BY: Mackenzie MacNeal ’18
Oprah Winfrey’s podcast, Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations, sold majority of its advertising slots within 24 hours of them becoming available. According to AdWeek, The Oprah Winfrey Network partnered with Midroll Media to secure advertisers who will pay to promote their products and services during the podcast.
Midroll Media is a niche advertising company that seeks to market to consumers while they are listening to podcasts. According to a study done by comScore in 2016, podcast advertisements were considered less intrusive than ones on other digital outlets. Podcast audiences have significantly grown in the last year and there are several reasons for this growth. The widespread use of devices such as phones, tablets, and iPods is one reason for the growing audience. AdWeek also credits the existence of more appealing content for attracting more listeners.
Since more people are listening to podcasts, advertisers now have an additional medium to promote their products and services. Podcasts also offer advertisers the opportunity to market to very specific demographics. Since podcasts are classified by genres, listeners can easily find the content that most interests them.
Podcasts are also all about content, so advertisers can be assured listeners are, well, doing so intently. Another advantage of advertising via podcasts is that majority of individual podcasts are part of a series. Brand mentions at the beginning of a series and continuously throughout the series have the potential to increase brand recognition.
Oprah Winfrey’s podcast is proof of the advertising power of this media. Her reputation quelled the concerns of advertisers uncertain about this marketing strategy. Consumers are ingesting what they are listening to, which is why the advertisements are more effective and less intrusive.
With loyal audiences and strong creative content, podcasts are a unique way for companies to create a broad strategic marketing campaign and to reach niche audiences they might otherwise miss.
Mackenzie MacNeal is a junior Advertising/Public Relations major. In her free time, she enjoys writing, tutoring, and participating in Marywood’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter.
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