Global marketing and branding news for July 20, 2026. Today’s issue selected by Soulpapa Marketing.
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In the UK, YouTube is the second-most-used podcast platform, but YouTube open marketplace RPM is significantly lower than audio sponsorships and spot ads.
Video is not replacing podcasts; it’s expanding discovery touchpoints. According to Edison Podcast Metrics UK, YouTube is the second-most-used podcast platform in the UK, and consumers primarily discover podcasts through video. However, actual listening occurs during audio-first moments like commuting, exercising, and household chores. In Q4 2025, 50% of all listening time was concentrated in the top 27 shows, a more pronounced concentration than the top 43 in 2023. Discovery happens on video; listening happens on audio—that’s the structure.
The revenue structure is different. Tom McKay of Covatic notes that YouTube open marketplace RPM is significantly lower than sponsorships or spot ads sold in the audio environment. Video provides marketing and exposure but lower ad yield. Audio, however, delivers one-to-one engagement through headphones, and that engagement makes podcast audiences valuable to advertisers.
Context-specific format strategies have proven effective. During Ramadan, AdsWizz ran a campaign for Garanti BBVA that deployed audio ads during evening listening hours after iftar, then retargeted the same users with second-screen video. The campaign reached 463,000 net unique users and achieved an 87% listen-through rate. In measurement too, video views and impressions tell only part of the story; evaluation against performance metrics identical to audio—brand lift, purchase intent, favorability—helps avoid the optical illusion where strong platform metrics mask real impact.
Soulpapa perspective: Discovery is video; conversion and engagement is audio—this role division becomes the basis for campaign design. Only campaigns validated by brand lift and purchase intent, not view count, count as performance.
This article is excerpted from Brand Marketing Issues/News for July 20, 2026. Check out the daily marketing news briefing curated by Soulpapa Marketing.
Frequently Asked Questions
When running podcast advertising, should I allocate more budget to video (YouTube) or audio channels?
If your goal is to expand brand awareness and discover new listeners, YouTube video is advantageous; however, in terms of actual ad revenue yield (RPM), audio sponsorships are significantly higher. Actual listening is concentrated in audio-first moments like commuting, exercising, and household chores, creating a one-to-one engagement environment through headphones. If you want direct advertising efficiency, allocating more weight to audio is more effective.
When running podcast ads, is it more efficient to place ads on top-tier shows or smaller shows?
As of Q4 2025, 50% of all listening time is concentrated in the top 27 shows, a more pronounced concentration than the top 43 in 2023. To maximize ad reach and efficiency, a strategy of concentrated placement on top-tier podcasts is more advantageous. Spreading limited budget across smaller shows can significantly reduce actual reach effectiveness.
Insights from Soulpapa Marketing — Korea’s digital marketing agency.
Original Korean article: https://soulpapa.co.kr/2026/07/20/news-2026-07-20-%eb%b9%84%eb%94%94%ec%98%a4-vs-%ec%98%a4%eb%94%94%ec%98%a4-%ed%8c%9f%ec%ba%90%ec%8a%a4%ed%8a%b8-%ec%96%b4%eb%8a%90-%ec%aa%bd%ec%9d%b4-%ec%8b%a4%ec%a0%9c-%ec%84%b1%ea%b3%bc%eb%a5%bc/
