One of the top Irish podcasts, The 2 Johnnies, is to launch a new brand tracking study in April.
The 2 Johnnies Podcast regularly attracts in excess of 750,000 weekly listeners and in the second week of January 2025 it reported over 2m unique streams coinciding with the so-called Catfish episode.
The brand tracking study will be carried out by AudioOne on behalf of CWB, the management company behind the successful duo.
According to AudioOne, the study will be carried out on a quarterly basis and the goal of the study is to track the progression, over time, of awareness and preference for brands in certain key categories relevant to the show’s core audience of 18-40 year old males. Respondents will be asked about the brands they think of first across different categories and their preferences.
The respondent base for each quarterly wave will number approximately 1500 people. The same questions will be asked each wave and, according to AudioOne, it expects to see positive score uplifts for the brands that have an ongoing association with the show.
“We are looking forward to running this study. Podcasters have become an important source of influence for brands. We will be able to track long-term changes in favourability scores as a result of brands forging a commercial partnership with Ireland’s most listened to podcast,” says Lee Thompson, director, AudioOne.
According to Thompson, podcasters remain a growing source of influence. A 2023 Magna/Vox Media study (“A New Era of Influence”) revealed that podcasters in the US are so influential in the lives of their listeners, that 75% of listeners say they value podcasters’ influence more than they value the influence of social media influencers (15%) and TV/movie celebrities (10%) — meaning that podcasters have de-throned the original influencers.
“Inclusion in the tracking study is free of charge and brands looking for proof of brand recall and changes in sentiment as a result of investment in podcasts should actively consider this first of its kind brand tracking study anchored by one of Ireland’s favourite podcasts,” he says.
The survey will ask questions relating to brands in the following categories: finance, fast food, drinks, streaming, grocery, broadband, personal hygiene with the first wave of results expected at the end of April which will provide a reference point for subsequent results.
According to Joe Clarke, CEO of CWB: “The 2 Johnnies audience is very engaged and participative. We get plenty of feedback from our listeners all the time on multiple platforms. This study will help us feedback to our commercial partners on the power of podcasts. In particular, we are excited to help evidence the value of deep, long-term partnerships which extend beyond simple spot advertising to include talent voiced reads, social posting and relevant collaboration opportunities”
Brands looking to partner commercially with the show should contact AudioOne (hello@audionone.ie)
