Acast debuts personalized podcast advertising, powered by A Million Ads

Acast announced that it is launching its first personalized podcast ads. The podcast platform’s latest feature is powered by A Million Ads, and the service will be available across Acast’s entire global network. Advertisements can be personalized by listener data such as time of day, weather, location, show name, show category, or device type. According to the press release, elements including the voiceover, the sound effects, and the music of an ad can be customized to a particular listener’s specific situation.

The first brand to take advantage of the new technology on Acast is iD Mobile. The company is targeting comedy podcast listeners in the UK and the ad copy will be adjusted to call out particular cities and will offer different deals based on what brand information a listener has already heard. The campaign will have 23,100 different possible versions of the advertisement.

“Podcasting is so unique because listeners are more engaged than in any other medium,” Acast Chief Commercial Officer Oskar Serrander said. “Making ads fit that super-intimate experience is crucial for advertisers to be successful, and for us to make ads as effective as they can be. We are proud to be the first to offer personalised ads with A Million Ads in a way that podcasters, advertisers, and listeners and will love.”

“Podcasting is such an intimate and personal medium, so ad experiences in this environment need to be sensitive to that,” said Steve Dunlop, founder and CEO of A Million Ads. “We’ve built a tool and designed a creative approach that enables advertiser to respect each user by personalising each ad to them. It’s great to be partnered with Acast and I look forward to driving innovation in podcast advertising together.”

“We pride ourselves on listening to and serving our customers’ individual needs, having delivered features and plans based on what customers have told us in the past they want from their mobile network,” added Lewis Henry, head of customer and marketing for iD Mobile. “The chance to extend this by serving them bespoke adverts around their chosen comedy podcasts is a brilliant opportunity. Partnering with Acast to launch the first personalised podcast advertising campaign has allowed us to truly tailor our messaging to customers at the busiest time of the year.”

Anna Washenko