In 2023, Acast saw a 46% growth in the number of brands launching podcasts as part of multichannel campaigns and hiring its in-house agency Acast Creative to do so. The agency, which recently worked with L’Oréal, Samsung and Dove, handles all aspects of the campaigns, from brand matching with audio creators to audience segmentation and creative content execution.
“We’ve seen a steady increase in podcasts being included in multichannel campaigns because podcasters are often at the center of the creator economy,” Acast managing director for Canada Heather Gordon tells MiC. “Podcasters are often creating content across a variety of channels and platforms to reach and engage audiences. And advertisers are recognizing the massive influence that podcasters have and benefit from the additional reach and scale other channels bring.”
A recent study by Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights found that half of weekly podcast listeners follow their favorite podcasters on social media. According to the same study, this figure increases to 68% when looking specifically at podcast listeners ages 18 to 34. “Listener engagement is going beyond audio,” says Gordon.
The increase experienced by Acast is also due to the rise of podcasting and the addition of video to them through platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, according to Gordon. “Podcasting continues to be one of the most effective forms of advertising because of the high audience engagement,” she says, adding that 66% of Canadians agree that listening to ads is a way to support their favorite podcasters. Around 88% also say they have taken some action as a result of podcast advertising, and 91% of frequent listeners say the same, according to an Acast study.
Jeff Ulster, VP of The Podcast Exchange and a co-publisher of the Canadian Podcast Listener report, agrees. Ulster tells MiC that podcast listeners are increasingly choosing multichannel platforms to consume podcasts over standalone apps, with YouTube leading the way, which expands opportunities for advertisers and brands. In the last year, half of Canadian monthly podcast listeners used YouTube to access a podcast, while only 11% used TikTok. They occasionally consume video podcasts on Spotify, but not as frequently as they do on YouTube, according to Ulster.
“The number one reason most podcast listeners use YouTube is because it’s convenient – they already use it to consume other types of content,” says Ulster. YouTube, which is attracting new listeners and younger audiences (ages 18 to 34), can also connect them to other platforms. Around 32% of Canadians said they first started listening to podcasts on YouTube before moving on to another audio platform, according to Ulster. “This could help podcast discovery, especially among younger listeners.”
Looking ahead, Acast will continue to focus on executing campaigns with podcasts across video, social media and live events to achieve maximum scale and impact, Gordon says. “As video continues to play a great role in podcasting with simulcasting on YouTube and the great discovery algorithms for promotional clips across platforms like TikTok and Instagram, podcasters will continue to be viewed as one of the most influential pieces to the creator economy puzzle for advertisers.”
