BRAND WORKS STAGE

This keynote will be the debut of The Advertising Landscape UK - Podcasting's Place in a Multichannel Ecosystem. Sounds Profitable Partner Tom Webster, and Ben Robins, Founder of Sound Insights, will present highlights from a survey of over 5,000 consumers of ad-supported media in the UK. Topics covered will include the reach of media platforms from audio to video and social, the comparative effectiveness of those platforms for advertising messages, and how each fares in terms of trust and attention.

Podcast campaigns have evolved beyond audio and into video - but even the most advanced plans are still only activating a fraction of what podcasting can offer.

This panel explores how to go further, moving beyond audio and video as the core plan, and instead activating across the full podcast ecosystem - from talent-led channels such as their social platforms, newsletters, websites, apps, and other high-intent environments. The result? More granular, highly engaged audiences, alongside incremental reach - delivering both precision and scale within a single, connected strategy.

Using a Cheltenham Festival campaign with Coral, delivered in partnership with Sport Social Podcast Network, we’ll show how tapping into premium rightsholder Racing TV enabled us to reach die-hard horse racing fans across every key touchpoint - well beyond audio and video.

Join IAB UK’s James Chandler alongside leading industry experts as we unpack how podcasting has exploded into a multi-platform content universe. We’ll dive into how top creators are driving this transformation across audio, video and social, what it really takes to execute a cohesive cross-channel strategy, and how this shift continues to unlock new opportunities for brands.

As the media landscape becomes more fragmented and AI reshapes how inventory is valued, one channel is quietly outperforming expectations: audio. Often overlooked and underpriced relative to its impact, digital audio is emerging as a critical lever for brands looking to drive efficiency, unlock incremental reach, and build lasting consumer connections.
This conversation brings together leaders from Expedia, SiriusXM, and The Trade Desk to explore how podcasts are evolving from a supporting channel to a strategic cornerstone of omnichannel campaigns. Through the lens of Expedia’s real-world buying strategy, we’ll unpack how programmatic audio is helping brands extend beyond CTV, discover new audiences, and make every media dollar work harder.

As podcast partnerships evolve, creative bravery is no longer just about tone or messaging — it’s about trusting the right media partner to lead you into unfamiliar formats. 
This session brings together two very different brand stories — Absolute Collagen x What’s My Age Again? and Allianz x Off The Ball: Inner Drive — united by one powerful idea: alignment with trusted podcast brands enables brands to leverage loyalty, credibility and cultural authority, even when the output goest beyond audio itself.  
In both cases, brands moved past transactional podcast advertising and placed long‑term trust in experienced, editorially strong audio partners. For Allianz, that bravery manifested in a video‑first documentary and social video execution rooted in an audio‑led media brand, rather than a traditional video production or publisher-led approach. For Absolute Collagen, this award-winning campaign meant moving away from general wellness messaging and trusting in a comic partner to have authentic conversations in the podcast and social video with the audience.

As programmatic audio matures, the industry is shifting from fragmented inventory and unclear signals toward curated, high-quality marketplaces that deliver both scale and precision. This session explores how advances in AI-powered categorization, supply packaging, and signal validation are transforming how audio is bought and sold – making it easier for buyers to activate against trusted, brand-safe inventory while enabling publishers to unlock greater value from their content.
 

Podcast revenue operations have become increasingly complex. Publishers are managing fragmented inventory, underperforming campaigns, limited optimization controls, and ad serving systems that often create more operational challenges than solutions. A single change to one campaign can trigger unexpected impacts across an entire portfolio, leaving teams reactive instead of strategic.

In this session, Flightpath CEO Sean Howard will unveil Revenue Optimizer, a new managed traffic solution designed to help publishers maximize revenue, improve campaign delivery, and overcome limitations across DAI platforms. Attendees will get an inside look at how predictive forecasting, future inventory projections, and holistic portfolio optimization are helping publishers unlock new revenue opportunities, improve sell-through, and make smarter operational decisions across podcast and digital audio inventory. Early partner testing has already demonstrated meaningful revenue gains, including an 8% lift tied directly to optimization improvements.

Podcasting has evolved from a niche medium into a global force, reshaping how brands connect with audiences. As audio consumption accelerates across every region, brands are tapping into podcasting’s unique ability to build trust, scale intimacy, and drive measurable impact. Hosted by Andy Kelly, EVP of Global Brand Partnerships at iHeartMedia, this session features brand and agency leaders exploring why audio has become one of the most effective channels for modern marketers.

