Tag: Gumball

Gumball Launches Gumshoe To Bring Transparency To Host-Read Podcast Ads

~ Jen Thorpe

Gumball, an advanced advertising technology solution from the team behind acclaimed podcast network Headgum, announces Gumshoe a sophisticated feature that for the first time provides advertisers with a transparent real-time tool to measure ad impressions from host-read ads. Helping to deliver on Gumball’s mission to democratize how podcast ads are bought and sold, Gumshoe allows advertisers to obtain information on their campaign delivery within a single platform without relying on third parties, while allowing podcasters to demonstrate their value and increase trust.

Host-read advertising is the vehicle that built the ever-growing podcast medium. However, it is one of the few areas of digital marketing untouched by technology or delivered at scale. Launched in January 2020, Gumball is an innovative technology-led marketplace that changes this dynamic by streamlining the process of buying and delivering host-read ads for advertisers and independent podcasters. Gumshoe further automates the process of planning, buying, managing, and evaluating podcast advertising campaigns.

Prior to Gumshoe, host-read ad measurement and verification were archaic, requiring podcasters to provide screenshots to verify impressions and download data. Gumshoe, which works with most major hosting platforms and is compatible for both embedded and dynamic ad formats, now digitizes this function to add increased communication and transparency.

Data within Gumshoe is fully secure and follows IAB rules. It becomes part of a powerful suite of tools within Gumball with benefits for both advertisers and content creators.

Gumball allows Advertisers to:

  • Track and evaluate ad impressions
  • Track and evaluate campaign delivery
  • Browse and book available inventory in real time with transparent pricing
  • Filter audiences by demographic
  • Have automatic brand category exclusivity
  • Utilize automated ad copy, vanity URL’s and coupon code distribution
  • Easily verify ads have aired and listen in one place
  • Scale across hundreds of shows

Gumball allows Podcasters to:

  • Verify campaign delivery and download data on Gumball
  • Work with a greater number of brands that require an independent source of truth
  • Protect listener privacy
  • Gain access to the biggest brands that align with their values
  • Better manage campaigns with intuitive dashboard tools, including ad scheduling, unified script and referral code access, and timely reminders to make sure ads air on schedule and airchecks upload
  • Get paid quickly and confidently with transparent payment tracking and predictable timelines
  • Have automatic brand category exclusivity
  • Book more advertising spots, increase revenue, and focus on developing compelling content

“We were overwhelmed by the reaction to Gumball when we announced our Series A funding this year, which showed the industry’s need to digitize the marketplace for host-read ads, the most valuable and powerful asset in podcasting,” said Marty Michael, CEO. “Having streamlined the planning, buying, and executing of campaigns, the addition of Gumshoe now allows the evaluation of campaigns to take place within one platform. By helping to increase transparency and trust between brands and content creators, Gumshoe further helps fuel the growth of the medium that continues to thrive.

Gumball was created by the team behind the critically acclaimed successful Headgum Podcast Network. In March 2022, it announced a $10 million funding round and its current inventory includes hundreds of podcasts, including Headgum Original shows, podcasts within the Headgum Network, and independent podcasters and content creators signed to Gumball. Some of the biggest consumer brands using Gumball include Casper, CBS, Netflix, OKCupid, Squarespace, Warby Parker, Brooklinen, AMC, Linkedin, and StockX.

As of July 2022, Gumball’s available inventory of impressions grew 258% year-over-year. In addition, Gumball’s revenue is expected to more than double from 2021 to 2022.

Critically Acclaimed Podcast “Love and Radio” Joins Gumball

~ Jen Thorpe

Gumball, the premier marketplace for advertisers to buy host-read ads directly from podcasters, announced that the award-winning podcast Love and Radio has joined its platform and is now available for ad sales. Additionally, Love and Radio has removed its paywall and seasons 8 and 9 will now be publicly available for all listeners. Episodes will be released over the next year on a bi-monthly schedule.

Hosted by Nick van Der Kolk, Love and Radio features interviews and stories ranging in topics from mysterious kidnappings to the secrets and hilarity of journal entries to fascinating animal facts. Its immersive music, unexpected twists and turns, and strange but highly memorable characters have captivated audiences and critics since it began production in 2005.

Love and Radio became the first podcast to win top prize at the Third Coast Festival Competition (for the episode “The Wisdom of Jay Thunderbolt”) and has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Neiman Lab. Notable fans of the show include Ira Glass (This American Life), Roman Mars (99% invisible), and Had Abumrad (Radiolab).

Seasons 8 and 9 of the show, previously available exclusively on Luminary, will be available for free on all platforms, expanding the reach of these fantastical episodes to eager listeners everywhere.

“Gumball empowers creators by streamlining the sponsorship process and allowing podcast makers to focus on what they do best: realizing the innovative and stellar work that they envision,” said Nick van der Kolk, host and creator of Love and Radio. “Choosing to partner with them was a natural choice and I’m excited to work together!”

Episodes of Love and Radio drop every other week on Wednesdays starting July 20, and they support 1-minute dynamic pre-roll and 1-minute dynamic mid-roll ads.

