In this article:
- American Girl Doll is joining in on the podcast wave
- The brand is hoping to bring more American Girl Doll content to fans
- Podcasts are becoming increasingly important outlets for advertisers
Soon, American Girl dolls may come with a set of podcasting gear.
The doll brand is creating its own podcast network called AG. At first, the ad-free network will launch with three separate shows: a scripted show adapted from the books called “American Girl 10-Minute Mysteries,” the nonfiction behind-the-scenes shows “American Girl Fan Club” and “The Smart Girls Podcast.” American Girls is attempting to expand its offerings and fan base.
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American Girl is owned by Mattel. The company makes dolls based on different periods of American history, such as the American Revolution or the Great Depression. Each doll has additional content such as a book series. Some even have movies based on their stories. The podcast will allow the brand to provide loyal fans with even more content.
American Girl is partnering with Jess Weiner and cultural consultancy and creative production company Talk to Jess to make the podcasts. Talk to Jess previously worked with Shonda Rhimes’ company Shondaland to develop a podcast series called “Dominant Stories.”
Podcasts are becoming increasingly important outlets for people and brands alike. In 2021, revenue from podcasts surpassed $1 billion for the first time ever, and that growth is expected to continue increasing in the future. Advertising spending on podcasts grew 68% year-over-year in 2021. That spending accounted for 8% of all digital audio spend.
Sixty-two percent of Americans have listened to a podcast, according to Marketing Dive. And 79% of Americans have an awareness of podcasts.
Even kids are listening to podcasts these days. Roughly half of kids between the ages of 13 and 17 said that they’d consumed a podcast as of 2020. A third of kids between 8 and 12–the target demographic for American Girl–have listened to a podcast.
American Girl isn’t just for children. American Girls Podcast, hosted by historians and friends Allison Horrocks and Mary Mahoney re-read the books and dissect the fandom for listeners with a new episode every other week.