An AMP Accords Deep Dive with James Cridland

Podcasting is an amazing medium, but the industry that supports it hasn’t always been inherently brand-friendly. Luckily, we have a chance to change that, thanks to the AMP Accords.

This week’s edition of Media Roundtable features an insightful conversation that originated on Podnews. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road), Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy, Oxford Road), and James Cridland (Editor, Podnews & Podcast Business Journal) do a deep dive into how the AMP Accords can shape the industry, and explain why imperfect standards are an improvement over the wild west.

“Podcasting is truly the shining city on a hill as far as media goes, and we can’t get out of our own freaking way to not spike our customers’ tires when they drive into the parking lot.” – Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road)

In Pods We Trust –  Podcasting grew by getting direct-to-consumer advertisers to take a leap of faith with the measurement combination of a download and a promo code. The next phase of podcasting’s growth won’t happen until the industry becomes trustworthy and brand-friendly enough to entice global blue-chip CMOs to feel secure in campaign measurement accuracy. The AMP Accords’ recommendations of metrics and measurement can make that next evolution possible. These are the standards of trust the industry needs.

Don’t Leave Video Behind – Why do we need the AMP Accords? In the early days of podcasting, measurement was handled via pixels. But YouTube’s meteoric growth upended that practice. For the industry to take advantage of video without splitting podcasting in two, we need: 1) a podcast definition that includes video podcasts (but not all video); and 2) measurement and metric standards that work on any channel. The AMP Accords are our chance to unify and protect what makes this medium so strong, both creatively and financially.

“Good Enough” Is a Good Place to Start  – The AMP Accords aren’t perfect. Luckily, they don’t need to be. As Dan notes: “ There are different ways of achieving some of the objectives we’re trying to achieve, and at the end of the day, who cares what I think? What matters is that we have a standard that everybody can deal with.” It starts by getting the industry to agree to use 30-second plays instead of downloads, and to define a podcast as something you can listen to with your eyes closed. If we want podcasting to grow as a single industry and raise all ships, the AMP Accords are the standards that make these seas a bit friendlier for all travelers.

If you want to strengthen the industry, you can join the AMP Accords here.

While you’re at it, if you’re looking for a deeper dive into the AMP Accords, including hard questions from the always insightful James Cridland, check out the full episode below.