Spotify partners with IAS to establish a brand safety solution for podcast advertisers

Spotify recently announced a new partnership with Integral Ad Science to establish a third-party brand safety solution for podcast advertisers. As part of the partnership, the companies aim to create the industry’s first third-party brand safety and suitability reporting tool to bring more transparency and confidence to podcast advertising.

Spotify said that global media agency UM Worldwide will be part of the learning and development process as the first holding company to test this solution, ensuring that the voice and needs of advertisers are considered from the outset.

The companies will embark on a rigorous analysis to help the industry understand the tools and resources necessary to effectively deliver brand safety in podcasting and digital audio writ large. In the future, the results will be used to create a first-of-its-kind brand safety and suitability tool to aid in campaign planning, management, and reporting.

“Spotify pioneered the digital audio landscape as we know it today and we’re excited to continue our leadership here as we rise to the next challenge: brand safety,” said Julie Clark, Global Head of Advertising Revenue Innovation at Spotify. “We are pleased to be partnering with IAS – one of the most trusted leaders in media – to give advertisers confidence that their messages are heard in the right place while further validating the contextual targeting solutions we already have in the market.”

Spotify, which expects to reach annual revenue of $100 billion over the next 10 years, also forecasts that its podcast business will become profitable in the next one to two years. The company has invested more than $1 billion to become the #1 name in the podcasting business.

The solution will be powered by Spotify’s first-party data and verified by IAS’ independent analysis solutions based on the Global Alliance for Responsible Media’s categories and guidelines.Their initial efforts will focus on third-party content within the Spotify Audience Network, Spotify said. 

“Partnering with Spotify and UM to develop a podcast brand safety and suitability solution will be a transformational step for advertisers targeting the audio space,” said Yannis Dosios, Global Chief Commercial Officer at IAS. “With podcasts expected to reach more than 500 million listeners worldwide by 2024, this solution will offer advertisers more control and confidence that their messages will deeply resonate with their intended audiences.”