Ad Nauseam
June 12, 2024

Sponsored by

Methodology
Goals

Methods

Ad Nauseam was designed to learn how people perceive ad

Respondents took an online survey designed to ascertain

quality and quantity in podcasting. Most people will say that

their tolerance for advertising in podcasts in a variety of

they skip or ignore ads in any medium, but we also know thatways, including the number of ads per podcast, the number

ads work! Ad Nauseam is a more nuanced look at what kindsof ad breaks in a podcast episode, drivers for ad skipping, andof ads people skip, and their tolerance for repetition.

the effect of repetition.

SampleDirection

Ad Nauseam is based upon an online survey of 1,011

Ad Nauseam was designed by Sounds Profitable’s Tom

Americans, ages 18+, who indicated that they had listened to

Webster, who has been the driver for nearly two decades ofat least one podcast in the last week. The data was weighted

podcasting studies and a leading expert in audience

using data from the US Census and Sounds Profitable’s 2023

research. The study was produced in partnership withstudy, The Podcast Landscape.

leading audio research firm Signal Hill Insights.

The Right Audience
Podcast listeners are more than ageneration younger than radio andPodcast Ads
Work.

TV consumers, more likely to
subscribe to ad-free content, andmore likely to be affluent decisionmakers.

Sounds Profitable Ad Research:

After These Messages…We’ll Be Right Back
Safe and Sound
The Medium Moves the Message
Sound You Can See
The Ad Bargain
Ad Nauseam

The Right Medium
Because podcast listeners are lessinundated with messages, they pay
more attention to the messages thechoose to be receptive to – with
podcasts leading the way.

When was the lasttime you heard a
podcast that had
advertisements in it?

Less than aweek ago,

Today,

29%

32%

Sponsored byYesterday,40%

When listening
to a podcast,
how do you feel
about the ads?

By gender
TOTAL Enjoy/Don’t Mind

48%

53%

43%

17%

20%

14%

31%

33%

43%
Sponsored by

1%

8%

29%

47%

39%
1%

TOTAL

1%

7%

Male

9%

FemaleGenerally enjoy themDon't mind them

Slightly annoying but tolerable

Disruptive and barely tolerable

Intolerable

When listening
to a podcast,
how do you feel
about the ads?

Sponsored by

By ageTOTAL Enjoy& Don’t Mind

48%

48%

17%

1%

20%

31%

28%

43%

42%

8%

TOTAL

55%

9%

2%

Age 18-34

43%
9%

21%

34%
34%
50%

37%
1%

8%

1%

Age 35-49

7%

Age 50+Generally enjoy themDon't mind them

Slightly annoying but tolerable

Disruptive and barely tolerable

Intolerable

Have you ever…
…discovered a product or service
you liked through a podcast ad?

No

42%

Yes

58%

Sponsored by…purchased a product becauseof an ad you heard on a podcast?

No

55%

Yes

45%

Ad Skipping
Most consumers tend to overstate how often theyskip ads when asked hypothetical questions. Digital
video recorder researchers have been aware of thisphenomenon for decades!

01

How do you typicallyreact when an ad
starts playing during
a podcast?

39%
30%

26%

Sponsored by

4%
Continue Leave the ad Skip the ad iflistening on, but ignore possible
withoutitinterruption

Mute the
sound

1%

0%

Pause or stop
listening

OtherAd Skipping…however, grounding the question in a specific,
familiar podcast reveals a different result.

01

Think of the last
podcast episode you
listened to that
contained ads. How
did you react to them?

68% listened
28%
22%
18%

17%
10%

Sponsored by

5%
Listened to Listened to Listened to Skipped all of Muted theall of them most of them some of them
them
sound

Left the ads
on, but
ignored them

Ad Skipping
Still, ad skipping does occur, as it does in any adsupported medium.

01

How often do you
skip ads on yourfavorite podcast?

16%

46%

29%

30%
Sponsored by

18%
7%

Always

Often

Sometimes

RarelyNever

How often do you
skip ads on yourfavorite podcast?

By gender

14%

44%

30%

Sponsored by

Always

19%

48%
29%

32%

27%

17%

19%

7%

6%

Male

FemaleOften

Sometimes

RarelyNever

How often do you
skip ads on yourfavorite podcast?

By age

19%

53%

13%

15%

44%
33%

28%

39%

26%

30%

29%
30%
Sponsored by

22%

20%

13%
5%

7%

9%

Age 18-34

Age 35-49

Age 50+

Always

Often

Sometimes

RarelyNever

Ad Skipping
The reasons behind ad skipping are myriad and notsolely down to a single motivation. The creatorsand hosts themselves, however, do play a role.

