Adweek: More Brands Are Betting on Podcasts

Brands are turning to a new medium to tell their stories: podcasts.

While their storytelling techniques are old school, podcasts like Serial and This American Life have taken their mainstream popularity to a new level. According to an article in Adweek, that’s why major brands like eBay, GE, Netflix and State Farm are relying on audio shows to boost their customer engagement.

More and more brands are inking partnership deals with podcasts to create branded content. But while the medium is a new source of revenue for brands, creating the right content for podcasts requires a lot of work. For starters, branded podcasts typically require big budgets. The ad content also needs to be subtle in order to keep consumers’ attention and not seem too forced.

Andy Goldberg, GE’s global chief creative officer, spoke with Adweek to explain why the brand decided to get involved with branded content via podcasts. He said, “When we looked at the podcast space, we felt it was getting past the stage of [only] interviews with Serial-type podcasts happening and people turning in over and over again.” Goldberg went on to say, “I think it’s sustainable if you have the right creative ideas going in and you know how to cultivate the audience through something that will resonate with them.”

Click here to read the full Adweek article.