validation that our research isn’t just theory; it’s shaping real business strategy at one of the hottest indie shows in media.

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