Climate Journalism - Critical Frequency Network Founder Joins the M.R.; What Apple’s Dethroning Means for Advertisers; Smart Speaker Use Skyrocketing

Years ago, advertisers could essentially run their commercials anywhere, as long as they hit their marketing objectives. But today, more and more advertisers demand far deeper insights than just what their ads mean to their bottom line. Marketing in today’s climate is about not only knowing if something “works” or not but, you want to feel good about the media you support. To that end, we’re excited about this week’s guest whose work through the podcast network she’s created and the shows she hosts is extremely purpose-oriented.

Our guest this week is Amy Westervelt, an award-winning climate print and audio journalist. Westervelt is the founder and executive producer of the Critical Frequency Podcast Network, and also the host of the hit true-crime climate podcast Drilled, along with the upcoming podcasts Rigged and Damages.

Westervelt is a podcast giant not only for the massive amount of thoroughly researched journalism she’s produced but for the sharp insight she has into her audience that makes her a case study for successful podcast marketing.

Tune in to learn why lawsuits are the sign of a great story, why fact-checking on podcasts is so much less common than on radio, what it looks like when climate change deniers go after Big Oil, and why all the moderate climate solutions are no longer an option.

Joining us also is Oxford Road’s very own Kristin Duenas, to discuss how advertisers’ dollars can come with strings attached, and how Westervelt works to maintain her journalistic integrity.

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The Classifieds

Reinvention Never Sounded So Good

Okay, back to the inspirational and influential. This December, NPR is launching a yet-to-be-titled podcast hosted by ESPN commentator and former NBA player Jay Williams. After a career-ending motorcycle accident took him out of the league, he had to get creative with his comeback and self-reinvention. Each week, he’ll go deep with icons from the worlds of sports, entertainment, and pop culture, discussing the strategies people need to grow empires out of their personalities. From rappers to CEOs, listeners will learn the mindset needed in order to win in life. From our perspective, this show seems like it will be a cross between How I Built This and The Tim Ferriss Podcast; if that holds true, not only would it be a perfect fit for B2B advertisers, it should have mass appeal any brand looking to identify with uplifting and aspirational content. While more details on sponsorship opportunities will be shared as they become available, advertisers interested in the initial vetting process should reach out now by clicking below.

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Some Kind of Monster

Each week in The Influencer, we often feature new podcasts hosted by influential and inspirational people. Well, our friends at PodcastOne have recently released a show that takes a turn in the complete opposite direction. This Is Monsters is a podcast that tells the stories of some of the worst people who have ever existed. Each season of this “video-first” podcast focuses on a new theme that will make your blood run cold. Child killers, torturers, and family annihilators are just a few of the gruesome topics in the line-up. There is a warning, though: This show will contain graphic content. Despite the morbid nature of this show, other podcasts with equally cringeworthy content (Dr. Death, Casefile, Crime Junkie, True Crime Garage) are part of many of our advertiser’s top-performing shows. While audience data is not yet in on this show, based on the audience profile of similar programming, we expect a 65%+ female skew and an average age in the low 30’s. So if your brand is open to going deep, DEEP into the darkest parts of the world of true crime, we recommend taking this show for a ride (just not alone or at night).

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In Case You Missed It

Spotify to Surpass Apple Podcast

According to eMarketer, Spotify is set to dethrone Apple’s share Podcast listenership this year, which is a full year earlier than originally projected! With US podcast listenership continuing to grow (projected to reach 40% of the population by 2024), how they’re receiving the content is changing. While Apple has literally done nothing with the industry they created, Spotify has made strides in securing exclusive content like The Joe Rogan Experience, creating a more user-friendly way for users to listen to and discover new content, and streamlining monetization for content creators. Apple’s loss of supremacy comes at a cost for podcast advertisers, however. Unlike Apple, Spotify controls the ad dollars placed on their exclusive programs and therefore has everything to gain by making their own rules. Ultimately, Spotify will hold the key to setting spend minimums, raising rates, and dictating what types of ads run within the shows they own, which isn’t too many podcasts in the grand scheme…yet. So far, they’ve mostly been playing nice – hopefully, it stays that way.

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Start Thinking Smart Speakers

The Influencer warned you years ago. According to Westwood One’s 2021 Audioscape report released this week, Smart Speakers are in 40% of US homes and growing. 66% of them are Alexas, 6% of listening time is on podcasts, and 13% of listening is on good ol’ AM/FM radio (second to only Amazon Music). This massive adoption is similar to what our forefathers saw 100 years ago in Radio. So, are we saying it’s taken 100 years, but smart speakers are basically just a radio we can talk to? Yes, that’s what we’re saying, and like radio, you can advertise on these too.

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Digital Ad Growth Rebounding

While the pandemic saw wild shifts in ad spending across various business sectors last year, it appears as if things have mostly rebounded. A recent article from eMarketer shared ad growth for various industries over the past three years and a forecast of what’s to come. According to their forecast:

• Retail, consumer product goods (CPG), and financial services still rule in digital ad spending.
• Entertainment will grow the fastest in 2021, thanks to pent-up demand from 2020.
• Retail will grow the second fastest, by 34.5%.
• CPG will also exceed the 30% threshold by more than a percentage point.
• Yet, Auto, telecom, healthcare, and pharma will account for smaller shares than before

If you find your industry in one of the rapid growth industries, competition will be fierce over the next two years. Differentiation and a rock-solid media strategy will become increasingly important in order to stand out from the pack.

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A/B Testing On Steroids

Creating and testing digital ads can be one of the most annoying parts of digital marketing. To do it right, it takes a team of designers to develop the ads, many of which fail, but even worse, is when the results are inconclusive. Our partners at Marpipe, who are in the news this week for having just raised $8 million in a round of funding, is the digital design platform that tracks your conversion data. They use AI to create thousands of ad variations in minutes, deploy them, and provide real-time insights broken down by each component. While we’ll still let the humans write TV and Audio ads, the time has come to let the robots do the heavy lifting on the digital front and based on the data we’re seeing, they can make your digital ads work better, a WHOLE LOT better.

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This Week in Great Podcast Reads

And Now Your Moment of Zen

It’s great when a podcast host reads your copy perfectly. It’s even better when they include a personalized example of how they’re using your product or service within the ad. But when you have 4 hosts individually speak at length about your product or service, it’s magical. That’s exactly what happened on last week’s episode of #SistersInLaw when the hosts joined forces on their read for the Headspace meditation app. Joyce Vance, Jill Wine-Banks, Barb McQuade, and Kimberly Atkins each shared with their audience exactly how and why they’re using Headspace to relax and improve their minds. This is what happens when you combine a product people love with ad copy that allows the hosts to personalize. Thank you #Sisters for your amazing work.

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