Headgum Podcast Network Launches Gumball: The Modern Advertising Marketplace Connecting Brands Directly with Podcasters

New York NY, USA—Headgum – the acclaimed Los Angeles-based comedy podcast network – today 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.

“Until today, advertisers and podcasters have been faced with an archaic advertising ecosystem, which was not developed or optimized for the rapidly-changing podcast medium. We listened and heard that the lack of reliable tools made it difficult for advertisers and podcasters to easily and transparently collaborate. We built a platform that fully supports listener-centric, impactful advertising campaigns for both podcasters and advertisers,” said Marty Michael, Co-founder, Gumball. “We are proud that Gumball is the best advertising marketplace developed by, and for, podcast creators.”

Gumball for Advertisers:

• Provides a rich marketplace of podcasts aligned with brand and business goals; advertisers easily and accurately search for available inventory and book campaigns through Gumball’s intuitive interface
• Features a modern buying process with transparent pricing, coveted demographic filters, and category exclusivity controls
• Unparalleled campaign management functions, including streamlined communication with hosts and instant access to airchecks

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

Said Martha Gallant, Senior Growth Marketing Specialist, Helix Sleep, “The process for buying podcast ads was long overdue for a technology upgrade. Gumball lets us find and secure available inventory and discover new shows to test. With Gumball, booking meaningful campaigns is ultimately faster and easier than it’s ever been before.”

Gumball continues to expand its network of participating advertisers. Headgum used Gumball’s platform to power campaigns from top brands including (listed alphabetically); Away, Birchbox, Casper, CBS, Everlane, HelloFresh, hims, Hinge, Honey, Netflix, OkCupid, Patreon, Postmates, Squarespace, Warby Parker, ZipRecruiter and more. Following Headgum’s demonstrated success leveraging Gumball technology, today Gumball launches and welcomes both established and underserved brands, as well as content creators. The launch represents Gumball’s ongoing commitment to bringing together advertisers, agencies, podcasters and podcast networks on a next-generation sales process, aimed to dramatically increase efficiency and transparency within campaign creation, ad buying, asset delivery, and communication.

Promising Landscape: Gumball Unleashes Podcast Advertising Marketplace Potential

• Podcasts generated an estimated $479.1 million in revenue in 2018 – industry revenues are projected at more than $1 billion by 2021
• U.S. podcast advertising drove $314 million in revenue in 2017, up 86 percent over $169 million in 2016
• Podcast revenue shows projected growth at a near 30 percent annual rate between 2018 and 2022
• 180 million Americans, or 64 percent of the potential listening population, are familiar with the term “podcasting,” 44 percent have listened to at least one podcast, and 17 percent listen weekly

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.

About Gumball

Gumball is the marketplace for advertisers to buy host-read ads directly from podcasters. The platform enables advertisers to easily book impactful advertising campaigns through a modern and transparent buying process. For podcasters, Gumball streamlines the sponsorship process so podcasters can book more advertising spots, make more money, efficiently manage their campaigns, and focus on developing compelling listener-centric content. To learn more about Gumball and the platform, visit https://gumball.fm.