A group of panelists at ad:tech faced an audience full of marketers anxious to find the elusive advertising angle in podcasting.

Working together, podcasters and advertisers are making progress on developing ad models that can connect with the fickle podcast audience. To sort out the best of the new breed, panelists representing the podcast world and adverting space answered questions at ad:tech's "Podcasts and Vidcasts For Marketing & Public Relations" session.

In a short amount of time, podcasts have made large strides since a traditional radio spot by Earthlink disappointed listeners of Adam Curry's Daily Sourcecode podcast. The matter turned into an all-out indictment on traditional advertising as it invaded new media. But from this clash, new ad models with better response and greater value for the listeners have developed.

Hidden codes
An easy way to understand the potential of podcasting is to think of it like something you're probably familiar with: TiVo."Podcasting is essentially TiVo for the radio," said panelist Steve Gilmore, host of "The Gilmor Gang" podcast. Many advertisers have already confronted the challenge of creating a "TiVo-proof" ad for TV. Now, a similar challenge has developed around the podcasting space.

One podcast ad tool used to fight the dreaded fast-forward command is a hidden code. On Daily Sourcecode, one advertiser, Go Daddy, offers listeners a deal, but then explains that, "somewhere in this show there will be a promo code."

Before the user has a chance to skip the ad, the advertiser has established interest with a deal, and developed a presence in the listener's mind as they wait for the deal's promo code to come up.

Send a celebrity, not a :30
To reach listeners of Eric Schwartzman's Endurance Radio podcast, a show for runners and triathletes, New Balance set up an interview with former Olympian Mark Coogan. Schwartzman, who moderated the ad:tech panel, explained to the group that Coogan spent most of his time on the show talking about training, then a small amount of time talking about New Balance shoes. 

Sure, users could skip the part where Coogan talks about New Balance. But since he's a member of Team New Balance, simply mentioning who he is and what he does puts the brand front-and-center in a relevant environment. 

No celebrity, no problem
If you don't have access to the right celebrity for the right show, panelist Tim Bourquin, founder and CEO of TNC New Media, Inc., suggests using the podcast's host. Capitalize on the trust that podcasters have with their audience," suggests Bourquin. 

To do so, marketers should consider providing a simple script for the host to read; or better yet, let the host describe their relationship or experience with your brand. With the latter, the marketer is giving up a degree of control. But it's probably a fair trade for the deeper sincerity of a trusted personality speaking in his or her natural voice.

1.5 million downloads and counting
The presentation room at ad:tech was packed-- standing room only. And it's not because podcasting has reached a critical mass. Last week, Feedburner quietly announced that they were now hosting 47,000 podcasts and facilitating 1.5 million downloads per day. That's a lot. But compared to other media, it's tiny.

The reason enthusiasm has grown around podcasting is the fact that today's consumer demands control. "I think the reason this room is packed is because people, in their personal lives, understand that they're in control," said Gilmor. And as more people realize that podcasting puts them in control of audio -- from their desktops, to their cars, to any place they can carry an iPod -- the podcasting audience will continue to expand. Armed with the emerging ad models discussed in the ad:tech panel, marketers stand to make good use of this development.

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