How Your Brand Can Impact Misinformation in Media; How to Make Audio Ads Successful, Dave Thomas’ New Phone, Alexa Creeping Into Your Gameplay

The first rule for marketers is the same as for doctors: don’t make anything worse. At a time when 79% of Americans say they’d boycott a company for ethical reasons, it can be hard not to step in it, especially diving into the fraught media-buying landscape. Better to skip the news genre altogether than accidentally run an ad next to something controversial that creates a tweetstorm, right?

The only problem is if we can’t tell good news from bad news, we end up with a bleak future where there’s no good news to support at all.

We’re not overstating it when we say that finding Vanessa Otero was a miracle. Otero is the founder and CEO of Ad Fontes Media (Latin for “to the source”), the virally successful Media-Bias Chart creator. This chart has the power to change the way you buy media forever, find some incredible deals on overlooked news sites that deserve your support, and even make this year’s Thanksgiving dinner table conversation more civil.

Not convinced? Have a listen as Otero, our very own Dan Granger, and industry veteran Eric John of IAB break down how we got to our toxic state of polarized tribalism and the way forward with civility and positive ROI for all.

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The Classifieds

With a “T”

What’s better than a Billionaire Mindset? You guessed it, a TRILLIONAIRE Mindset. If there’s one consistent fact across Oxford Road’s b2b clients, it’s that entrepreneurial podcasts are generally winners. Whether it’s a side hustle show, investing tips, or just general motivational content, this genre resonates with decision-makers. In conjunction with Tiny Meat Gang Studios, Audioboom has an opportunity to integrate your brand with Trillionaire Mindset, a hybrid podcast & YouTube show. Hosted by Ben Chan and Emil DeRosa, an unlicensed Wall Street trader and his skeptical best friend, highlights the finance world’s funnier side. They tackle popular stocks, the role social media plays in trading, and dive into the underbelly of the US Economy. If you are a b2b advertiser, consider Trillionaire Mindset for your next campaign.

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Succession = Success

West Wing Weekly and Office Ladies are two of the most popular entertainment podcasts that perform for nearly every advertiser who touches them. Moreover, other shows in this TV show “watch-along” genre have shown signs of success. Later this month, HBO’s Succession returns for another season, and we’re excited to check out its unofficial recap podcast called The Sweet Smell of Succession. While technically not a watch-along, this show will recap each week’s episode, and speculate the future of all of the happenings and drama at Waystar Royco. Grab some popcorn, throw on your Tommy John loungewear, and get your brand involved with this promising new show by clicking below.

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In Case You Missed It

What Makes Audio Ads Successful?

In this short video, Westwood One’s Pierre Bouvard succinctly lays out how “audio ads” vastly differ from “video ads”. At least if you want them to be successful. For audio ads, the brand is mentioned early and often (first 3 seconds please) and, if you’re going to make your ads different from each other, make them significantly different. Don’t just change the 3rd line of the body copy. Make a funny ad and a sad ad. Make ads with meaningfully different offers, so you have something to test. We couldn’t agree more. Reach out if you want to test audio the right way, we’ve got some ideas.

Hey Look… We Found More Places to Insert Commercials!

But, but… Captain Kirk didn’t have to hear ads when he was talking to his computer! It’s not fair! Even though the StarTrek future of voice tech is becoming a reality, there’s one thing that the prognosticators of the future left out, and that’s the cold hard reality of advertising (as well as any garments other than unitards, hopefully). According to a recent article from Voicebot, Amazon is secretly testing ads in Voice games. Surprise! Who do you think pays for all the nice things we have around here, huh? As Voicebot Founder Bret Kinsella puts it, “This might not be what you wanted when you thought about your friendly assistant helping you each day. But, advertising appears to always be the unstoppable force”. The Influencer agrees. Rates and details to follow as they become available…

Everything Old is New, Again

Remember the days when getting an email or a text was exciting? Maybe we’re showing our age, but there was a time when digital and email marketing was the bee’s knees and traditional forms of advertising like direct mail and radio were passé. According to the Valassis 2020 Consumer Study, Radio and Direct mail are packing a powerful punch for performance marketers. With Radio establishing an emotional connection and Direct Mail bringing it home with the “reasons why”, the combination of these decades-old media strategies are proving successful for many marketers. “58% of Millennials, 62% of Gen Xers and 65% of households with incomes of $100,000+ said the direct mail they received led to a purchase during the past 30 days.” With Social Media and Digital efforts losing their steam for many marketers, it may be time to look into what’s worked in the past.

Wendy’s: Home of the Square Burger and Now The Square (Actually Rectangular) Phone

To what lengths will you go to “engage” with your “super fans”? Wendy’s Canada is trying by releasing a souped-up version of a Samsung Galaxy with a “Hey, Wendy” digital assistant. While we applaud the creativity here, there is a better way to connect with your hard-core audience while reaching additional “potential” fans. Loyalty is a lie–can you even imagine who will actually buy a “Wendy’s Phone”? To win, you’ve got to reach more people all the time, and according to recent media trends, the surest bet right now is including Audio into your strategy. Let us show you where’s the beef.

Fast Growing Response for Fast Growing Trees

We now live in a world where we stand in front of the microwave and beg it to work faster. For this week’s client showcase, we’re featuring Fast Growing Trees, the company that has fast-tracked the ability for you to choose plants, trees, shrubs, and more, that are guaranteed to explode with growth in your location. Last week, Stephen Robles from Apple Insider ran an ad about how he purchased a persimmon tree from FGT for his house and, on his own dime, went on to buy two more plants from the company because he loved the process so much. Thank you Steven for the great read, and thanks again for truly believing in the clients you sponsor!

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!