Australia has its first dedicated podcast media agency, led by Eardrum founder Ralph van Dyk and UK podcast industry veteran Andy Maxwell.
The agency, which the duo soft-launched in January, was created in response to a lack of compelling media in the burgeoning podcast medium, resulting in waste for advertisers and annoying advertising for listeners.
EarMax Media provides podcast media buying, sponsorship and creative production services through sister agency Eardrum, which closely analyses the Australian podcast ecosystem, from niche independent players to large podcast networks, to create targeted media plans.
Australia leads the world in podcast listenership, with 48% of monthly listeners listening to podcasts. Despite this high listenership, podcast advertising typically only represents a small fraction of allocated media budgets. EarMax aims to address this imbalance and unlock the full potential of the podcast medium for advertisers.
“Our clients told us they were extremely frustrated with the 'opaque and shoddy' podcast plans presented to them by their agencies. The podcasting world has grown rapidly in recent years but it remains a complex and evolving field that can be difficult for non-experts to navigate effectively. Our approach is not about checking boxes; it's about making meaningful connections with the right listeners. The best creative in the world is doomed to fail if served to the wrong audience. Because we're fully independent, we can work with any network, independent publisher or podcaster to find the best solution for our clients,” said Van Dyk.
“Australia's podcast market is booming, with the largest podcast listenership per capita in the world and a wealth of content, so there's a huge opportunity for brands to tap into the medium with the most engaged audience. There's a lack of time and attention put into both podcast planning and creative, which results in unnecessary waste. EarMax is here to solve that problem,” said Maxwell.
EarMax's early successes include campaigns with ANZ Bank and Explore Worldwide. Bonny Cheng, associate director of marketing at ANZ, said: “From day one, Ralph and Andy demonstrated a deep understanding of our target audience and the podcasting landscape. Their expertise in crafting compelling messages and strategic placement has helped our podcast reach more of the right user segments, resulting in a notable increase in engagement and subscription rates. We're pleased with the results so far and look forward to further collaboration to reach an even wider audience.”
