Congrats to the recently announced winner in the Best Branded Podcast category at the iHeart Media podcast awards!

Symptomatic

The show has been on my radar for a while, though I actually debated whether to consider it in my definition of a branded company podcast. The show’s second season is currently sponsored by Novartis, though the first season had a mix of other sponsors. And Novartis appears in the show strictly via a mid-roll and post-roll ad for specific drugs in their portfolio. There’s no mention of the company in the intro or credits, episode and show description, show art, and public website.

But on the other hand, the show is produced by iHeart’s Ruby Studios, which is their arm for both full-fledged branded podcasts and custom advertising campaigns. (There are some tricky aspects to iHeart hosting and deciding on podcast awards for which their shows are in the running, but let’s not quibble over valuable visibility and recognition for great branded company podcasts!)

And the effect of the show for the Novartis brand is similar and perhaps even elevated compared to if they were a more visible presence on the show. Symptomatic is a really compelling listen - the conceit is that it takes a true crime style and approach to medical mysteries. Each episode has host Lauren Bright Pacheco telling the story of someone with unusual symptoms, and following their journey through the initial confusion, failed treatment attempts, and to the eventual confirmed diagnosis. That has all the hallmarks of a great mystery, and the show does a great job infusing the successful elements of true crime. Circling back to Novartis, the ads for their products fit in nicely as the show’s audience will tend to be people with an interest and concern for their medical well-being and the people around them.