Last week, I went onto ChatGPT and created one of those action figure things of Richard – Director of Pressing Send on the Email – and Annie – Fresh Air’s Head of Snacks, Chat & Gambling. At the time, I thought it was an amusing and reasonably original thing to do. I now realise that every single person in the marketing world has done the same, and that, as such, any fun has been sucked out of the idea through a collective LinkedIn yawn-cloud. If you’d like to see them, they’re here, but I don’t expect you will. I apologise to everyone involved.
What works in podcast advertising?
Last week was the ‘Podcast Movement Evolutions’ conference in Chicago. No, I wasn’t invited to speak all-expenses-paid, but I have been picking up some top tips that came out of it. Libsyn – a publishing platform have shared their insights into the best use of podcast advertising and what makes the medium effective. So what’s my take out from their take out of the people on stage’s take out?
Well, the key starting point is that all podcast listeners have chosen to listen. OK, so they’ve not chosen to hear your ad, but they have actively and proactively selected the show they’re streaming. This gives you a level of attention you won’t find anywhere else, but also a delicate line to tread. Respect that attention with great creative and a strong call to action, and it will be the most powerful ad you’ve ever placed.
Over-saturation is a real risk. This is more on the publishers and the podcasters, but as David Couch pointed out this week there are plenty who do a disservice to their audience, their advertisers and their own shows by cramming far too many ads into a short space of time. You might want to check how overloaded your target podcast is before you book space in it.
Tracking is everywhere now. And why wouldn’t it be? 90% of podcast ads are using some form of third party attribution to show the results and prove the effectiveness. This was pretty much unheard of only three or so years ago. Richard – DoPSotE – studies this all day long and obsesses over how brand goals can be achieved through podcasts, so if you thought podcast ads were vague and unmeasurable you need to speak to the man who knows (and I stress, that man is Richard).
Horse & Golf News
As mentioned above, Annie is Fresh Air’s Head of Snacks, Chat and Gambling, because she is a multi-talented individual with an array of skills that occasionally come in handy. Her gambling expertise comes from a life-long love of horse racing (and bookmakers), so this is her perfect week.
Long time readers will know that Annie doesn’t exactly have a spotless record with The Grand National – last year’s ‘hot tips’ were almost a resigning matter. I decided not to include any of her suggestions in last week’s pre-National newsletter for fear of being sued.
As it happened, the HoSCaG came up trumps, with an each-way tip on Grangeclare West and Senior Chief which resulted in Clara – Head of Gossip – raking in a whopping £50 and Izzie – Head of Going to Weddings – a life-changing £9.
Why am I telling you all this about a horse race that’s already finished? Well, this weekend is The Masters Golf, which is Annie’s other specialist subject, so I am adding her advice verbatim:
My heart says Rory McIlroy. My betting slip says Lowry & Speith each way. It’ll probably be Scheffler For some extra excitement top debutant Laurie Canter. I also backed Hovland with a £1 free bet because I fancy him.
All bases covered there. Make of it what you will, and please let me know if you win a fortune.*
*All this was written yesterday evening when I put this newsletter together, so by the time you read it they’ll have finished the first round and anything could have happened. The value of Annie’s advice can go down as well as up. Capital at risk.
More from Podcast Evolutions
Oh I see, you want more of my take outs of other people’s take outs do you?
Steven Goldstein of Amplifi Media hosted a panel of some of the most senior leaders from Podscribe, YouTube, Headliner and iHeart podcasts, and described podcasts ‘bending’. I don’t really know what that means, sorry.
Stephanie Chan of YouTube said that “Gen Z thinks of podcasts as video. YouTube wants to be a home for all podcasts, audio and video, and we’ve redesigned product features around that.” and obviously this is what she would say, being from YouTube and all that, but I think Dan Misener of Bumper put it better when he spoke to Richard and Michaela – Fresh Air’s Director of Content and Head of Loud Nose Blows – ‘The people who get to decide what counts as a podcast are the people consuming podcasts’. As Steven says, a podcast being audio and/or video is not a binary decision, and will normally be both, but the emphasis is all about your strategy and your target audience’s expectations.
