Measurement
Part of Nine steps to podcast advertising measurement and reporting
Why podcast advertising benchmark research needs dated, sourced numbers
Why podcast advertising benchmark research falls apart without dated sources, and how buyers can test a benchmark before it shapes a 2027 media plan.
What to take away
- The Advertising Standards Authority's AdviceOnline library, updated 17 July 2024, requires ads to be obviously identifiable, so a host-read benchmark needs a clear source.
- Named UK publishers issue dated figures: IAB UK's Digital Adspend study with PwC, and Ofcom's Media Nations.
- The Online Safety Act 2023 shapes how advertising claims and subscriptions are presented.
- Keep every benchmark in a versioned document so a 2027 plan can be rebuilt when the source changes.
Why a benchmark without a date is not a benchmark
A benchmark exists to be compared, and that only works when both numbers describe the same thing at the same time. A cost per thousand from an unnamed study in an unnamed year cannot be lined up against your delivery data.
Four questions for any benchmark
- Who was measured
- How many were measured
- Over what dates
- Who published it
Start by asking four questions of any figure: who was measured, how many, over what dates, and who published it. If any answer is missing, treat the figure as an illustrative example, not evidence. For example, £400 a month for a mid-roll slot is a useful planning figure, not a market rate.
This discipline sits at the centre of Audio Sponsor's podcast advertising measurement and reporting guide 2027, which sets out how to keep sources and campaign data in one comparable frame.
Where UK podcast benchmarks are published
- IAB UK's Digital Adspend study, run with PwC, reports UK podcast advertising spend for the previous calendar year, so cite the edition you used.
- Ofcom's Media Nations reports UK audio and podcast listening each summer; the 2024 edition covers 2023 and early 2024.
- RAJAR's MIDAS survey reports UK audio listening, podcasts included, every quarter.
What the rules require of the numbers you publish
The Advertising Standards Authority's AdviceOnline rules on specific ad topics cover recognition of ads and testimonials, both of which apply to host-read spots. A host reading out a benchmark as if it were their own finding risks breaching the recognition rules.
Consumer protection duties under the Online Safety Act 2023 also affect how advertising and subscription terms are presented to audiences. A benchmark quoted in sponsor copy should therefore be accurate and sourced, not rounded up for effect.
Where the benchmark rests on audience data, the UK GDPR guidance and resources from the Information Commissioner's Office explain how that data may be lawfully used for targeting and reporting. A benchmark built on data you could not lawfully process is not usable evidence.
Test a benchmark before you plan against it
Run each candidate benchmark through the same test, then check your own reporting can produce the same definition.
Benchmark adoption checks
Before you adopt
- Source named
- Study, publisher, URL recorded
- Date recorded
- Collection window missing or vague
- Population defined
- Audience or sample unclear
- Metric definition
- Definition assumed
- Owner
- No one responsible
After you adopt
- Source named
- Cited in plan and sponsor copy
- Date recorded
- Window stated with every figure
- Population defined
- Matches campaign population or gap noted
- Metric definition
- Written next to your own metric
- Owner
- One named owner reviews quarterly
If it cannot, change the benchmark or change your reporting. Mixing the two produces variance you cannot explain, and that variance gets blamed on the channel rather than the measurement.
Keep one row per adopted figure and fill it in on the day you adopt it.
| Check | What to record |
|---|---|
| Source | Publisher, report title and edition year |
| Date | The collection window the data covers |
| Population | Who was measured, and how many |
| Metric | The exact definition and unit |
| Owner | The named person who reviews the record |
Keep the benchmark alive in your reporting
Benchmarks decay, and a figure that was fair in one buying cycle may mislead in the next as inventory, pricing and measurement methods shift. Review your sources at least once a quarter.
This is also where Audio Sponsor's podcast advertising reporting dashboard in England earns its place: it keeps source figures and campaign figures side by side rather than in separate spreadsheets.
When a source is withdrawn, you can show what changed and why the plan moved.
Common questions
How old can a benchmark be before it stops being useful?
There is no fixed age, but the collection window must be stated. If it predates a material change in inventory or pricing, treat the figure as context, not a target.
Can I quote a benchmark in a host-read spot?
The Advertising Standards Authority requires ads to be recognisable and testimonials genuine. Attribute the figure to its source and date in the read.
Does a benchmark replace my own campaign data?
No. It gives an outside reference point. Your own delivery data remains the evidence for whether the channel works, and the two should be reported together.
