Podcaster Acast Launches Tool To Enhance Ad Targeting

Podcast company Acast has launched a first-party data-targeting solution for marketers within the Acast Marketplace.

This new identity graph is specifically tailored for podcasting.

Previously, advertisers were unable to pass their first-party data into the open ecosystem of podcast supply that operates via an RSS feed across listening apps to find their audiences. This was due to the lack of mobile advertiser IDs (MAIDS) and device IDs in the space, combined with the tech infrastructure of the RSS feed and how data is collected.

Acast has solved for this lack of data signals to appropriately — and at scale — match advertisers IDs to our listeners through our new identify graph. This effectively enables advertisers to use pre-existing data targeting solutions to now reach listeners within podcasts, Elli Dimitroulakos, Acast’s global head of ad innovation, told Agency Daily.

That means advertisers can leverage their first-party data to better target high-value audiences. The tool is available in the U.S. and Australia for both direct and programmatic buys.

Merkle’s 2021 Customer Engagement Report found the collection of first-party data was a high priority for marketers as privacy-related data restrictions expand, such as the end of third-party cookies, changes to Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers and the EU’s Global Data Protection Regulation. Such changes can pose a challenge for advertisers. As such, there is a greater demand and reliance on first-party data.

Dimitroulakos says Acast’s First-Party Data Targeting solution allows advertisers to "utilize their data to enable a more granular, custom approach to connecting with existing audiences while working with Acast for more upper-funnel initiatives to identify new audiences.

“We’ve created a bridge between the media buy and podcast content supply,” he adds, which will serve “more relevant ads” and ultimately “increase monetization potential for podcasters.”

B. Riley forecasts podcast revenue will hit $2.02 billion this year and rise to $2.9 billion in 2024.

Acast works with more than 2,400 advertisers each year. Brands partnering with Acast include Amazon, State Farm, Macy’s and Ikea. The company says it hosts nearly 66,000 podcasts with more than 400 million listeners monthly.

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