Depressingly, Will Pearson of iHeart advised people: “Don’t overthink the production. Some of our most successful shows are just well-lit conversations.” This is fine if your idea of production is, ‘turning on some microphones and making it look nice’. The truth, of course, is that most professional production of conversations is about preparation, research, scripting and structure that often goes unnoticed by the audience but makes all the difference. Indeed, the very best production is about making your presenter and guests sound so natural that the audience think it’s easy*.
*it’s very much not.
Podcast Show Line Up
I’m not a salesman for The Podcast Show, but it is the biggest and best gathering of the podcast industry anywhere in the world, as evidenced by the number of overseas attendees. They’ve just added 150 names to the line-up of speakers, including famous bods, and we are expecting to have some big news about what we’re doing there in the next few weeks.
Nik Gandhi is essentially an old man…
It’s Masters week which means two things. 1) I lose a decent chunk of money because I bet with my heart, and not with my brain. And 2) I stay up too late fantasising about playing Augusta National. Now, thanks to our good friend and colleague Annie Day, I enjoy all the build-up and inside goss from the hosts of The Chipping Forecast. Golf has a horrible image issue, one that is only made worse by ingenuine investment, questionable branding, and cringe-worthy personalities (not you, Rory). This podcast has a tone which matches my perception of a game I love. It’s full of nonsense, genuinely helpful advice for a struggling 20-something handicap like myself, and soothing and comforting personalities.
Izzie Clarke geeks out…
I love the nerdy detail of Song Exploder. Host Hrishikesh Hirway sits down with artists and together they explore the creative process behind the artist’s biggest tracks. What inspired the lyrics? What instrument didn’t make the final cut? And lots of other brilliant behind the scenes stories. It’s a brilliant balance of interesting conversation and carefully created sound design, playing individual stems to punctuate their conversation. I loved one of their most recent spin-off episodes called “Key Change”, where a guests chooses a song that has changed their life. Cue, TWO of my favourite podcasts colliding with Off Menu’s James Acaster picking apart why he loves OutKast’s “Hey Ya!”. There’s an indepth chat about switching time signatures, where James was when he heard the song for the first time, and there’s just something so comforting about hearing two people chatting enthusiastically about a shared love of a song. And thank god for podcasts, where you have time to really get into those nerdy details.
What we’ve been listening to this week
McDonalds radio ads.
I have made a LOT of radio ads in my life. I used to spend a huge proportion of my working time in studios fretting for hours over thirty seconds of sound, so I listen to the commercial breaks more keenly than most.
And let’s face it, most radio ads are really appallingly bad. Cliché-ridden rubbish, cranked out last thing on a Friday by a reluctant agency creative who spent all their allotted time perfecting the grade on the TV ad.
So hats off to Leo Burnett. McDonalds are the perfect example of a brand who, under their guidance, have used audio consistently and brilliantly for years, and built a sonic identity which is rock solid. So, incredibly, the current radio ads don’t mention the brand.
“Think of a breakfast muffin with sausage and egg. Yep, that’s the one,” the voiceover says. “Picture it now. Doesn’t it look delicious?” And of course it finishes with the whistle.
That’s genuinely amazing. A 30 second ad that relies entirely on words, music (also consistent with TV) and a sonic logo to leave the listener in no doubt whatsoever who it’s for. Beautifully executed, it lines up perfectly with the TV and outdoor executions of the ‘needs no explanation’ campaign, and almost made me want a McMuffin.
There are still people who care about 30 second radio creative. Hallelujah.
What we’ve been doing this week
Trying Dippy egg filled chocolate hot cross buns.
They sound great, don’t they? Essentially a Cadbury’s Creme Egg in bun form. They’re not great at all.
Hot Cross Buns are lovely. Spicy, Eastery and tasty. Why can’t we just have nice things without Marks & Spencer messing around with them? If I have one gift to give you this Easter, it’s not to bother with dippy egg chocolate hot cross buns.
The bun itself is just a brown, sticky flavourless thing that, after one bite looks a lot like something else that’s brown and sticky*. As for the ‘dippy egg’ filling, don’t get me started. Oh alright then. It’s also flavourless and looks a lot like something that I couldn’t possibly mention in a family newsletter, even when Michaela’s on holiday.
*A stick, obvs.
