Catalina and iHeartMedia Partnership is First to Deliver Podcast Measurement & Sales Attribution at Scale for CPG Brands

ST. PETERSBURG, FL, May 13, 2021 – Catalina, a leader in shopper intelligence and omni-channel media solutions that personalize the shopper journey, has formed a groundbreaking partnership with leading audio company and the No. 1 podcast publisher iHeartMedia, to measure and attribute the impact of podcast advertising on offline sales in physical stores, which continue to represent the majority of CPG purchases.

To date, podcast measurement capabilities have helped advertisers understand the impact of an ad campaign on brand lift metrics like purchase intent or message recall, as well as attribution of digital user activity such as website visits from those listeners exposed to that campaign. Now, CPG partners will also gain visibility into the true offline sales impact of their marketing dollars within podcasting.

In addition, as part of this data partnership Catalina will provide iHeartMedia with audiences and measurement services within iHeartMedia’s SmartAudio platform, for CPG ad campaigns that air on the latter’s linear and streaming radio programming.

“Podcast listening continues to skyrocket, with more than 115 million people in the U.S. anticipated to listen to podcasts this year – and podcast advertising expected to double over the next five years,” said Brian Dunphy, SVP of Catalina’s Strategic Partnerships and Channel Sales. “As the medium continues to rapidly grow, Catalina’s multi-path identity resolution capabilities combined with iHeartMedia’s unique multiplatform audiences at scale enable us to match deterministic shopper households across a variety of identity paths helping advertisers measure the effectiveness and success of their podcast campaigns.”

To accomplish this, data & analytic teams at Catalina and iHeartMedia have worked together over the past year to test the feasibility of applying Catalina audiences and measurement capabilities to enhance the effectiveness of CPG ads running on iHeartMedia’s multiplatform audio properties. The teams have since successfully completed pilot tests for measurement and audience targets across a range of iHeart’s audio properties, including podcasts.

“We have been impressed with Catalina’s ability to deliver highly-scaled, extensive data and insights for CPG advertisers, enabling them to measure the effectiveness of their brand messaging on in-store sales,” said David Shiffman, EVP of National Research at iHeartMedia. “We continue to focus on cross-platform measurement and attribution capabilities for advertisers and now in partnership with Catalina we can provide CPG advertisers tools to maximize their podcast campaigns’ ROI, with measurement and attribution solutions to more effectively plan and execute their multi-platform audio campaigns.”

Catalina’s Dunphy added, “As consumer-directed media consumption grows, it is critical for marketers to have a partner to help them effectively measure across channels. Thanks to our new partnership with iHeartMedia, we are excited to be unlocking and adding radio, streaming audio and podcasts to Catalina’s now comprehensive omni-channel platform capabilities that also includes TV, Out of Home, Digital Advertising and In-Store campaigns. We have the capacity to reach shoppers with personalized messages at every step of the consumer journey, measure their impact, and even make adjustments in real time to drive sales.”

About Catalina

Catalina is a leader in shopper intelligence and highly targeted in-store, TV, and digital media that personalizes the shopper journey. Powered by the world’s richest real-time shopper database, Catalina helps CPG brands, retailers and agencies optimize every stage of media planning, execution and measurement to deliver $6.1 billion in consumer value annually. Catalina has no higher priority than ensuring the privacy and security of the data entrusted to the company and maintaining consumer trust. Catalina has operations in the United States, Costa Rica, Europe and Japan. To learn more, please visit www.catalina.com or follow us on Twitter @Catalina.

About iHeartMedia, Inc.

iHeartMedia (NASDAQ: IHRT) is the number one audio company in the United States, reaching nine out of 10 Americans every month. It consists of three business groups.

With its quarter of a billion monthly listeners, the iHeartMedia Multiplatform Group has a greater reach than any other media company in the U.S. Its leadership position in audio extends across multiple platforms, including more than 860 live broadcast stations in over 160 markets nationwide; its National Sales organization; and the company’s live and virtual events business. It also includes Premiere Networks, the industry’s largest Networks business, with its Total Traffic and Weather Network (TTWN); and BIN: Black Information Network, the first and only 24/7 national and local all news audio service for the Black community. iHeartMedia also leads the audio industry in analytics, targeting and attribution for its marketing partners with its SmartAudio suite of data targeting and attribution products using data from its massive consumer base.

The iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group includes the company’s fast-growing podcasting business -- iHeartMedia is the number one podcast publisher in downloads, unique listeners, revenue and earnings -- as well as its industry-leading iHeartRadio digital service, available across more than 500 platforms and 2,000 devices; the company’s digital sites, newsletters, digital services and programs; its digital advertising technology companies; and its audio industry-leading social media footprint.

The company’s Audio & Media Services reportable segment includes Katz Media Group, the nation’s largest media representation company, and RCS, the world's leading provider of broadcast and webcast software.

Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.