This Week’s Influencer: How to Make B2B Business Ads Pop, Despite High Competition; Apple Goes All in With Ads, Brand Studies Work, and More…

B2B marketers don’t have the luxury of choosing between building brands or boosting ROI, they need to do both. So how do you do it? You listen to this week’s special guest, who’s spent her entire career managing this delicate balancing act.

On this week’s Media Roundtable: Special Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) hosts veteran CMO Laura Goldberg (CMO, Auctane, Stamps.com, ShipStation). Laura’s been everywhere, including prime time with the NFL, where she learned brand-building, to CMO roles at podcast mainstays like LegalZoom and Constant Contact.

Join Dan and Laura as they cover: The Numbers, B2B Storytime, The Arms Race, and more. Let’s dig in.

“ I want you to feel great about our brands, and that you trust them, but I also want you to transact.” – Laura Goldberg (CMO, Auctane, Stamps.com, ShipStation)

Know Thy Numbers, Love Thy Tools – Laura has two key tips for CMOs. First: know your numbers well. Whatever’s most important for the business, get in the weeds and make sure you’re tracking it. Second, embrace the tools at your disposal. The tech stack is constantly improving, so it pays to get curious about what’s out there and see how it can drive your key metrics. (Steal Laura’s idea for a Shark Tank day where vendors pitch you new tools.)

Why B2B loves Podcasts – B2B companies don’t always have a physical product, which makes podcast endorsements a dream format. Hosts can just tell customers a story that helps listeners feel what it’s like to use the product. Laura remembers the “a-ha moment” when she first heard an ad hoc story about using her product. That transformed the ad from a list of dry features to something organic, persuasive, and alive. B2B wins on podcasts because it gives listeners more time to feel the story.

Stay out of the Arms Race – Sometimes you’re the biggest company, and you can press your advantage, but most companies can’t compete in every channel. That’s why you need to know your space and look for your strategic advantage. Get sharp with your public-facing hygiene (up-to-date Wikipedia & accurate Reddit moderation), since that will drive AI search results. Turns out forced scrappiness can be a blessing in disguise.

For insights from a CMO who’s thrived in B2B through changing landscapes, check out the full episode below.

The Classifieds

This Hilarious Four-Leaf Clover Is Your Testing Good Luck Charm

Network: Acast / Monthly Downloads: 30k

March is a double header for heritage months, and our first classified is in celebration of Irish-American Heritage. Hosts Tommy Tiernan, broadcaster Hector Ó hEochagáin,and podcasting producer Laurita Blewitt are beloved figures in the Irish comedy scene. This seasonal offering often records at live shows, which creates an electric back and forth between these hilarious hosts and a highly receptive audience. Their style of humor is aligned with conversational bits that often involve wild stories, vivid recollections, and outlandish impressions.

For those keyed into the Irish comedy scene, or who want to connect back to their homeland, this podcast has been consistently lauded as a comfort. Advertisers with broad international appeal have historically leaned into that messaging in creative reads, often with great success. The newest season has yet to premiere in 2026, so there’s still time to book your test today. If you’re ready to visit the Emerald Isle, click the link below.

Get The Deal

A YT Legend Dives Deep Into the Shadowy Side of Life

Network: Red Seat Ventures / Monthly Downloads:  770k

Our second classified opportunity is in celebration of Women’s History Month, and who better as a representative than legendary YouTuber Bailey Sarian. The morbid makeup queen has been a mainstay in the true crime ecosystem for half a decade. Sarian built a niche genre into two podcasts and a YouTube channel that boasts nearly 8 million subscribers. Bailey is universally praised for her high production value, thorough research, and makeup skills.

Though her bread and butter is true crime, Dark History covers a broader spectrum of topics, including tales of the occult, scams, and historical atrocities. These episodes have a less constrained structure than her past content, allowing her to connect more easily with her fans while showcasing her ribald humor. This is recommended for those seeking top-tier opportunities in True Crime and History that are female-skewed or heavily video-driven. Creep down into the murky dark with us by clicking below for more information.

Get The Deal

In Case You Missed It

Video Podcasts Are Growing. Apple Is Playing Catch-Up

This week, we’re starting off with Coleman Insights look at Apple’s renewed push into video podcasts. Apple has supported video via RSS since 2005 but largely stopped promoting it. Today, 85% of consumers define podcasts as audio or video (up from 75% in 2023), and 77% say they switch between formats. That shift should be a tailwind, but Apple’s audience is aging: among 18–24s, Apple Podcasts usage falls to single digits. Apple is playing catch-up on video, and the move is smart in one important way: it sets Apple up to be more advertiser-friendly. But the article’s warning stands: YouTube has a multi-year lead in video (and it’s why Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, and Apple will struggle to catch them). The marketing implication in 2026 is straightforward: if video podcasts are on your plan, YouTube should be the centerpiece, with everything else treated as experimentation.

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The Audio Strategy Gap That Marketers Still Haven’t Solved

An EMARKETER survey commissioned by Amazon Ads finds 67% of marketers now include streaming audio and podcasts in their media mix. The top cited strength is incremental reach as their main motivation for choosing their media mix (52%). Marketers also see commerce potential: 25% believe consumers shop while listening, which skews performance. The biggest constraint on scaling spend remains ROI measurement (55%). Audio attribution has improved, but reliable measurement is still a challenge for marketers. This survey shows the gap is real. Marketers say the top reason to buy digital audio is incremental reach, but many still judge it like a pure performance channel. The move for 2026: use audio to extend reach and drive performance, and work with your partners to gain confidence in measurement.

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Brand Lift Is the Incrementality Metric Marketers Need

Signal Hill Insights looks at how brand lift studies measure incrementality by comparing exposed vs. control group reactions. In this case study: a YouTube podcast ad campaign for a home internet brand showed a 12-point lift in consideration (52% exposed vs. 40% control baseline). Even brands with high awareness (72% familiarity) can see demonstrable incremental lift in mid-funnel metrics. For marketers looking to improve audio measurement, add brand lift studies to your toolkit. They quantify incrementality by comparing exposed and control groups, which gives you proof of impact beyond clicks and last-touch attribution.

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#SaveTheLiveReads

Putting Acorns Away Early Doesn’t Have To Be Pedantic

For this week’s stellar read, we’re spotlighting Dr. Mona Amin, host of The PedsDoc Talk Podcast. She opens her Acorns Early sponsorship with a quick story about her son’s crafting, immediately connecting with parents listening. The moment naturally leads into a conversation about teaching kids the value of money, making the brand feel like a real solution rather than a scripted insert.

Dr. Amin highlights features like the chores tracker and savings goals through the lens of her own parenting, keeping the message simple, relatable, and sincere. It’s a strong reminder of the value of working with creators who truly understand their audience and know how to integrate a brand into the conversations listeners already trust them for.

If you want to hear this thoughtful read in action, listen via the provided link.

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OXFORd In The News

The Indie PAC Awards Get the Hollywood Reporter Treatment

The Hollywood Reporter is talking about us… and we’re not mad about it. The inaugural Indie PaC Awards got its first major press hit ahead of our March 15 debut at Podcast Movement Evolutions during SXSW in Austin, TX. Independent podcasters and creators built this industry from scratch. Sunday, we celebrate them. Grab your spot here.

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