Many companies have taken to the podcasting world to increase their brand awareness. If you’ve ever heard a podcast host shout out a product or service, then you’ve seen this in action. But some CPG companies have taken this type of advertising to the next level. But how? By creating engaging, branded podcasts that are focused around the companies themselves or things related to the company. This approach can be highly effective if care is taken to create a podcast that is interesting and seeks to inform and engage their consumers. In this blog, we’ll talk more about branded podcasts and how they are being used today.
What are CPG Companies?
First, if you’re not familiar with the term CPG, it refers to “consumer packaged goods.” To give you an idea of what that means, it essentially refers to companies that produce a large amount of goods that are in high demand, sell quickly, and are relatively non-durable. This means products like beverages, food items, cosmetics, toiletries, etc. These tend to be fairly large-scale companies like Coca-Cola or Dove. CPG companies are constantly looking for new, interesting ways to advertise their products. Podcasting is just one of the many ways they reach their customers, but podcasting can also be one of the most cost-effective ways that they can reach them.
What are Branded Podcasts?
When a brand or company creates a podcast, typically they’ll put their name behind it. That’s why you’ll often see the “presented by” phrase after a podcast name, and then the company who funded and created the podcast. These podcasts are known as branded podcasts and they’re a great way to give listeners an inside view of their favorite brands or companies. It can offer unique anecdotes, history, or even behind-the-scenes information about the company. A branded podcast is a great way to essentially peel back the layers and engage with consumers on a deeper level.
Using Branded Podcasts to Increase Brand Awareness and Consumer Engagement
When you hear of brands like these, you might wonder why they even advertise in the first place. After all, they’re well-recognized enough to continue to sell their products no matter what. However, brand awareness can’t be underestimated. By keeping your product at the top of consumer’s minds, it gives them that extra push when they’re in the grocery aisle to go with what they’re most familiar with. Advertising also increases audience engagement, which creates fans of the brand, rather than just consumers. These are repeat customers, which are extremely important to the longevity of a brand.
So what does this have to do with podcasts?
Well, with podcasts becoming one of the most popular ways to advertise, more and more brands are buying spots in popular podcasts to keep their brand awareness at a high level. But creating a branded podcast is the ultimate version of podcast advertising. Not only does it create brand awareness, audience engagement will increase exponentially. Branded podcasts give fans and consumers of the brand something that they can consistently tune into to learn more about the company, their mission, their current events, and much more. People tend to become loyal listeners to the podcasts they enjoy. The same goes for brands. When people find a brand they like, they tend to stick to it. A branded podcast creates the best of both worlds for both the company and consumer. They can be a fan of the brand as well as a fan of the podcast.
Not sure where to start with branded podcasts? Here are some great examples of branded podcasts and how they reach their audience.
CPG Branded Podcasts to Check Out and Learn From
When it comes to creating a branded podcast, it takes some creativity. Companies can’t just post a half hour long spiel of the hosts talking about how great the brand is. That doesn’t give consumers an engaging reason to tune in. Podcasts are primarily a source of entertainment and information. When creating a podcast, companies would do well to keep this in mind. By making the podcast interesting, it ensures that your podcast will gain listeners and show a worthwhile return on investment. The following podcasts do a good job of striking a balance between associating with the brand and providing something that listeners can latch on to.
A Taste of General Mills by General Mills
If you buy groceries, it’s likely you have at least one General Mills product sitting in your fridge or pantry. With products like Cheerios, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, and much more in their lineup, they dominate grocery aisles all over the world. In A Taste of General Mills, this enormous food company puts some names and faces to the inner workings of their worldwide brands. Hosted by internal staff, A Taste of General Mills gives insights on the products, people, and projects happening in the company. Episodes cover a myriad of topics including food trends, agriculture, climate change, and much more. A rotating lineup of hosts and celebrity guests keeps the podcast fresh and interesting.
Listen to A Taste of General Mills here.
Beauty IQ Uncensored by Adore Beauty
Hosted by Beauty Editor Joanna and beauty newbie Hannah, this podcast by Adore Beauty seeks to have fun and educational conversations about everything in the beauty and cosmetics world. Topics range from superfoods to skincare to every new and old trend in the beauty industry.
Often branded podcasts might be centered around a company, but many people like a more laid-back, conversational format that applies interesting information that is relevant to their daily lives. Beauty IQ Uncensored doesn’t seek to be overly dry with its educational topics, instead making it more fun and down to earth.
Listen to Beauty IQ Uncensored by Adore Beauty here.
Inside Trader Joe’s by Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s has become synonymous with the image of a comfortable, neighborhood grocery store while still managing to be a hugely successful national chain. But how did they make this amazing journey happen? Inside Trader Joe’s gives some insight on the culture and values of the company, takes listeners along for product tastings, and much more. If you’re a fan of Trader Joe’s, this podcast will give you an inside look at how some of the company decisions are made, how the culture was created, and anything else you might want to know about the small neighborhood grocery that became a huge brand. This branded podcast is a great example of helping fans get a deeper understanding of their favorite brands by taking them on a journey through the long-term and day-to-day decisions that a company has to make.
Listen to Insider Trader Joe’s here.
Nintendo Power Podcast
As one of the biggest video game companies in the world, selling millions of consoles and games, Nintendo has built quite a loyal customer base. The Nintendo Power Podcast discusses new games, talks to developers, and much more.
This podcast is interesting because Nintendo used to have the Nintendo Power magazine and they were able to pivot this model into the podcast world. It goes to show that a company can easily mold what’s already working to fit a new digital age and audience if they’re willing to be flexible.
Listen to the Nintendo Power Podcast here.
Colourful by Colourpop Cosmetics
Colourpop Cosmetics is a newer podcast that seeks to tell inspiring stories about the artists and innovators in the beauty community. This gives listeners an inside look into the beauty industry and who’s shaping it.
As you can tell, cosmetics and beauty companies are definitely good candidates for the CPG branded podcast world. There are tons of angles to take when it comes to choosing your focus and the topics you address.
Listen to Colourful by Colourpop Cosmetics here.
Apple Events Podcast
Apple has quite the fervent fanbase, and you can be sure that Apple fans will always tune into their latest events and keynotes. Apple capitalizes on this with their Apple Events podcast that discusses new products, services, and technology. This is a good way for Apple to take their already captive audience and build hype for all their new releases.
Listen to the Apple Events Podcast here.
As you can see, there are a variety of ways to create a branded podcast. You can give consumers more insight into the values of your brand, show them what day to day company life is like, or even just make a podcast that lines up with the vision of your brand, even if the podcast itself isn’t a direct reference. The important thing is that it creates audience engagement. Brand awareness will come naturally if the audience is excited to tune in for each new episode. Once you have an active listening base, you’re sure to see your ROI on your podcast efforts increase.
Using the Backtracks Platform to Reach Your Audience
The Backtracks platform offers an array of ways to help you connect with your audience through podcasting. We offer podcast analytics, publishing tools, advertising, and much more. Whether you’re looking to create a branded podcast or help your brand gain awareness by advertising on related podcasts, Backtracks can put you on the path to marketing in the podcast sphere. Learn more about Backtracks here and make sure to continue to tune into the Backtracks blog to get more insight about podcast analytics, advertising, and more.
