Audacy’s Pitch to Marketers: We’re One-Stop Shopping for Audio

The audio streamer Audacy made its first appearance at the virtual NewFronts today, making the case that audio creates an intimate bond with listeners, something marketers can capitalize on with campaigns they can buy across the company’s vast network of radio stations, podcasts, website and events. “People are more receptive to receiving a message from someone they know and someone they trust,” Ken Lagana, Audacy’s evp digital sales and strategy, said during the NewFront virtual presentation, which Adweek received in advance. “Audio is the most engaging impression you can buy in media. Period. Only audio can build these kinds of relationships.” Audio expansion and rebrand Audacy engages over 170 million consumers each month across its connected platform. Part of Audacy’s pitch to marketers is its recent expansion and rebrand. Audacy launched in March, as the new incarnation of Entercom Communications, a radio broadcasting company founded in 1968 that owns 230 radio stations across the country. To bolster its foothold in the growing audio business, the company has been making strategic acquisitions over the past several years, including podcast studios Cadence13, Pineapple Street Studios and Podcorn. Popular shows that came with those acquisitions were Stay Tuned With Preet, Missing Richard Simmons and It Was Said With Jon Meacham. Audacy also acquired the sports data company QL Gaming Group. Users can access information through Audacy to make sports bets using the latest data and player stats. The rebranding under one name was a move to show audiences and marketers that it’s now a one-stop shopping for listeners' audio needs. “We were truly a house of brands that wasn't perceived by the market as a branded house,” Paul Suchman, Audacy’s cmo, told Adweek. Audacy will also present at the IAB Podcast Upfront May 13. “Our buyers are there, our audiences are there,” Suchman said. “And the planners, the strategists, the executives who will be seeing our brand and seeing our content are thinking holistically about media plans more than ever. We need to be part of that media ecosystem conversation.” New brand, new content During the presentation, Lagana described C13 Features as “studio quality movies for your ears.” While many podcasts are serialized, these fictionalized feature-length audio stories are 90-minutes long, and give marketers the opportunity to integrate brands. Three audio movies will launch later this year, including Treat, an audio movie about a small, seemingly perfect, town; Ghostwriter, which follows Kate Michaels as she ghostwrites a violent novel about a mysterious killer; and The Followers, which follows social media influencers who are traveling the world on their honeymoon until they are followed by a pair of strangers. And, next month, singer Demi Lovato’s podcast will launch. Relaunching the app When Audacy relaunches its app later this year, it will include more than 500 new digital stations, including artist-curated channels, influencer-guided channels and music from around the globe. While it might be a challenge to get listeners to switch from their go-to listening apps, Lagana and his team are working to drive traffic across platforms by meeting listeners where they’re at. For example, someone listening to one of Audacy’s sports talk radio stations will hear promotions for a sports podcast they can listen to on the Audacy app or website. “A lot of what Pandora and Spotify tend to talk about in the marketplace are their algorithms that they use to surface new content,” Lagana told Adweek. “We're actually taking the opposite approach. And we're leaning into the tastemakers and trendsetters that exists throughout our organization." He pointed to Podcorn, a marketplace of independent podcast creators. Lagana told the virtual audience: “These are the future stars of podcasting and our advertisers have a front row seat to get involved early.” This Wondrous Ad Shows the Power of Audio in Storytelling

NewFronts

Audacy’s Pitch to Marketers: We’re One-Stop Shopping for Audio

Audacy’s inaugural NewFront presentation highlighted the unique bond between audio and listeners

Tara Weiss

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Tara Weiss