April 28, 2023
For advertising to be effective, consumers must believe the message that they’re hearing. Brands that build trust with consumers are more likely to earn their business and stand out from the competition.
Any medium that can build trust with consumers is an essential investment for marketers, and podcasts do it better than any other. A survey from Acast looking at different advertising mediums and how consumers perceived their brand safety found that podcasts were perceived as the most brand-safe (at 83%). To quote NuVoodoo President Carolyn Gilbert, “Podcasting has a way of engaging people and eliciting trust from them that other media may not have."
A big driver of this trust comes from podcast hosts and the relationships that listeners forge with them. According to a study from Voices, 80% of podcast listeners said they trusted recommendations from podcast hosts (by comparison 84% trusted friends and 85% trusted family members). This makes endorsements from podcast hosts an incredibly powerful asset—listeners have a close relationship with podcast hosts, and brands can leverage that relationship to gain new customers.
The trust that listeners have in their favorite podcast hosts creates a positive emotional response. According to DDB’s Adam & Eve Group Head of Effectiveness Les Binet, “emotion is the most powerful selling tool we have. And therefore, emotional media are much more powerful for building brands and generating profit.” A study that compared ads that triggered an emotional response with more traditional ads found that emotional ads scored nearly twice as high on trust and brand differentiation.
Audio mediums like podcasting are well-positioned to help brands emotionally connect with listeners. Listeners hear an ad voiced by their favorite host, and then imagine the story, leaning on their own creativity to connect with the words they’re hearing. This creates great engagement, which contributes to greater differentiation and higher trust.
According to Acast, 7 in 10 podcast listeners claim it’s the responsibility of podcasters and producers to maintain trust with listeners, and 51% would not purchase a brand if it were advertised alongside inappropriate content. This means advertisers must ensure their message is heard in an environment that listeners trust and is a good fit. This may seem challenging, but Soundrise is experienced in forming mutually beneficial relationships between sponsors, content creators, and listeners.
The future of podcasting is bright, and the medium provides a unique entertainment experience and advertising opportunity that is well-positioned to thrive in the digital age. The foundation of that is storytellers expressing their unique voice, listeners getting a great experience, and advertisers having their message heard in a receptive environment.
We hope you've enjoyed our 5-part series on what sets podcast advertising apart from other mediums. Reach out to us with any questions you have - we'd love to hear from you!
