Sports seem inescapable at almost any time of year, but unfortunately for some die-hard fans, most leagues don’t actually play year-round. So—just like TV fanatics—sports lovers can still listen to podcasts once a season wraps.

• By the numbers: The sports podcast genre is among the top five most popular in the US, according to Edison Research, and the percentage share of ad revenue for that category more than doubled from 2020 to 2021, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

While advertisers can certainly reach fans during games, podcasts focusing on sports news, analysis, trades, speculation, recaps, player interviews, and more can provide an alternative outlet for them to reach engaged audiences throughout the year.

Off to the races

Audio ad buyers told Marketing Brew that sports is one of the most in-demand podcast genres.

• Lisa Jacobs, VP of media operations and analytics at audio and video agency Ad Results Media, said it’s “in our top three genres that we buy” for clients, which have included brands like Molson Coors, FanDuel, and ZipRecruiter.

The kicker? Some sports podcasts will lower their ad rates to reflect potential lulls in content during the off-season, according to Jacobs. Luke Pagano, VP of sales at sports podcast network Blue Wire, told us that moments like the playoffs do tend to lead to listenership (and price) spikes, but that high demand can also happen during key moments in the off-season.

Click here to read the full story.—AM

New Twitter CEO Elon Musk claimed that “activist groups” are pressuring advertisers to boycott Twitter.

He doubled down on the claim on Monday, responding to conservative activist and Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton’s tweet asking if Musk had “tortious interference claims against left activist groups which are causing damaging advertiser boycotts of the platform,” implying those activists could have illegally impacted Twitter’s contracts with clients. (Neither Musk nor Fitton are lawyers.)

Meanwhile, some progressive activist groups are claiming to have made an impact on Twitter’s bottom line. However, multiple sources at media agencies told Marketing Brew that, to their working knowledge, activist groups have not played a role in their decisions regarding advertising spend on Twitter.

Read the full story here.—RB

Each Tuesday, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Natalie Draeger is digital marketing director at 101Media, a Dallas-based agency that offers a range of services.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in marketing? I create engaging and unique content for businesses’ social media platforms to best connect with the customers within their target markets and industries. Whether it be paid or organic, we communicate information and updates on behalf of brands to their current and potential consumers through social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Pinterest. Yes, this also means I browse through social media for “research!”

Favorite project you’ve worked on? Isn’t this like choosing your favorite child? I loved working with my team to launch one of our communities in Austin during SXSW, @austinites101. We put together a branded event with local partners and vendors and created branding materials from unique QR-code placements, swag, floor decals, giveaways, and more to spread awareness about the brand.

What’s your favorite ad campaign? Spotify Wrapped is one of the most genius marketing campaigns I’ve seen that allows consumers to share more about themselves while still relating back to the brand as a whole. I don’t think I could look at a social media platform at the end of last year without seeing one of the Spotify Wrapped graphics, and it gave users a new way to connect and engage with each other as well as Spotify. Even better? They were using data for this campaign that they already had on hand...brilliant!

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile? My second language is puns, and I can’t help but incorporate them into my captions (personal and client), copywriting, text messages, and even everyday conversation.

What’s one marketing-related podcast, social account, or series you’d recommend? One of my favorite podcasts for social media marketing is the Savvy Social Podcast by Andréa Jones. It’s great for staying on top of trends while also finding new ways and ideas to boost engagement and elevate your (or your clients’) platforms.

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those.

Inspo: If you’re in a posting rut, here are 18 ideas for content you can post on the ’gram.

We go together: Get familiar with YouTube’s “Go Live Together” feature, which enables creators to add other users to participate in livestreams.

Super sizes: Bookmark this cheatsheet of the image-dimension specs for major social media platforms.

Ask a marketer: Learn how to personalize your customer journey and use data dynamically at Iterable’s upcoming webinar. Some of the brightest marketing minds will share their expertise on what makes an extraordinary campaign. Register here.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}

Ken Stewart, the creator of the popular animated Coca-Cola polar bears of the 1990s, credited what non-Arctic animal as inspiration for the campaign?

1. A Labrador Retriever
2. A giant panda
3. A Shiba Inu
4. A red fox

Keep scrolling for the answer.

Catch up on a few Marketing Brew stories you might have missed.

• Everything we know about what’s happening with advertisers on Twitter
• Free portfolio program One School goes global
• Brands advertising on Netflix include Louis Vuitton, Subway, and Duracell