Andrew Heinzman
Spotify is all about targeted advertising and personalized content. So it’s no surprise that the company hates podcast ads, which don’t collect user data and re. Now, Spotify wants to fix podcast ads with a modern metrics system and clickable in-app promo codes that you don’t need to memorize.
Podcasts began as downloadable shows, where modern advertising methods are non-existent. Advertising on a downloadable show is similar to advertising on a magazine or radio station—you can guess a podcast’s general audience, but you can’t observe their age, interests, or how often they interact with ads. And while most people stream their podcasts today, the format’s advertising method is stuck in the dark ages (which is why you kept getting ads meant for Class of 2020 graduates).
In a Spotify for Brands blog post, the company’s senior product marketing manager explained how new Spotify Podcast Ads use a system called Streaming Ad Insertion to make ads as profitable as possible. Instead of blindly throwing money at the top shows, brands can buy targeted ad space based on people’s interests and observe how effective their ads are in real-time.
Also, and this is a big one, Spotify wants to stick promo codes in the Details section for all podcast episodes. That way, you can buy discounted goods or services from advertisers without memorizing “discount code BALDBABY,” or whatever.
As of today, Spotify’s Streaming Ad Insertion system is only available on Spotify-exclusive podcasts. The built-in promo codes system is still in its testing stage, but you can see it in action by visiting the Last Podcast on the Left‘s Spotify page.
