Pierre Bouvard, Westwood One Chief Insights Officer, and ad tech company Magellan AI analyzed podcast ads on the top 400 podcasts through the third quarter of 2020. Their findings? Podcast advertising has been “pandemic-proof,” Bouvard said.
Last May, podcast advertising hit a low point when the total number of podcast ads detected on the top 400 shows dropped 12% from March’s pre-lockdown levels. But the dip in podcast advertising did not last long. Ad volumes swiftly recovered and continued to climb steadily, growing month over month throughout the summer and exploding in September, when the total number of ads was up 58% from January.
The number of advertisers running spots on the top 400 podcasts also confirms podcast advertising’s quick rebound. Though the number of advertisers with ads running on podcasts fell in April, by September 2020, there were a record 855 advertisers on the biggest podcasts, a 42% increase compared to April. Bouvard said the “resilience and strength” of podcast advertising from Magellan AI’s occurrence data validates the outlook by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PwC, which predict the podcast industry’s revenue will exceed one billion dollars in 2021.
Want to hear your brand’s message on the resilient and quickly growing medium of podcasts? Contact SMI today.