Deep and meaningful: how the Netflix of sound can deliver for your brand

With almost 17 million weekly listeners, podcasts have landed squarely in the mainstream of ‘eyes free’ entertainment and are becoming increasingly appealing to advertisers.

And there is no reason why podcasts should be in conflict with radio. In fact, the two versions of the same medium can complement each other because of the “different listening need and listening state”, according to Chris Baughen, Global Media and Entertainment’s head of podcast production. 

“Radio says hi to everyone, podcasts are where you can have more of a deep and meaningful conversation,” says Tony McAllister, Global’s partnerships development director. The demographics are appealing too with 76% of 25-34- year olds most likely to listen to a weekly podcast. 

Broadcasting legend Johnny Vaughan, who presents a daily drivetime show on Radio X, part of the Global stable, adds: “The podcast can behave like a Match of the Day for our regular show – one is not a substitute for another.”

It’s the immersive nature of podcasts that are so appealing to brands, who are starting to feel more relaxed about attaching themselves to edgier content that they would have resisted in the past. Comedy podcasts are on the rise as are ones about shared challenges like Parenting Hell, presented by comedians Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe. “They [brands] are striving for authenticity,” explains McAllister. “Brands are now joining someone else’s conversation rather than trying to dictate the conversation themselves and they're learning to be okay with that.”

Vaughan acknowledges that the growth of the “on-demand mindset”, driven by our TV-watching habits, has helped drive podcast popularity. He describes podcast providers and platforms, such as Global Player, as the “Netflix of sound”.

Brick by brick: how Lego built the perfect pod
One of Global’s success stories is At Your Leisure, a ten-part podcast sponsored by Lego and hosted by Sue Perkins that taps into pastimes and passions people have carried from childhood through to adulthood. The podcast benefited from the amplification capacity of Global to promote across a range of channels. “This hugely successful campaign really delivered for Lego and showcased the power of audio both radio and podcasts,” says McAllister. Vaughan believes this is a great example of an integrated, thought-through approach where the link between the brand and the content is inextricable. “You can make it the point of the whole thing,” he says. “What it’s saying is ‘it’s all Lego’.”

Authentic engagement: how giffgaff supported Pride month
In June 2021, mobile network giffgaff wanted to show support for the LGBTQ+ community by encouraging audiences to have open and honest conversations. Global gave a platform to this campaign across their channels, through interviews with, among others, stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Lawrence Chaney and Baga Chipz. The Giffgaff activity was anchored in extensive partnerships with Capital XTRA’s breakfast show and Capital’s drive programme. “These were great at driving engagement and communicating key offer-led messages, but it was within podcasts that we could go that bit deeper,” explains McAllister. Hosts Suzi Ruffell and Lewys Ball gave advice and suggestions on topics that affected their community, meaning these ‘host reads’ carried an authenticity, “rather than seeming like professional endorsements”. 

Vaughan believes cracking content – such as the Lego pod – leads to a contented client: “When you’re told the sponsors are made up with this, the client’s going crazy, they love it – that's really good. But the client generally goes crazy if you produce something that's very entertaining to listen to.”