Podcasts and podcasting are on the verge of becoming mainstream in a very big way. When NBC starts promoting the podcasts for their most popular news programs numerous times each day………as they are doing now, you know that something is up. Podcasts and podcasting are just about to take off right down the middle of our cultural landscape.
And of course, we are not just talking about music here. We are talking about visual and audio content covering news, information, sports, entertainment, electronics, politics, and even education. Podcasting can included a range of diverse content.
Podcasting offers marketers and advertisers two opportunities.One is to produce their own podcasts containing unique content. Placing this content on their Web site allows others to download the content and view or listen to it on their desktop, laptop, iPod or another type of MP3 player. For example, I listened to a podcast the other day from “Pardon the Interruption,” the popular ESPN television show. Plus, iTunes allows anyone to upload their podcasts to the iTunes podcast library, making those podcasts available to anyone.
Frankly, we think this is a very valuable tool of which many of our clients should take advantage. Imagine creating a podcast for a new product or service introduction, say a new drink at a local bar or restaurant or a new workout regimen at a local health club. What if a client has a product that needs some in-depth explaining? A podcast could really help there. One’s imagination can really run away with this concept. Talk about getting your customers and potential customers engaged in a product or service.
Oh, man.
The other opportunity is to advertise on podcasts. Granted, placing ads on podcasts is in the very early stages of development. In fact, at the University of Tennessee, along with my research partners, we conducted a content analysis on advertising and podcasts and discovered that only 29% of podcasts have any advertising on them at all. And among the podcasts with advertising, the average number of ads was 2.4 per podcast. Most of this advertising was in the form of sponsorships, not traditional ad placement of 30 second spots interspersed throughout the content. The sponsorship model, often used with public radio or public television programs, allows for a limited amount of content interruption. For podcasts, this is key because a large part of their appeal, aside from time and location shifting, is the fact that the content is largely still pure and uninterrupted.
Our research recommends that advertisers and their advertising agencies follow a set of guidelines when advertising on podcasts. In essence, these guidelines recommend continuing to follow the sponsorship model, allowing listeners to enjoy the content without periodic breaks or interruptions. Generally, our overall recommendation is to suggest to advertisers and podcast content providers to respect the listener and maintain the integrity of the content. It is our belief that listeners or viewers of podcasts will respond to an advertising message if the advertisers respect the audience and the content. For that matter, the same goes for blogs.
Oh, if you are interested in learning more about our research on podcasts, please contact us. We will be more than happy to take you through our findings.
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wevegotideas
Chris Griffin
Josh Gibbs
Bill Cokas
Jenn Soloway
I happen to listen to a podcast that very effectively blends advertising with their content. The More Hip Than Hippie podcast put on by GreenFeet is one that discusses small things everyone can do to live a more green-conscious life. Two segments jump to mind that fit exactly with the model for podcast advertising without any effort whatsoever.
The first is at the start of every podcast, they have either a “Finds” segment or a “Favorite Things” segment. In either instance, they are talking about green products/services produced by other companies that have come to their attention in the time between podcasts.
The second comes at the end of every podcast. Here, they have a “Listener Emails” segment, where they read and discuss feedback from their listeners.
A savvy advertiser could effectively recommend their product/service by contacting the show and explaining what their product or service does, and how it effects the green community. This keeps the “advertisement” subtle and presented as a recommendation by the people putting on the podcast. It also places it directly around the meat of the podcast – the main topic of the show – but is talked about in the same manner, instead of blocked off as an interrupting advertisement.
I’ve heard traditional advertisements placed in podcasts, and I’ve heard them blended in with the topic of the show as a recommendation, and definitely feel more compelled to pursue the recommendations rather than the ads.
Agreed. The WOM (word of mouth) component is always a preferred method of recommendation. That’s probably why Ask A Ninja is so popular. Why didn’t we think of that first?