Audio group SXM Media has announced the launch of a new brand safety and suitability solution for advertisers, in partnership with AI-powered podcast measurement platform Barometer and adaptive marketing automation platform ArtsAI.
With this partnership, podcast advertisers across the SiriusXM podcast network will be able to leverage Barometer and ArtsAI’s technology to have their campaigns measured and validated by a third party.
Brands can choose the desired level of suitability that podcasts need to reach before their campaigns are run against them, as well as specify parameters for contextual targeting, before having their campaigns validated. The process starts with running ArtsAI pixels on a campaign using artificial intelligence. after which Barometer will measure the suitability and safety of the campaign using AI-powered contextual targeting tools.
“Brand safety and suitability is a hot topic in podcast advertising,” said Maria Breza, vice president of ad quality and audience data operations for SXM Media. “Advertisers want assurance that their ads aren’t running beside content that may damage their brands.”
“Though we’ve offered brand suitability targeting solutions for years, we’re offering verification measurement for podcasting for the first time—giving brands the peace of mind they’ve been looking for. And we’re hopeful this advancement will bring more brands into the medium.”
Barometer and ArtsAI have a pre-existing relationship, having previously launched a joint AI Brand Integrity Daily Measurement solution in May this year, which allows advertisers to track the performance of podcast advertising campaigns, both direct and programmatic, which are already in-flight at an episode-level, rather than having to wait to see results in a post-campaign performance report.
In addition to validating their brand safety and suitability, advertisers can also stay-up-to-date on their campaigns with reporting available mid-campaign and targeting in-flight for the first time. The solution is currently only in beta, with SXM Media stating that it has already seen “strong performance in beta testing”, but will be made available to advertisers in January 2024.
As part of its efforts to tempt more brands into the podcast advertising space, SXM Media recently announced two other partnerships with programmatic ad buying platform The Trade Desk and cybersecurity company HUMAN to offer enhanced third-party measurement and brand safety solutions for audio advertisers.
Other solutions from SXM Media that the company introduced in recent years include contextual targeting based on episode-level transcriptions as well as cookie-free targeting based on habits and behaviours of listeners - as part of a partnership with media company Comscore.
The company also introduced brand suitability rating levels broken down into three categories: family-friendly content, content that is appropriate for almost everyone, and content that may not be appropriate for some listeners. SXM Media produces research reports to provide advertisers with additional information, including its in-depth podcast trend report analysing the behaviours of listeners across the biggest podcast genres.
