Podcast Ads Aren't Commercials—They're Part of the Story

National Public Radio has been in the podcast game for more than a decade, and as its audiences grow, so does advertisers' desire to reach them. But NPR's priority is respecting the listener.

eMarketer's Jasmine Enberg spoke with Gina Garrubbo, president and CEO of National Public Media (NPM)—a subsidiary of NPR responsible for sponsorship sales on NPR's platforms and across public TV stations—and Bryan Moffet, NPM's COO, about how the company works with advertisers to create organic ads—not commercials—that don't take away from the listening experience. The interview was conducted as part of our August report, "Podcast Advertising 2018: The Power and Potential of Storytelling for Brands."

Right now we are 40% brand and 60% direct-response advertisers. Direct-response advertisers only spend where their ads work, so the fact that they've stayed in podcast advertising for that long and are still heavily present is a sign that the medium is effective.