01

Are you more likely
to skip ads in yourfavorite podcast
compared to podcasts
you've just started
listening to?

58%

20%

22%

Sponsored byMore likely

Less likely

About the sameDo you believe
skipping ads affects
your support for yourfavorite podcast?

59%

25%

16%

Sponsored byYes, it might reduce
financial support forthe podcast

No, it doesn't affectmy support

UnsureAd Skipping
Ultimately, when asked about how often they pay
attention to ads, podcast listeners are the mostattentive media consumers

01

Users of eachmedium who “watch
or listen to all of theads” they encounteron…

Sponsored by28%

Podcasts

23%

Radio

18%

Streaming TV

TikTokYouTube14%

10%

Source: The Ad Bargain, Sounds Profitable (2024)

Ad Quantity
When it comes to “how many is too many,” there
may not be one single answer, but there areconsumer expectations of this number that need
to be considered.

02

Have you ever stopped
listening to a podcast
altogether because you
felt it had too many ads,
in general?

Yes,

30%
No,

Sponsored by70%

How many ads do you
recall hearing in thelast podcast episodeyou listened to that
contained ads?

Mean: 3.1 ads

6+ ads,4%
4-5 ads,

1 ad,

7%

21%
2 ads,

30%

Sponsored by

3 ads,

37%
67% 2-3 ads

Thinking again of the last
podcast episode you
listened to that containedads. In your opinion, were
there too many, fewer than
expected, or just the rightnumber of ads?

7%
9%

5%
9%

9%

57%

61%

52%

27%

24%

30%

TOTAL

Male

FemaleSponsored by

9%66% Just right/Fewer than expected
No opinion

Fewer than expected

Just the right amount of ads

Too many ads

In your opinion, were
there too many, fewer
than expected, or justthe right number ofad breaks?

6%
9%

5%
10%

8%
9%

56%

59%

53%

28%

26%

30%

TOTAL

Male

FemaleSponsored by

No opinion

Fewer than expected

Just the right amount of ads

Too many ad breaks

Think about yourfavorite podcast that
also has ads. How
many total ads do you
expect to hear in a
typical episode ofthat podcast?

Mean: 2.9 ads

4-5 ads,
17%

6+ ads,
2%

1 ad,
8%

2 ads,
34%

Sponsored by

3 ads,
39%

73% 2-3 ads

Ad Quantity
While the actual number of ads that feature in alistener’s favorite show may exceed that, thegeneral sense is that perceiving 2-3 in a typicalepisode is “just right”…but consumers are forgiving.

02

If an episode of yourfavorite podcast had
more ads than you
expected, what
would you likely do?

74%

26%

17%

Sponsored by

9%

Listen as I normally do

Stop listening to that
episodeConsider unsubscribingfrom the podcast

Imagine your favorite
podcast has an episodethat is twice as long as
usual, but you hear moreads compared to a typicalepisode. How would this
impact your listening?
Sponsored by

59%

35%

6%
I would listen to as
I would take a break I would stop listening
much of the episode from the episode andto the episodeas usualcontinue later
altogether

Structure andPositioning
Consumers are not reliable narrators of thequantity of ads in a given piece of content,
however. One factor that influences perception is
how ads are placed in the context of a show.

03

Among those hearing 2 or more ads in last podcast

How many times wasthere an ad break in
the podcast episodethat you heard?

6+ ad breaks, 5%

1-2 ad breaks,

38%

Sponsored by

3-5 ad breaks,

57%

Where do you
prefer to hear
podcast ads?

Sponsored by

At the beginning of
the podcast,
24%

At the end,
19%

Spread out evenly
throughout,
25%

During the middle
as a break,
32%

57%

Structure andPositioning
Consumers prefer to have ads “sandwiched” within
the content they enjoy – and when that happens,
they are certainly tolerant and even expectant of
two ad breaks.

03

How many times doyou expect a 30minute podcast
episode to take abreak for ads?

50%
36%

13%
Sponsored by

1%
Once, at theTwice, once at the Three times, once at Four times or more
beginning or in the beginning, and once the beginning andmiddlein the middle
twice in the middle

Frequency and
Repetition
You can have too many ads. More importantly, it
can feel like there are too many ads when people
hear the same ads – and the same creative
execution – multiple times in an episode.

04

Have you ever stopped
listening to a podcast
episode because youheard the same ad too
many times?

Yes,

24%
No,

Sponsored by76%How do you feel
about hearing thesame ad more thanonce in a single
podcast episode?

Sponsored by

51%

36%

41%

13%

I appreciate It's tolerable
It becomesthe familiarity
annoying over
time

11%

I strongly
dislike itBy gender

How do you feel
about hearing thesame ad more thanonce in a single
podcast episode?

Sponsored by

Male

40%
16%

Female

47%
31%

35%

9%

I appreciate thefamiliarity

9%
It's tolerable

It becomesannoying over
time

13%

I strongly dislike it

Frequency and
Repetition
Opinions are split on the number of times it isacceptable to hear the same ad in an episode (oneor two, but not three or more).

04

In your opinion, what is
an acceptable numberof times to hear thesame ad during a single
podcast episode?

Sponsored by

1%

1%

1%

10%

11%

8%

50%

48%

52%

40%

36%

TOTAL

Male

More than three times

Three times

43%

FemaleTwice

OnceFrequency and
Repetition
Perceptions of repetitive ads initially affectconsumer attitudes about the product or service
advertised, but over time can also erode
perceptions of the podcast itself

04

How does hearing thesame ad more than oncein a single podcast episodeaffect your perceptionof the advertised
product/ service?

48%

36%

26%
17%

10%

Sponsored by

Increases myinterest

No change

Decreases my Makes meinterest
actively dislikeitThinking about yourfavorite podcast that has
ads, does hearing thesame ad more than once
affect your overallattention to that podcast?

Decreases my attention
to the podcast,

16%

Sponsored by

No effect on my attention
to the podcast,

67%

Increases my attention
to the podcast,

17%

Does the repetition of
the same products orbrands affect youroverall attention to
your favorite podcast
that has ads?

Decreases attention,

Increases attention,

14%

23%

Sponsored by

No effect on attention,64%

If you start to notice more
frequent repetition of thesame product or brand inyour favorite podcast,
how does your reactionchange over time?

Become more annoyed/
less likely to listen,

29%

Become more
likely to listen,

16%

Sponsored by

No change inbehavior,

55%

Frequency and
Repetition
Frequency obviously plays a role in driving action…

04

Have you ever…
…discovered a product or service
you liked through a podcast ad?

No

42%

Yes

58%

Sponsored by…purchased a product becauseof an ad you heard on a podcast?

No

55%

Yes

45%

Before making thepurchase, howmany times doyou estimate youheard the ad?

Among purchased product or service due to ad in podcast

More than 5 times,

11%

Once, 9%4-5 times,

14%

Sponsored by

2-3 times,

66%

Among purchased product or service due to ad in podcast

How long after
hearing the ad forthe last time did
you decide to makethe purchase?

74%
61%

Sponsored by

17%

14%

3%
Immediately

Within a week

Within a month

After a month6%
Not sure/don't
rememberFrequency and
Repetition…but we can never forget a holistic view of thelistener, and planners must consider the entire
campaign when gauging frequency.

04

Did you hear thatad on just one
podcast, or on
multiple podcasts?

Among purchased product or service due to ad in podcast

Just one
podcast,Multiple
podcasts,

43%

52%

Sponsored by

Don't remember,

6%

Did you encounter
an ad for the
product/service onother channels?

Among purchased product or service due to ad in podcast

80%

54%

46%
29%

21%

19%

20%

Sponsored by

NET: Yes-Yes, onsocialmedia-Yes, onradio

-Yes, onYouTube-Yes, onTV

-Yes,
No, only on
onlinepodcasts(other thansocialmedia)

Frequency and
Repetition
Ultimately, if we don’t annoy the listener, they arevery likely to credit the podcast ad for their interestin a product, even in a multi-channel campaign.

04How influential
would you say
the podcast ad wasin your decision
to purchase?

Among purchased product or service due to ad in podcast

32%

72%
Influential
40%

Sponsored by

24%
1%

Very influential (5)

4%

(4)

(3)

(2)

Not influential (1)The Promo CodeFinally, some repetition can be forgiven…if it results
in remembering a good deal!

05

What makes it moretolerable to hear an
ad repeatedly?

Sponsored byAmong listeners who hear the same ads or brands too much

It's entertaining

44%

It's funny

43%

A good offer or discount37%

It's informative

36%

It's a good fit for the podcast

34%
23%

A catchy jingle or song
Personal story about using the brand or product15%

It's different than other podcast ads

14%

It's similar to other podcast ads

8%

Have you everused a promo
code you heard
in a podcast ad?

Yes

34%
No
Sponsored by66%

Have you ever useda promo code youheard in a podcast
ad?

% Yes

37%

Male

31%

Female43%

Age 18-34

37%

Age 35-49
Age 50+Sponsored byWhite
Hispanic
Black

20%

33%
37%
43%

Among used promo code heard in podcast ad

When was thelast time you
used a promo
code you heard
in a podcast ad?

Sponsored by

44%
36%
30%

15%

15%

5%
In the last 7 days

In the lastmonth

More than amonth ago

More than ayear ago

Don't remember

How did you
remember thatlast promo code?

Among used promo code heard in podcast ad

38%

23%

20%

20%

18%

17%
10%

Sponsored byMade a note Used it right Memorized it Looked it up Looked it up
or wrote it
away
to use it laterin thelater on thedown to use
podcast's
podcast's
later
show notes
websiteDid a websearch forthe promo
code

Used acouponwebsite like
RetailMeNot
or Honey

The Promo CodeCreators and hosts need to do a better job tying
the performance of these codes and discounts tothe success and continued production of the
show.

05

Why did you
choose to use
the promo code?

Among used promo code heard in podcast ad

57%

40%
24%

24%

23%

19%

Sponsored by

There was agood discount

I was very
interested in
the product orservice

The ad wascompelling

The promo code
The host
I want theunlocked a free recommended podcast to getbonus
the product or credit for myservicepurchaseCreative Execution
Turns out, ad quantity is less important than adquality. Just as consumers will remember a greatad, a lousy ad will dramatically influence ad skipping
and perceptions of ad quantity. Let’s tackle theseone by one!

06

What primarily
motivates you
to skip ads in yourfavorite podcast?

Among listeners who ever skip ads

37%
28%

26%

Let’s fix that!

Sponsored by

9%1%
Lack of interest Already familiar
Prefer to
Differences inor relevancewith theconsumevolumeadvertised content without
product/ service interruptions

Other

Creative Execution
Some people just don’t like any ads – but
podcasting has fewer of those than other media
options.

06

What primarily
motivates you
to skip ads in yourfavorite podcast?

Among listeners who ever skip ads

37%
28%

26%

Sponsored by

9%1%
Lack of interest Already familiar
Prefer to
Differences inor relevancewith theconsumevolumeadvertised content without
product/ service interruptions

Other

Users of eachmedium who “watch
or listen to all of theads” they encounteron…

Sponsored by28%

Podcasts

23%

Radio

18%

Streaming TV

TikTokYouTube14%

10%

Source: The Ad Bargain, Sounds Profitable (2024)

Creative Execution
We can never forget the top reason many people
come to the medium: to learn something new.
Excessively repeated executions of the same ad
violate that expectation.

06

What primarily
motivates you
to skip ads in yourfavorite podcast?

Among listeners who ever skip ads

37%
28%

26%

Sponsored by

9%1%
Lack of interest Already familiar
Prefer to
Differences inor relevancewith theconsumevolumeadvertised content without
product/ service interruptions

Other

Thinking about thebrands and products
you hear advertisedon podcasts, do you
agree or disagreewith the following?
Sponsored by% agree

I would like to hear more new brands

68%

I hear the same ads too much

65%

I hear the same brands too much

62%

I like learning about the brands

61%

I hear a wide variety of brands

60%
55%

Too many brands are irrelevant to me
Most brands are relevant to me
I like the familiarity of hearing many of thesame brands

45%
40%

Why are you tiredof hearing thesame ads?

Among listeners who hear the same ads too much

53%

50%

47%
35%
20%

19%

They're not
funny

They don't fit
the podcast(s)Sponsored by

They'reannoying

I'm not learning The ads are notanything new relevant to me

They're notentertaining

Thinking about yourfavorite podcast that has
ads, would you prefermore variety in the
products or brands
advertised even if it meansa higher number of ads?

48%
38%

14%

Sponsored byYes, variety is more No, fewer ads areimportantbetter even if
they're repetitive

No preferenceCreative Execution
Finally, podcasting is entertainment. Creators put a
lot of effort into making 26 minutes of every :30
entertaining, funny, and interesting. The best we
can do is to hold our ads to the same standard!

06

What makes it moretolerable to hear an
ad repeatedly?

Sponsored byAmong listeners who hear the same ads or brands too much

It's entertaining

44%

It's funny

43%

A good offer or discount37%

It's informative

36%

It's a good fit for the podcast

34%
23%

A catchy jingle or song
Personal story about using the brand or product15%

It's different than other podcast ads

14%

It's similar to other podcast ads

8%What primarily
motivates you
to skip ads in yourfavorite podcast?

Among listeners who ever skip ads

37%
28%

26%

Sponsored by

9%1%
Lack of interest Already familiar
Prefer to
Differences inor relevancewith theconsumevolumeadvertised content without
product/ service interruptions

Other

Think about the last
podcast ad you
remember hearing.
What made it
memorable?

