Acast launches Co-branded Stories post-roll ad format in France

Acast, the world’s largest independent podcast company, is now offering advertisers in France a new ad format called Co-branded Stories. Co-branded Stories, which appear in post-roll ad slots, offer brands a longer ad slot — giving them the opportunity to offer creative bonus content and a new experience to listeners.

Co-branded Stories are two-to-three minutes of bonus content broadcast immediately after a podcast episode (post-roll). Differering to Sponsored Stories, which Acast launched globally last year, Co-branded Stories allow for advertisers to be more involved and collaborate alongside the podcasters.

Brands can either directly take the floor, or benefit from the podcaster’s endorsement on a specific topic, while offering bonus, creative and educational content to listeners.

One of the first advertisers to use Co-branded Stories has been ENIT, the Italian National Tourist Office. This summer it seized the opportunity to offer audiences of the podcasts Vulgaire, Histoires de succès, Nota Bene and Pépites d’Histoire a taste of la dolce vita thanks to a friendly Italian language session. It was also an innovative way to convey brand messages.

According to Federica Galbesi, Manager of ENIT-Paris: “Co-branded Stories, together with the power of Acast, are an original way for us to share with the largest possible number of people the lesser-known aspects of Italian culture — playing on the positive aspects of our destination, and of course to arouse the desire to travel there.”

“Co-branded Stories give our advertisers a new opportunity to speak in podcasts,” explains Yann Thébault, MD of Acast France and Germany. "By offering this new advertising format, we wanted to go further and share the ability for all advertisers to invest directly in the podcast and offer listeners bonus content on their favorite podcasts.”