Yumi Stynes wins Podcast of the Year at 2024 Australian Podcast Awards
This year’s Australian Podcast Awards named winners in 31 categories.
Ladies, We Need to Talk – hosted by Yumi Stynes – won Podcast of the Year and also the Sex and Relationships category for its frank, funny, and fearless dive into taboo topics.
The Pool Room with Tony Armstrong took home Best Entertainment and Best Sport categories for its heart and humour in exploring untold tales of winners, losers, and the weird stories in between.
First Things First, hosted by Brooke Blurton and Matty Mills, was awarded Podcast Champion for its influential focus on Indigenous and LGBTQIA+ topics.
Journalist Marc Fennell was honoured in multiple categories, taking home Best History and Spotlight for his podcast House Of Skulls, recognising his in-depth explorations of pivotal yet often overlooked stories, as well as his wide-reaching influence.
Audience favourite Listener’s Choice went to comedy duo Toni & Ryan, celebrating their powerful connection with fans. Best Host was awarded to two of Australia’s most respected music journalists and friends, Myf Warhurst and Zan Rowe of the Double J podcast, Bang On.
The Rising Star accolade was awarded to emerging talent Pearl Tan, for her fictional storytelling and rising influence in the industry. Her podcast Diversity Work tackles race, identity, and the pressures of representation.
LiSTNR’s adtech hub drives personalisation in digital audio advertising
LiSTNR’s AdTech Hub is revolutionising digital audio advertising. It stands out with its world-first capabilities, which deliver unmatched ROI for brands. By blending efficiency with effectiveness, the Hub continues to set the benchmark for personalised and data-driven audio campaigns.
Launched in March, the AdTech Hub introduced pioneering initiatives, including expanded Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO) capabilities that incorporate factors such as age, gender, fuel prices, and live contest updates. Additional advancements include audience targeting via LiSTNR’s proprietary conversational tool and Advertiser Data Matching using clean room solutions, which drive exceptional brand outcomes.
Success stories in action
One standout campaign utilised LiSTNR’s fuel price DCO, enabling brands to align messaging with real-time price updates. In a campaign promoting a money-saving app, the fuel price trigger API dynamically adapted ad creative 56 times throughout a one-month campaign, delivering over 1.9 million impressions to 314,000 unique individuals across five metro areas. Results included a 125% increase in unprompted recall and significant action from 90% of listeners, with 37% downloading the app directly.
Another groundbreaking campaign saw Berocca harness LiSTNR’s live context dynamic triggers, pairing them with time-of-day data to deliver personalised messages. By aligning product benefits with listeners’ real-time activities, Berocca created meaningful connections. Jodie Lynch, head of marketing consumer health Australia, said: “A product like Berocca Energy has many benefits and uses that don’t fit into a single 30-second ad. This innovative campaign allowed us to reach our target audiences in relevant, personalised ways, showing how Berocca Energy can support Australians throughout their day.”
‘An authentic-sounding audio ad is far more powerful than a visual ad”: The secret to engaging listeners with sound
There’s one key secret to the success of Ralph van Dijk and Andy Maxwell from Earmax Media, a pioneering business helping brands leverage audio and podcasts to engage and build loyalty for brands.
Your ears don’t lie to you.
During a fascinating conversation with Liana Dubois on the Talking Media podcast, the trio explore the power of audio, particularly in advertising, and how sound engages listeners on a deeper, more intimate level compared to visual ads.
“Our ears are our best bull**** detectors,” van Dijk told Dubois. “And in an environment where authenticity is such a vital currency in communication, an authentic-sounding audio ad that is engaging and relatable is far more powerful than a visual ad, because the audience is actually the co-author.
Andy Maxwell and Ralph van Dijk
“They’re listening, they’re involved, they’re creating pictures in their mind, so you’ve got them. They’re participating. That’s if the creative is good, obviously.”
Van Dijk, who is also the founder of Resonance Sonic Branding, gives examples of some of the most successful sonic cues which have helped to build recognition and trust in some of Australia’s most iconic brands.
Brands like McDonald’s, Woolworths and Bunnings use distinct sonic branding to immediately trigger recall in the listener’s mind, and that power extends even when listeners are distracted, because our ears are still tuned to the sonic cues.
“The poster child for this industry is McDonald’s,” van Dijk told Dubois. “So I probably don’t even need to hum it.
“In Australia, Woolworths have been extremely consistent, so we work with them and we’re updating the Fresh Food People melody in all sorts of genres.”
He added: “Bunnings is an incredibly consistent brand. [There was a] crazy idea to use that instrument in that way, but we don’t think of it anymore, we just instantly know it and it’s been the most consistent brand.”
Matty J + Ash saddle up for 2025 launch ‘Raunchy Ranch’ calendar
Who said dad bods can’t be sexy? Certainly not podcasters Matty J and Ash Wicks from Two Doting Dads, who are roping in 2025 with their cheeky Raunchy Ranch calendar.
Thanks to Raunchy Ranch, flicking the page to a new month has never been so hot, with Matty and Ash taking the country revival to a new level in their spicy farm themed calendar. If Beyoncé can pivot to all things Cowboy Carter, so can Two Doting Dads…albeit with slightly less clothing and added assured confidence.
Shot in regional NSW, the boys were put through their paces wrangling the likes of sheep, donkeys and alpacas, and of course in nothing more than the unofficial Aussie uniform of Budgy Smugglers. The calendar isn’t just for laughs, with all proceeds going to RizeUp, a charity supporting women, and their families affected by domestic violence.
Ash Wicks, Two Doting Dads co-host said, “As the father to a young boy, I know how important it is to set an example for the next generation…Yeeeeeehaw! On a serious note, we’ve featured guests on our podcast who’ve experienced domestic violence, so we know how important it is for men to speak up about this epidemic.”
Matty J, Two Doting Dads co-host added “The thing about wrangling kids is that it’s a lot like wrangling cattle -so we felt right at home on this shoot. Not only do we hope these calendars bring joy and make the perfect Chrissie present, but the fact that they also help raise essential funds for a fantastic charity really makes all the effort worthwhile.”
The 2025 Raunchy Ranch calendar is now available for purchase here and Two Doting Dads can be heard via the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcasts.