Earmax Media has launched a new London office as it expands into the UK market, with a promise to bring more accountable and creative podcast advertising to brands.
The company was established in Australia in 2024 by Ralph van Dijk and Andy Maxwell.
It combines media planning, buying and campaign measurement with creative services from sister company Eardrum, founded by van Dijk more than 30 years ago.
Earmax says the UK launch comes at a time when podcast listening continues to grow, with 39% of UK adults now tuning in every week.
The agency believes that creates a bigger opportunity for brands, but only if campaigns are planned and measured properly.
Speaking to PodcastingToday about the expansion, Andy Maxwell said the move builds on work Earmax has already carried out for British clients from its Australian base.
“Whilst we’ve been running in Australia for two and a half years now, we have UK-based clients and have run multiple successful campaigns for them in both countries,” he said.
“We want to grow these existing relationships here and replicate our success with new brands.”
He added that the continued growth of podcasting makes this the right moment to establish a permanent presence in London.
“The constant evolution of the podcast space means there’s more opportunity than ever for brands to capitalise and innovate, so we want to be at the forefront of that in both countries.”
Andy describes Earmax as the only full-service podcast advertising agency.
The company handles strategy, planning and buying, ad creation, campaign management, and detailed reporting all under one roof.
A key advantage is the relationship with Eardrum, whose team creates recorded ads, host-reads, branded content and social integrations.
“We’re specialist because we’re the only full-service podcast advertising agency,” Maxwell said. “There’s no point in having a great media plan if your ads are sh*t and vice versa.”
Unlike agencies that rely on pre-negotiated network deals, Earmax says it considers every available podcast.
That includes global podcast networks, independent publishers and individual creators.
The aim is to match brands with shows using audience intelligence and contextual relevance, rather than choosing inventory based purely on cost.
Earmax also tracks each campaign against specific business goals, with a focus on conversions rather than impressions alone.
Andy said podcast advertising is the company’s core service, but Earmax also offers wider digital audio advertising solutions.
The agency has worked with brands including NordVPN, Vanta, ANZ Bank, PocketSmith, FEELD and Saily.
Its campaign for Explore Worldwide won Gold at the Travel Marketing Awards and is shortlisted in the Best Use of Audio category at the Campaign Audio Advertising Awards 2026 alongside Tesco and Fever-Tree.
The UK operation will be led by Andy Maxwell from the new London office.
He will also be attending The Podcast Show next week, where Earmax will introduce its proposition to brands, publishers and podcast creators.
Find out more at earmaxmedia.com.
