How to Keep Podcast From Becoming Radio–Sounds Profitable’s Tom Webster Joins The Media Roundtable; Q4 Network Fire Sales; Nerds Talk Oral Hygiene

This week, on the Media Roundtable: Industry Edition, the agents of influence are tackling the future of podcasts, from misinformation to the specter of ad overload. Let’s dig in.

Hosting is Oxford Road’s founder and CEO, Dan Granger, along with fellow Oxford Road experts Jennifer Laine, Spencer Semonson, and Neal Lucey. Joining them for the first time, audio giant Tom Webster, Partner at Sounds Profitable, is your go-to resource about the business of podcasting.

At the top of everyone’s mind:

Warnings from Radio – 7 mistakes Podcasts can learn from Radio.
That Sounds… Wrong – Who’s responsible for flagging misinformation?
Keep Searching ️ – Acast lets you target keywords–does it deserve your dollars?
Anybody Want Fajitas? – From sizzles to sax riffs, the joy of effective sonic branding

Short on time? A recap of each topic is shared below, but for industry insights you won’t get anywhere else, hear the full episode by clicking the link below.

Listen Here

The Classifieds

Here Comes the Boom

The end of Q4 is synonymous with fire sales and last-minute deals, and this year is no different. Many of our network partners are offering steep discounts to fill last-minute budgets, and we’re using this week’s classifieds to highlight two of them. Our first network partner is Audioboom, which hosts many top agency performers now available at reduced rates. These include shows like You Can Sip With Us, a society and culture mainstay, US-based true crime podcast Murder in America, and Politicon law podcast #SistersInLaw. Newly attained shows at a fire sale rate include the self-improvement podcast Nice and Neat, the viral-social-media-focused show Thick Threads, and the religious family-focused podcast Growing Together with Kaelin & Kyrah Edwards. To learn more about what’s still available, please click the link below for additional information.

Get The Deal

Going Through the Looking Glass

Glassbox Media has grown in recent years, now representing a large collection of podcasts in the Comedy, Health & Wellness, Society & Culture, and True Crime genres. In Q4, they’re looking to partner with select clients, and in that same spirit of partnership, they’re offering reduced rates (sometimes 50% off) through 2022. Highlights amongst the available selections include I Might Be Wrong, a podcast hosted by former Senior Writer for Last Week Tonight, Jeff Maurer, long-running deep dive true crime podcast The Fall Line, internet comedian God Pod, and the always nerdtastic Star Wars Theory. Additional preferred partner rates will be available in 2023, but now is the time to get in at rock bottom pricing before the New Year. Break glass in case of emergency by clicking below.

Get The Deal

In Case You Missed It

The Seven Warnings From Radio

We start things off and spend most of our time on a two-part article written by this week’s guest Tom Webster from Sounds Profitable, who Dan says is a living legend. The team discusses what Tom has identified as what the podcast industry can learn from radio’s worst mistakes.

Said Mistake Highlights:

Don’t destroy the medium with ads
Don’t neglect up-and-coming talent
Don’t be content with content – evolve to meet future entertainment needs.

Hot Take for Marketers: Podcasting is a little like your favorite indie band going mainstream.

Change is inevitable as podcasting reaches wider audiences and gains interest from major investment partners.

However, it is important to evolve while protecting what is unique about podcasting (personal connection with hosts, quality and depth of content, uncluttered ad environment, etc.) Otherwise, podcasts will become radio.

Tom shares his reasons for writing the article, and the team chimes in on what they believe will come to the medium we all love.

Audio is a Safe Haven

Given the current political climate, consumers expect brands to take a more proactive stance on combating misinformation. According to a recent report from MAGNA Global and Zefr, Audio is perceived as being safer.

According to the study, seven in ten people surveyed agree that misinformation is “an issue” that is getting out of control, but when it comes to where they find misinformation, audio is not the problem.

Traditional radio ranks dead last where people say they most often encounter misinformation, and Podcasts rank second to last. On the other side of the spectrum, social media ranked highest, followed by television.

If you’re looking for a deeper level of Brand Safety, we’ve got better news on new tools – email us for more info.

Acast Adds More Targeting Capabilities

AdWeek recently published an article outlining Acast’s newest targeting tool on the heels of its conversational targeting launch in May and first-party data targeting capability in August. The tool aims to help advertisers align their message and avoid words episodically versus an entire podcast show, making ads more relevant to the content and ultimately driving more ad revenue for the platform.

In an age where programmatic media buying and heavier target layering are becoming more and more prevalent, this serves as a major resource for marketers. Genre designations can only get you so much info, and often content isn’t cookie-cutter episode to episode. Granular targeting and influencer marketing are the easiest ways to move through the current economic downturn.

Beeyoonbooooomch-ch!!! Sonic Branding

Marketers from Lexus to Panera are implementing more robust audio branding strategies as they seek deeper connections with consumers. Sonic branding is a powerful tool to create memory structures for consumers. Now marketers are thinking beyond advertising to embed sonic branding across consumer touchpoints (apps, call centers, etc.) When you’re ready to create your HBO or Netflix App “Launch Sound,” McDonald’s “Da-Da-Da-Da-Da,” or Shopify’s “Cha-Ching,” we can help.

Podcast Superteam Defends Oral Care

Make no mistake about it; getting people’s attention with an oral hygiene product ad during the most indulgent time of the year is no easy task. You need experts to get the job done. Maybe not experts when it comes to oral care, but masters when it comes to an understanding of what makes a great narrative and how to get the audience rooting for your hero. A recent ad read from the Talk From Superheroes podcast offers us a perfect example. The narrative is host Andrew Ivimey’s testimonial for the hero of the story, quip. Andrew recounts how his neglected oral care led him to rely on aligners and how quip—the lightweight, sleek electric toothbrush—came to the rescue as it’s done for 7 million other mouths. Of course, this is all in a day’s work for the Talk From Superheroes team. If you’re interested in them doing the same for your brand, we’re your batline.

Listen 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!