People love podcasts! Listeners doubled in four years from over 200m in 2019 to more than 460m in June 2023, and global listeners are set to blow past half a billion by 2024*.

As brands head into this audio space with its channel-specific challenges, they need effective support; to tackle brand safety; and to lock in listeners through meaningful audio media experiences. Trailblazer Dave Byrne, Director, Global Advertising Platform Integrity at Spotify and an expert in brand safety and brand suitability joins our host Ben Downing, Global Managing Director, Ethical Media & Strategic Partnerships, Havas Media Network to get to the heart of effective strategies for brands to create meaningful audio moments which connect, in the right audio context, to engage with listeners.  

Key challenges in the audio brand safety arena discussed during the conversation include: tone of voice, ‘Is somebody saying something as a joke or are they saying something as a legitimate, harmful thing? The evolution of language, an innocuous term today could be a term used to spread misinformation next week; and the nuances of language from one country to the next, with different meanings for the same term or word.

Dave and Ben delved deep into the entire media experience: “As much as we talk about content and brand safety, where we've had to focus on in audio is more about the context versus content,”  said Dave. Some advertisers have negative keyword lists which don’t reflect the broader context of what is being said, rather than focusing on individual keywords or individual pieces of content within the media.

“The concept of brand safety, or sometimes we use the term brand suitability, has become so central. This idea of media experience, because it's not only about content, it's about the context and the connection the audience has from those two things. The connections forged by that context and content,” added Ben.

Bubbling to the service was the notion that brand suitability and effectiveness are often the same conversation. "I have seen multiple, multiple times that when brands get brand suitability right engagement metrics soon follow,” underlined Dave.

On reach Dave added: “Just because you've got a million eyes looking at your ad doesn't mean you're appearing in the right environment, that those million ads, a million eyes are going to make an action, are going to change things. There’s definitely something to be said about bringing it sometimes back to basics of what is good media to buy. I can't tell you how many times in audio medium people are “Oh, we want to be here on this playlist". We ask what kind of audience do you want to capture? And actually that audience is in all these other places. It’s about not sacrificing revenue, profitability, engagement for the sake of other metrics that may be assigned.”

For all marketers involved in, or heading into, the burgeoning audio space this is a conversation not to be missed! Enjoy! 

* Source: DemandSage  

Useful inks

GARM

Spotify Advertising

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