Today Andy Maxwell and Ralph van Dijk officially lifts the lid on EarMax Media, a new specialist podcast media agency.
EarMax soft-launched in January, and since then has been working to tackle what the pair see as lacklustre media in the podcast medium, creating wastage for advertisers and jarring ads for audiences.
Services offered by EarMax include podcast media buying, sponsorships, and creative production through sister agency, Eardrum.
Mediaweek caught up with Maxwell and van Dijk ahead of the launch to chat about EarMax’s offering and the wider podcast industry.
What gap in the market do EarMax Media’s services cater to?
van Dijk: Takes ownership of the whole communication. We know how listeners listen.
Maxwell: Scrutiny and accountability within podcast advertising. Currently, there is too much wastage across the board with lazy podcast media plans and inadequate creatives to match. We treat every campaign in its own right and are specific with audiences and content, with an emphasis on quality over quantity.
What makes your agency stand out in the market?
Maxwell: There are no other agencies that focus purely on podcast advertising, combining media buying and creative execution. We also ensure we work with smaller independent publishers and individual podcasters. It’s more time consuming but something we feel is essential to any podcast media plan.
EarMax soft-launched earlier this year, what have you learnt in that time?
van Dijk: Confirmation of the enthusiasm for brands to look into podcasting. But the reluctance to do it when the media plans are so opaque and lack of understanding with measurement.
Maxwell: Since the soft launch in Jan we’ve worked on two substantial campaigns with ANZ Bank and Explore Travel and it’s confirmed why we set up EarMax in the first place.
How do you intend to make your mark on the industry?
van Dijk: By making things more transparent in media and more impactful in the creative.
Maxwell: We will always do what is best for the brand. I won’t recommend a podcast or network unless I truly believe it will help meet the objectives we set. When you’re time-poor it’s tempting to do what’s easy but we need to always strive to go the extra mile for our clients and I believe this is what will separate us in the long run.
What is the key to effective podcast advertising, and how does EarMax achieve this?
van Dijk: Being sympathetic to the environment and understanding how listeners listen to podcasts. A conversational tone and pace, a script that doesn’t talk down to the audience, and an idea that’s as engaging as the content that surrounds it.
Maxwell: The key is looking at more than just reach and demographics. You have the advantage with podcasts that you can get a feel for who is listening from the content, the hosts, the topics. You need to do a deep dive into every show and match the messaging with that specific audience, be that a host-read ad or 30-second pre-record, so that it feels like it belongs in that show and is beneficial to who is listening.
The Australian podcast industry has been on an upward trajectory for a long time now – do you think that will continue?
Maxwell: In terms of listenership we may not see the same increases as the market matures. The latest Edison research has just been released and now 48% of all Australians have listened in the last month. However, it is one of the few mediums that has seen growth in investment, year on year, whilst other channels have struggled.
Major brands that are focusing less on performance marketing and more on long term brand building are using podcasts and I don’t believe there is a better medium to do this. AirBnb is a good example of this and if you listen to podcasts you’ll have likely heard their host-reads at some point in the last year.
What can the industry expect from EarMax Media looking ahead?
van Dijk: More success stories and a greater range of case studies of brands, across all categories, and seeing the results of an effective podcast ad campaign.
Is there a particular genre of podcast you see as the strongest/best performing for advertisers?
van Dijk: The beauty of podcasting is that there are so many genres that you can choose an environment that will perform well for any brand.
Maxwell: It depends completely on the brand and audience. A certain genre of podcast will work better for a bank and another genre will work better for a zoo.
What podcast trends stand out to you?
van Dijk: The hard to reach demographics seem to be embracing podcasts and actively seeking content they can learn from and be entertained by, without it interrupting their day.
Maxwell: I always like to see the data on attention, engagement and loyalty. There are loads of studies that show that podcast audiences are more engaged than any other medium, and this is what all podcast advertisers should be selling first and foremost.
–
Top image: Andy Maxwell and Ralph van Dijk