• by Ray Schultz , May 13, 2021

Podcasts are widely offered via email and other channels. But measurement and attribution are a constant challenge. 

Catalina, a firm that provides shopper intelligence and personalization services, has formed a partnership with iHeartMedia to measure and attribute podcast impact on in-store purchases.  

Catalina will provide audience and measurement services within iHeartMedia’s SmartAudio platform, for CPG ad campaigns that air on the latter’s linear and streaming radio programming.

The arrangement will add TV, radio, streaming audio and podcasts to Catalina’s omnichannel coverage that includes out-of-home, digital advertising and in-store campaigns. 

The firms expect to “match deterministic shopper households across a variety of identity paths helping advertisers measure the effectiveness and success of their podcast campaigns,” says Brian Dunphy, senior vice president of Catalina’s Strategic Partnerships and Channel Sales.

The arrangement will marry Catalina audiences and measurement capabilities with CPG ads running on iHeartMedia’s multiplatform audio properties.  

In addition, Catalina now has “the capacity to reach shoppers with personalized messages at every step of the consumer journey, measure their impact, and even make adjustments in real-time to drive sales,” Dunphy says.

The firms have collaborated over the past year and have successfully completed pilot tests across podcasts and iHeartMedia’s audio properties.   

Dunphy notes that “podcast listening continues to skyrocket, with more than 115 million people in the U.S. anticipated to listen to podcasts this year—and podcast advertising expected to double over the next five years.”