IPG Mediabrands starts using Nielsen’s podcast audience insights to inform media decisions

IPG Mediabrands is the first agency client to subscribe to Nielsen’s Podcast Listener Buying Power service, Nielsen announced on Wednesday. The license grants IPG Mediabrand companies Universal McCann, Initiative, ID Media, Cadreon, Brand Programming Network, Orion, MAGNA and Healix access to Nielsen’s podcast audience insights.

What Nielsen’s service does. The Podcast Listener Buying Power Service, launched in July, 2019, aims to provide podcasting networks with more audience data, such as genre preferences and purchasing habits. The data comes from Nielsen’s biannual podcast survey of 35,000 participants.

The service now has 10 podcast company subscribers, including iHeartMedia, Stitcher, Cadence13, Westwood One and Cabana.

What it does for IPG. IPG will be able to access data across 18 podcast genres and over 90 individual podcasts. That data can also be cross-referenced with the purchasing behavior and services usage data that Nielsen also surveys for.

“We are excited about the value that this data will provide in servicing all of the agencies with the insights and intelligence paramount for the success of monetization opportunities,” said Brian Hughes, EVP of audience intelligence and strategy at MAGNA. “This is beneficial to us, and the industry as a whole, as the rapidly growing podcast industry is requiring meaningful data to make sense of listenership.”

Why we care. The podcasting industry’s growth presents marketers with opportunities to reach unique audiences. However, the lack of detailed data for targeting and tracking ROI has advertisers proceeding with caution. Nielsen’s Podcast Listener Buying Power Service attracting prominent agency subscribers, such as IPG, shows a demand for more audience insights. That demand will help to drive innovation in the sector.

More on podcast advertising. Here are a few additional resources to inform your podcast advertising efforts.

• Spotify podcast ads can now track impressions, reach and audience data
• Pandora is asking users to say ‘yes’ to interactive audio ads
• Podcast listening growth continues: Mobile app usage up 60% since January 2018, study finds
• Your quick-start guide to podcast advertising

About The Author

George Nguyen

George Nguyen is an editor at Third Door Media, primarily covering organic and paid search, podcasting and e-commerce. His background is in journalism and content marketing. Prior to entering the industry, he worked as a radio personality, writer, podcast host and public school teacher.