A Hard-Learned Lesson About Media Test Budgets; Welcome to The Crypto Cafe; Marketers Get Traditional; OTTs 180° Take on Advertising

While the Media Roundtable team is on a much-needed Spring Break, The Influencer shares a cautionary tale about marketing test budgets from industry veteran and Oxford Road friend Chris Nella.

Chris comes with two decades of in-house growth marketing for digital native, direct-to-consumer brands. Now, as a fractional marketing officer, Chris provides full-funnel marketing strategies consisting of planning, processes, and revenue accountability for his partners.

Any marketer worth their salt is always testing, but if you plan to spend as little as possible, keep reading. Chris shares how to get a read on new media channels without blowing your marketing budget, and shares a real-life experience of what happens when you test a new channel with too little.

$5K is not enough budget to test into a new media channel. It might be enough to test a single tactic within an existing channel. Doubtful unless you have an incredibly high conversion rate from a low AOV, a free offering, or a top-of-funnel vanity metric (which is another topic altogether).

For the rest of the brands with revenue-based measures of success, a $5K budget is like using a drop of paint on a wall to determine its dried shade…

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The Classifieds

Grieving Father Takes the Law Into His Own Hands

From the creators and hosts of The Opportunist and Kast Media comes a story firmly rooted in the tenets of revenge, pain, and grief. Host Allie Conti tells the story of Tim Miller, a search and rescuer from Dickinson, Texas. Though he has been able to save many lives, he has never solved his daughter’s abduction and murder. This first season follows Miller as he narrows down the suspected murderer, and eventually ensnares Conti in a horrifying game of cat and mouse with a possible serial killer. Premiering at the end of May, Vigilante will undoubtedly chart extremely high and also bring in the host’s existing audience. As with most true crime shows this is highly recommended for clients with a large female target demographic. See below for more details related to this heart-thumping opportunity.

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HODL this Podcast Over all Others

For those who want to learn more about the Metaverse, but feel like it’s too filled with testosterone, host Randi Zuckerberg has you covered. The host of Randi Zuckerberg Means Business is launching her newest venture with Midroll in the hopes of creating a safe and open environment to talk about topics most see as complicated or intimidating. Framed through a lens of inclusion and lively fun, Zuckerberg will interview industry leaders such as Chris Cantino, Brit Morin, and Jaime Schmidt to engage on topics related to women and non-binary people’s onboarding into the world of Web3, crypto, and NFTs. The show is highly recommended for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, business, female leadership, finance, or cryptocurrency. Hop on the blockchain and let’s aim for all-time low pricing by clicking below.

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In Case You Missed It

Charitable Ditches Pixel Attribution

PodNews shared an official email from Chartable today that maps out the future of the company. After Spotify purchased the company along with Podsights back in February, many were curious about what this meant for the podcast analytics & attribution company. Now it’s clear that the company will ditch its attribution offerings for advertisers but will continue to focus on tools and insights. For all publishers. What exactly Spotify is planning for Podsights still remains to be seen, but we will continue to monitor the story as it unfolds.

What’s Old Is New

With the imminent death of the cookie, and tighter privacy guidelines coming, many marketers are turning their focus towards TV, radio and print. According to the 28th Edition of The CMO Survey, marketers are predicting an increase of 1.4% to 2.9% in traditional media, and DTC brands are leading the charge. Companies that earn 100% of sales through the Internet are predicting an 11.7% increase in traditional ad spending over the next 12 months. While this article doesn’t call out streaming audio or podcast, these channels are also faring very well in the shift away from digital ad spend. If you’re interested in learning more about the old/new marketing tactics that are shaping the future, May The Fourth Be With You (we had to get one in there).

Premium Streaming Services Change Their Tune on Ads

“Pay for our premium streaming service”, they say. “No more annoying ads”, they say. But all of that’s about to change. We’ve shared the news of Netflix, HBO, Disney+, and more rethinking their stance on ad-supported subscription tiers, now we’re seeing other OTT services explore creative ways to get more advertising into their content. After launching Peacock with a pledge to minimize commercial interruption, NBCUniversal is exploring a new ad format that will surround a show with a “frame” sponsored by an advertiser, a loophole that allows Peacock to generate ad revenue while keeping its promise of minimal interruption. While the general public may be annoyed by the addition of commercials on their sacred streaming services, marketers rejoice. Tapping into the previously untappable opens a world of possibilities and millions of impressions to be had.

Rapaport Gets Savage on Savings

Michael Rapaport is certainly not shy when it comes to voicing his frustrations on the myriad topics he’s passionate about, be they sports, music, movies, and life’s many idiosyncrasies. It should be no surprise then why we teed him up with this read for Truebill, the app that helps users identify and stop paying for unwanted subscriptions, on the I AM RAPAPORT: STEREO PODCAST and let him do his thing. Quantifying how much he and his wife saved, throwing in another user testimonial, and finishing strong with his personal stamp of approval, “I don’t promote it if I don’t use it,” he makes this read his own. Subscription services beware. Boy, are we glad he’s on our side for this one.

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OXFORd In The News

Oxford Road Adds Three Key Team Members

The Oxford Road team is growing and word is getting out. Last month, we welcomed Chief Operations and Financial Officer Mark Piazza, Executive Vice President Neal Lucey, and Vice President Head of Data Operations Christy Daniels. These new executive partners are already proving to be an integral part of continuing our mission and positioning us for even greater success in the future.

If you’ve read this far, thank you!

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