Jottings of note:
In a unique type of audio advertising, a new spin on spoken consumer endorsements is in development from Swedish matress and household item producer Ikea, which is promoting its mattresses by recording the dream murmerings of people sleeping on them. In a new campaign called “Sleep Talk Reviews,” 90 hours of video footage (of people sleeping and murmuring) is cut down to 60 seconds. “We captured real, unscripted moments to show–quite literally–how comfortable our mattresses are,” a company spokesperson said. The ad is gaining social traction, with one blogger confessing, “I’m obsessed with Ikea’s ridiculous new mattress ad.” See the ad HERE.
Multi-national podcast giant Acast has scored a deal with global sell-side advertising company Magnite. In the arrangement, Acast’s collosal library of 140,000 podcasts will be exposed to Magnite advertisers. That inventory generates more that one billion listens quarterly, according to Acast. “The collaboration responds directly to the growing demand from media buyers for simpler, more unified access to audio alongside digital video formats.” — that’s from Acast’s press release. One main advantage is tying together advertising opportunities across media categories that include podcast, connected TV, and online video. “This partnership with Magnite is a game-changer for the advertising industry and the podcast ecosystem as a whole,” said Michael Bayston, VP AdTech Solutions & Programmatic at Acast. Matt Schmidt, VP, Revenue Strategy at Magnite, predicted: “This year, the global podcast audience is expected to surpass 500 million listeners.”
Insights and Highlights
Edison Research will present the UK version of its Podcast Consumer 2025 report, following the U.S. version which was unleashed last week (RAIN coverage HERE). Unsurprisingly titled The UK Podcast Consumer 2025, and offering a comprehensive examination of the podcast listening and watching landscape in the UK, the survey results will be presented on Thursday, August 7 at 2pm British Summer Time. Edison promises to reveal “growth statistics for podcast consumption in the UK, showcases key demographic insights, and highlights tools advertisers can use to plan ads and measure their effectiveness.” Free registration HERE.
July 31, 2025