Marty Michael, CEO at Gumball, said, “As a longtime fan of Love and Radio, I can’t wait to see it thrive on the marketplace. With the addition of the show, we’ve reached nearly 80 new podcasts on Gumball in 2022 alone. We’re excited to continue adding quality podcasts to our offerings and attracting quality advertisers in turn.”

Advertisers can start their next ad campaign on Love and Radio on Gumball today.

Gumball Raises $10 Million to Expand its Podcasting Host-Read Advertiser Platform

~ Jen Thorpe

Gumball, an advanced advertising technology solution from the team behind claimed podcast network Headgum, has announced it has closed a $10 million Series A funding round led by Union Square Ventures and Good Friends. Bringing total fundraising to $12 million, the round also includes investment from Craft Ventures, Vertical Venture Partners, Animal Capital, Calm Ventures, Gaingels, and Riverside Ventures.

While host-read advertising is the vehicle that built the ever-growing podcast medium, it is one of the few areas of digital marketing untouched by technology or delivered at scale. Brands and marketers currently negotiate and contact podcasters or networks individually, and independent podcasters must cede control to podcast networks to optimize revenues. Gumball is an innovative technology-led marketplace that streamlines and democratizes the process. With just a click, it allows marketers to connect with multiple podcasters to instantly identify and buy inventory and plan, manage and track executions at scale and in minutes rather than weeks.

The team behind the critically acclaimed and commercial successful Headgum Podcast Network created Gumball. Known for its stable of comedy podcasts, its executive team includes many key contributors that helped build CollegeHumor before its acquisition by IAC and the CTO of Vimeo before its IPO.

Gumball’s current inventory includes 100s of podcasts, including Headgum Original shows, podcasts within the Headgum Network, and hundreds of independent podcasters and content creators. While in development, Gumball worked with more than 500 brands and delivered more than 15,000 host-read ads.

“The host-read ad is the most valuable and powerful asset in podcasting, providing authentic, intimate, and endorsement-level messages natively within target content,” said Marty Michael, CEO. “Despite being equally loved by brands, listeners, and talent, the way campaigns are bought, planned, executed, and tracked is antiquated, gated, and largely unchanged since the dawn of podcasting. Gumball turbo-boosts the medium with a solution that provides the kind of scale and efficiency of programatic advertising. Today’s funding will allow us to further invest in the technology and attract independent talent wishing to take advantage of this impactful marketing discipline.”

Some of the biggest podcasting brands include Capser, CBS, Netflix, OkCupid, Squarespace, Warby Parker, Brooklinen, AMC, Linkedin, and StockX, to name a few successfully using Gumball. It is a powerful tool with benefits for both advertisers and content creators.

Gumball allows Advertisers to:

  • Browse and book available inventory in real-time with transparent pricing
  • Find audiences by demographic
  • Have automatic brand category exclusivity
  • Utilize automated ad copy, vanity URLs, and coupon code distribution
  • Easily verify ads have been aired and listen in one place
  • Scale across thousands of shows

Gumball allows Podcasters to:

  • Gain access to the biggest brands that align with their values
  • Better manage campaigns with intuitive dashboard tools, including ad scheduling, unified script and referral code access, and timely reminders to make sure ads air on schedule and air checks uploads
  • Get paid faster and on time with transparent payments with predictable timelines
  • Book more advertising spots, increase revenue, and focus on developing compelling content

Headgum Podcast Network Launched Gumball

~ Jen Thorpe

Headgum – the acclaimed Los Angeles-based comedy podcast network – announced the launch of Gumball, a modern marketplace that allows brands to buy host-read advertisements directly from podcasters. The announcement follows Headgum’s success as the first podcast network to use Gumball’s core technology for its own line-up of podcasts.

With the Headgum network, Gumball has grown network revenue by 55 percent year-over-year. To date, over 300 brands have used Gumball technology and partnered with podcasters on impactful campaigns, delivering over 4,000 host-read advertisements.

Gumball is changing the way podcasters and advertisers plan, track and grow both campaigns and revenue, in an emerging and highly-valued medium. Gumball’s platform now empowers established and upstart podcasters to easily connect with advertisers, efficiently manage campaigns, get paid faster, and independently track advertising revenue.

The platform streamlines the sponsorship process so podcasters can book more ads, retain more advertising revenue and remain focused on creating compelling, listener-centric content. Well-positioned to lead the next generation of podcast advertising marketplace solutions, Gumball is on track to more than double its platform revenue in 2020.

Gumball for Podcasters:

  •  Empowers podcast creators with a streamlined sponsorship process that provides extended access to more advertisers and allows for independent monetization of advertising revenue
  • Enables podcasters to efficiently manage campaigns, get paid faster, and easily track revenue and payouts
  •  Delivers intuitive dashboard functions, including ad scheduling, unified script and referral code access, as well as easy aircheck uploads

The podcast medium continues to show rapid exponential growth. In line with this changing landscape, both advertiser and podcast network decisionmakers show increasing reliance on impactful and seamless technology platforms like Gumball.