Sponsored by

32%

It was interesting
It was relevant to me

25%

It fit well with the podcast

24%

It was funny23%

It was read by the host(s)23%

I'd heard it before

20%
12%

It was annoying

8%

It had a compelling offer OR discount
Other

1%

Creative Execution
One solution? Variety in form.

06

Think about an ad
you're tired ofhearing, what typeof ad is it?

Among listeners who hear the same ads or brands too much

41%

33%

32%
22%

21%

20%

Sponsored by

A generic announcer Ad with music or adoing the ad
jingleThe podcast host One that sounds likedoing the ad
a radio or streaming
music adAd with soundeffects

Ad with multiple
voicesWould you be moretolerant of ads in
podcasts if they weredifferent than what you
typically hear (e.g., a minidrama, a song, a quickinteractive segment)?

57% moretolerant
39%

39%

18%

Sponsored by3%
Much moretolerant

Somewhatmore tolerant

About thesameLess tolerantKey Findings
Ad Effectiveness

Ad Skipping

58% have discovered a product/service they liked through a

46% of listeners say they “always or often” skip ads on

podcast ad, and 45% have made a purchase because of a

podcasts. When asked about the last specific episode they

podcast ad.

consumed, however, that percentage dropped.

Most listeners (66%) heard an ad 2-3 times before making a

28% of listeners say they listen to “all of the ads” onpurchase, with 75% purchasing within a week of last hearing

podcasts, the highest percentage among all media channels

the ad.

tested.

Podcast ads were influential in the purchase decision forLack of interest/relevance (37%) and familiarity with the

72% of those who bought a product/service advertised.

advertised product/service (28%) are the primary motivatorsfor skipping ads.

34% have used a promo code heard in a podcast ad. Of
those, 19% did so to credit the creator or podcast. Promo
codes are often searched later in show notes or the website.

Key Findings
Ad Frequency

Ad Repetition

67% of listeners recall hearing 2-3 ads in the last podcast

51% find hearing the same ad more than once in a single

episode with ads, with an average of 3.1 ads perceived.

episode annoying or strongly dislike it.

Most listeners (56-59%) feel the number of ad breaks in their

90% think hearing the same ad once or twice in one episodefavorite podcast is just right.

is acceptable, with 40% agreeing on once.

73% expect to hear 2-3 ads in a typical episode of their

Ad repetition decreases interest in the advertisedfavorite podcast, with most preferring 1-2 breaks.

product/service for 26% of listeners and decreases
attention to the podcast for 23%.

Distributed within the content is the expected positioning
for ad breaks.

29% become more annoyed and less likely to listen when
noticing frequent repetition of the same product/brand.

Key Findings
Creative Execution
The top reason for ad skipping is a lack of interest or

Most podcast listeners hear the same ad on multiple

relevance of the ad (37%) followed by already being familiar

podcasts (52%) and four in five perceive encountering thewith the product or service (28%).

same ad in other media.

Listeners don’t find interesting, funny, or novel ads fatiguing.

The podcast ad is credited by 72% of consumers as

They do find a lack of variety in form and repetition of the“influential” in their decision to purchase a product or service

same brand/message tiresome.

they heard about on a podcast, even if it was encountered inother media.

While host-read ads are singled out as preferred, 75% felt
hat skipping ads on podcasts did not actively affect”support” for the show, and 19% used promo codes to ensure
the show got credit, the lowest cited reason for using them.

One

Don’t push it with quantity. There may
not be a “right” answer for the numberof ads, but there are expectations, andwe violate them at the risk of both
AD NAUSEAM

Actions

show and sponsor.
Two

People strongly remember two typesof ads: really great ones, and reallyterrible ones. The quality of thecreative has a significant impact onperceptions of quantity and repetition.
Three

Filling in unsold inventory with “value
added” spots for the same ad likely
doesn’t help the brand, or the show.

Four

We have a great gift in the podcast
listener. They aren’t afraid of ads, andthey won’t reject them – in fact, they
will pay more attention to them if we
AD NAUSEAM

Actions

apply the same filter to the ads as wedo the content: ads should help
someone learn something new that isgenuinely interesting, be entertaining,and be unafraid to challenge traditional
advertising forms.
Five

Hosts and creators need to do a betterjob explaining how this wholeadvertising deal works. If they don’t
love them, and tie their success to theshow, the listeners won’t either.

Podcast listeners
don’t skip ads.

They skip crap.

Ad Nauseam