Localized Ads?

Have podcasts figured out how to do localized ads now? On the two most recent Bombcast's, there has been an ad for a local clinic. I'm sure this can't be something done the same for everyone. I always thought that because the ad rolls were part of the download, they had to be more national/generic. Just wondering what anyone else may have gotten for their local ad.

I had this happen on another podcast I listen to a couple months ago. It was extremely weird and invasive feeling as it dawned on me that no, a couple of comedians from LA probably aren't being sponsored by a local car dealership 2500 miles away. But ads have been awful for a long time, and I guess if anything it's surprising it took this long for podcasts to get weird about it. Luckily, it seems like the app I use for listening to podcasts generally breaks that "feature" and the moment where I assume a targeted ad is meant to play will just be a couple seconds of silence before throwing back to the podcast.

The official Formula 1 podcast does the same thing. I guess they get your IP when you download to know your location? All I know is that the F1 journalist in the UK doesn't know anything about the hot deals at my local San Diego Honda.

I don’t believe this is a recent change. Whatever ad network they’re with (or maybe they work together with your podcast app), it’s been doing this for months and months. Evidently it has some capacity to splice in regional ads for your area, in addition to the ones Jeff does the ad reads for.

I don’t think it’s any weirder than YouTube ads similarly playing local ads based on your IP location or whatever.

I've definitely had localized ads on Waypoint Radio for a couple of years now, the Bombcast doesn't though.

I haven't picked up on any localized podcast ads yet, but the Uber Eats localized ads creep me out. When which ever random celebrity on screen names a local restaurant or take-out, it really feels like someone's watchin me.

All the shows on iHeartRadio that I've listened to have localized ads

Next, fully custom and personal ads where Jeff will address you by your real name. Now how much would you pay?

Yeah Podcasts have been doing it for years.

Yes. I'm in the UK and get ads with UK Government Covid advice.

Yeah this is a fairly normal thing. A lot of hosts read ad copy on their own but if you have an automated ad service handle it then you get things like this.

@bisonhero said:

Those I get, because they are not part of the video. They are streamed in before or cut away to during the video. Podcasts are a recording that I downloaded. If I'm listening to it in airplane mode with wifi turned off, it's not streaming in another ad, it's been spliced into the podcasst.