Podnews’ Editor James Cridland Launches New MRT Segment; Oxford Road’s International Task Force Talks About Expanding Your Audio Ad Efforts Over Seas

Summer is unofficially here, meaning backyard get-togethers, hiking adventures, and summer road trips–all adding up to more time chatting with friends and family. We have great news. Listening to this week’s episode will ensure you’re informed and ready to conquer any awkward silence with the most important topics facing marketers today.

This week we have a special 2-part edition of Media Roundtable. We kick things off with an entirely new segment we’re creatively calling Industry News with Podcast Business Journal featuring James Cridland, Editor of Podnews and Podcast Business Journal.

With Oxford Road’s Jennifer Laine hosting, James is joined by Dan Granger and Neal Lucey to discuss how this new segment came together and what it means for audio advertising nerds like us. Then the team gives a taste of what this segment will sound like as the panel dissects this week’s biggest topics.

YouTube’s Podcast Plans ▶️ – We got hold of YouTube’s RSS ingest trial details for podcasting, which doesn’t leave a lot of space for podcast ads.
Attack of the Clones – Spotify was claimed to be building AI-cloned voices for host-read advertising. Our panel discusses the pros and cons of the new technology.
Edison Travels Across the Pond – Edison Podcast Metrics is set to launch in the UK. It will be the country’s first ranker. Why did it take so long?
It’s All About The Benjamins – Acast released ROI data in the US for podcast advertising, and the results are seemingly wonderful.
Podcasts Up Down Under – The IAB reported that podcast ad revenue saw 20.7% annual growth in Australia. (This is against a total online ad revenue decline in the country of 0.8%).

As if this weren’t enough, for the second half of this two-parter, Jennifer shifts to a new panel featuring Oxford Road Giles Martin, Steven Abraham, Kyle Jelinek, and Neal Lucey as they talk about the state of audio internationally. Discover the hard-learned tricks you should employ and the potential pitfalls you need to avoid while advertising in new countries. If your business is looking to expand audio advertising efforts outside of the US within the next year, you will not want to miss the second half of this episode.

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The Classifieds

Limited Series Grants Unlimited Potential

Hosts Esther Yoon-Ji and Susie An are working to change the perception of Asian women in popular culture with their WBEZ Chicago limited series Shoes Off: A Sexy Asians Podcast. Each episode features an interview with an Asian cultural figure (John Cho, Sameer Gadhia, Lisa Ling) wherein they ask the question: How do you define being sexy?
These candid, nuanced, and heartfelt conversations bring long-buried issues to the forefront while providing a loving look into these celebrities’ lives. Repeating topics and themes include mental health, media criticism, pop culture, and nostalgia. Similar shows have done well for clients looking to reach a highly educated, diverse, and value-based audience. Now put your shoes back on and walk yourself over to the link below.

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Cultural Appreciation Gets Dumb

June is upon us, but we’re finishing out our spotlight of AAPI-hosted podcasts for May with two great selections. Hosted by the rapper and actor Dumbfounded, Steffie Baik, and Rick Lee, Fun with Dumb is a weekly podcast that showcases the complexities and cultural touchstones within the Asian community by interviewing all AAPI guests. Interviewees run the gamut, from icons such as chef Roy Choi and comedian Bobby Lee to unknown up-and-comers like rapper Ted Park and stunt driver Sara Choi. Every episode is extremely casual and features captivating conversations that often veer into inappropriate yet comical territory. The video portion of the show is bright and colorful, often encompassing an expert level of branding that our advertisers have linked to higher performance. Become more culturally literate today by clicking the link below for more information.

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In Case You Missed It

Podcast Going Down the Tubes?

Podnews obtained a document with full details of a YouTube “RSS Ingestion” pilot running with some partners. The service pulls new audio from an RSS feed to automatically upload to YouTube, complete with a static image of the show art. This all sounds great, except that YouTube says, “regular ads are not allowed to be uploaded to YouTube. [They] request feeds to be ad-free.” Sounds like a big win for YouTube and perhaps some content creators, but ultimately, not great for podcast hosting companies and some networks.

What’s a Clone’s Favorite Letter?

The answer is “W.” It took us a second too. Our panel discusses how Ringer founder Bill Simmons “leaked” that Spotify is reportedly developing AI clones trained on its hosts’ voices to create targeted ads. Theoretically, this tech could lead to “host endorsements” losing most of their impact. Still, some on our panel suggest it could aid in translating or re-versioning content to appeal to specific geography. One thing is certain: Pandora’s AI box can never be closed.

Edison Sheds Light On UK

It’s almost embarrassing that there hasn’t been a true ranker for the UK podcast space. that’s all changed now that The Edison Podcast Metrics survey research is underway, with data from Q2 2023 available sometime in Q3. The panel discusses how the data was almost all UK-generated content except for The Joe Roan Experience. Expanding podcast rankers into more international territories will be an invaluable aid for advertisers looking to expand their international presence – a topic that the team dives into head-first in the second half of this week’s episode.

Somebody Finally Measured Podcast ROI

Oxford Road has been doing it for nearly a decade, but Acast released new research on the effectiveness of podcasting for return on ad spend among US marketers. While our panel agreed that the $2-$6 ROI seemed within range of what we see daily, some of Acast’s conclusions were brought into question. The largest claim that didn’t sit right was where the data suggests “marketers who invest in podcast audiences’ interests and behaviors” have the strongest returns on their investments – countering the ten years of data we have on podcast performance here at Oxford Road. Considering grouping thousands of smaller shows into targeted audience chunks for advertisers is Acast’s specialty, the findings seem on-brand.

Podcast Up Down Under

Last week, the IAB reported on the state of digital marketing in Australia. While digital marketing is down .8% after a banner 2022 year, audio saw a 13% increase in ad spend YoY, with podcast showing 20.7% growth! This growth is not just in Australia. Podcast is booming internationally, Australia and UK have a leg up, given their primary languages, but this is a gold rush! Let us be your trail guide.

An Apple(Insider) A Day…

Stephen Robles has a way with words when it comes to Apple products, but to assume his skills as the host of the AppleInsider Podcast end there would be a mistake. Sure, he can give you the latest scoop on any and all things Apple, but his ability to break down tech products in an engaging way without getting lost in the weeds is his true skill. His recent ad read for Zocdoc could have been a product review because he gives you everything you want to know about the app from his own personal experience in an easily digestible way.

He demonstrates the healthcare app’s value in just a few simple steps: 1) Take a picture of your insurance card, 2) See all the doctors your insurance takes, 3) Find the top-rated doctor. Bingo! Doesn’t get easier than that. A great demonstration like this, plus the fact that he mentions having used the app multiple times, even for his own child, earns this AppleInsider read a five-star rating as far as we’re concerned.

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OXFORd In The News

Return of the Attack of the Clones

For readers who also listened to this week’s Podcast, you’ve already heard Oxford Road Founder and CEO Dan Granger’s thoughts on the AI-generated podcast voices Spotify is exploring. Dan was also featured in Bloomberg’s recent The Soundbite newsletter, where he stressed the importance of maintaining trust between hosts, their audiences, and the brands they endorse, expressing caution about introducing artificial elements into personal endorsements. As AI technology evolves, we will always prioritize genuine connections between brands, podcast hosts, and their audiences.

Read Dan’s Post Here

If you’ve read this far, thank you!

The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road.
If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients.

Interested in seeing how we could help your business?
Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com!