The line between podcasting and the creator economy is blurring fast, and measurement solutions have their eyes on the horizon. This panel will bring together leading brands, agency stakeholders, and measurement experts to discuss where our priorities need to be in the future. As podcasters evolve into multi-platform creators, campaigns now span audio RSS feeds, video platforms, social media, and clipping channels. How should performance be defined right now, and where do we go next with measurement?

Podcast advertising is evolving faster than ever. As the industry expands beyond audio into video, social, programmatic, and other omnichannel experiences, measurement has become more complex. Join Matt Drengler (Head of Partnerships, Podscribe) and Ashley Simmons (Account Director, Ad Results Media) in this conversation as they unpack the current state of podcast measurement, the rise of video and programmatic and what advertisers, publishers and platforms must consider to maintain accountability in rapidly changing ecosystem. From direct response to brand awareness, this session explores what’s working, what’s breaking and what the future of podcast advertising could look like.

Fandoms are shaping today’s biggest cultural moments and podcasts offer brands a powerful way to be part of the conversation. This panel explores the 360° opportunity for brands to engage passionate audiences through digital audio, from marquee events to everyday listening habits. Hear from leading UK-based audio advertising experts as they share how brands can authentically connect with fandom communities, stay culturally relevant, and turn engagement into measurable results.

Fresh Air Media’s brilliant partnership with TV Licensing and No Such Thing as Fish, now in its second year, is a fantastic example of the impact of genuine long-term partnership with a show. We’ll share the power of long-form content, and actual brand and revenue impact. This isn’t about poorly-placed podcast ads but entertaining, valuable content in context and perfectly placed hosts.

Join IAB UK’s Amelia Lloyd, alongside industry experts as we explore how AI is reshaping podcast creation, distribution, and advertising. From content optimisation to smarter audience insights and ad targeting, we’ll unpack the real opportunities (and limitations) of AI today, and what it’s rapid evolution means for creators, publishers and marketers gearing up for 2030 and beyond.

Podcast advertising has long been powered by trust – host-read ads, loyal audiences, and authentic connections. But as the industry scales and the medium expands across platforms and formats, including video, brands are demanding efficiency, measurement, and reach. So how do you grow without losing what made podcasting work in the first place? This panel brings together a creator, brand, and platform to explore how podcast advertising is evolving globally, and how to balance scale with authenticity in a rapidly changing media landscape.

Luxury houses are no longer simply advertisers. They are becoming publishers, producers and long-term cultural actors, investing in owned narratives across film, exhibitions, digital platforms and podcasts.
With Louis Vuitton [Extended] now established as one of the most ambitious luxury podcasts globally, this session explores how podcasting fits into a broader strategy of cultural leadership and long-term brand building

Podcasting has already won attention. Now it needs to win proof. This session explores how DAX ID helps advertisers measure the real impact of podcast campaigns, bringing sharper accountability to one of audio’s most powerful environments

Getting your brand into the right podcasts is no longer just an awareness play. It’s a discoverability strategy. With 71% of podcast creators now making video content, according to Sounds Profitable research, a single brand appearance doesn’t just reach listeners. It lives on YouTube, gets picked up editorially, and increasingly surfaces in AI-powered search. Muck Rack’s What Is AI Reading Report found that YouTube can be a dominant source for LLMs, a signal of just how important video content has become for podcasters looking to earn AI visibility. The brands winning attention today are the ones who understand how these channels compound. In this fireside chat, Molly DeMellier, Head of Communications at Sounds Profitable, and Natan Edelsburg, Chief Partnerships Officer at Muck Rack, draw on original research from both organizations to explore how brands can build a presence that earns visibility others can’t buy.

‘Isn’t everyone just skipping the ads?’ 
“What if downloads are low?’ 
‘Isn’t  an expensive way of reaching customers?
“Is anyone actually listening?’ 

We’ve heard every objection in the book and read most of them in our emails too. Fresh Air delves into our original research to disprove the myths and tell the truths about what Podcasting delivers for Brands. 

We'll also share real results and measurable outcomes from our work with major brands, alongside insights from leading media agencies and the marketers proving that podcasts deliver.

In this session, Global Studios’ Fatima Dowlett and Matt Morris explore why YouTube matters for podcast advertisers, and how brands can unlock more value by connecting audio, video and creator-led storytelling in one place. Joined by YouTube’s StephanieChan, they’ll discuss how to get closer to younger, fast-moving audiences through richer, more culturally relevant partnerships.