Introducing Ad Infinitum, The First Podcast 100% Focused on Audio Ads; GenZ’s Hard to Reach But Not On Podcast; Are Audiobooks Audio’s Next Big Thing?

Rather than dropping a typical Media Roundtable podcast this week, we’re launching a completely new show! Fan favorite and Oxford Road VP of Creative Services Stew Redwine is launching a new mini-series called Ad Infinitum. This is the only podcast solely focused on audio ads, the creatives who make them, and the latest thinking that informs them.

The show’s first guest is Dallas Taylor (last heard on a killer Media Roundtable episode). Dallas is the Creative Director of Defacto Sound, the sonic source for the world’s most thoughtful brands, and host/creator of the award-winning podcast, Twenty Thousand Hertz.

The first season will focus on individual Audiolytics™ Key Components and how they show up in the ads for some of the top spenders in audio. Episode 1 is titled “Starting Right” and Focuses on Audiolytics™ Key Component #1, “Setup: Why Should I Listen?”. Tune in to hear:

The Home Depot vs. Lowe’s Audio Showdown
Dallas is taking a stand on behalf of humanity against AI voices
Some spicy ad takes, takedowns, and breakdowns
Interpreting top audio spenders with Audiolytics™

We’ve gathered decades of experience onto one show for a masterclass on audio ads. Click below to listen to the whole episode (and never hear an ad the same way again).

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The Classifieds

Get Ready to LOL at the TL;DR

Summer is here, and with it comes the beginning of Pride month here in The Influencers’ classifieds section. This week’s LGBTQIA+ podcast comes from Lipstick & Vinyl. It is hosted by YouTuber vlogger Rachel Ballinger ( the sister of fellow podcast host Colleen Ballinger, of similar YouTube fame) and Emily Brostaff). Together the Millennial duo speaks on topics geared toward internet culture, YouTube current events, and everything wacky and weird. The show also often touches on conspiracy theories and deep dives into popular culture and celebrity gossip. We have seen this show perform extremely well for several advertisers through the years, making it a great option for any client looking to target a female skew Gen Z audience who is social media focused. YOLO, so just click the link below.

Get The Deal

Friendly Southerners Put the Good in Feel Good

Most society and culture offerings sit squarely in the Millennial and Gen Z age range, full of up-and-coming influencers either figuring out their lives or telling you the best way to live yours. Hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan have no such machinations in their stirringly hilarious podcast I’ve Had It. Freshly debuted with PodcastOne, these two rough-and-tumble Gen Xers speak their mind, go off the cuff, and give cogent opinions on our unsaid thoughts every day.
Though very new, it’s already a top entry on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and is performing above goal for several female skew clients. If you, too, have “had it”, please click the link below for more information.

Get The Deal

In Case You Missed It

GenZ Deadass Loves Podcast

Sounds Profitable recently highlighted a report from SiriusXM and Edison Research on the podcast listening behavior of the GenZ cohort. 47% of 13-24 year-olds listen to podcasts monthly, surpassing the US average of 42% (according to the 2023 Infinite Dial study from Edison Research). GenZ is growing up with podcasts as a part of their media behavior – 60% of listeners started listening in their teens, and 16% started under the age of 11! With the oldest GenZs now working and on the cusp of major life-stage moments such as getting married, buying their first home, etc., they are now an increasingly important segment for marketers. The good news is that they listen to podcasts and engage with the advertising.

The 2023 Podcast Download

Cumulus Media and Signal Insights released the tenth installment of their Podcast Download report. Besides more highlights on YouTube as a rapidly growing platform for podcasts, a few highlights that stood out are:

Podcast ads deliver to the harder-to-reach viewers of ad-free video
Advertiser’s use of podcasts has risen from 15% to 61% in the past seven years
Watchable podcasts are growing in popularity and are being driven by new, younger listeners.

Podcast advertising is still having its moment right now. Not only does the total reach continue to grow, but this data also suggests the medium provides access to a younger audience who are becoming increasingly difficult to reach. Because nearly half of Gen Z’s viewing time is with ad-free video, and because most do not subscribe to pay TV, reaching this younger demographic requires new marketing tactics, and podcast fills that need.

Audiobooks – A Sleeping Giant?

By way of Sounds Profitable and highlighted recently in Hot Pod, the Audio Publishers Association released two new surveys about audiobooks and those who consume them. One of the more notable discoveries was that audiobook consumers skew young–Gen X and younger. Perhaps more surprising is the scale – the audiobook industry hit $1.8 billion in revenue in 2022 and is poised to grow. Audiobooks are a segment of audio consumption that doesn’t receive much coverage, partially due to the lack of advertising opportunities from a marketing perspective – but that may change very soon, as noted here. We will keep an ear on this one for you.

Unashamed of Their Underwear

Not all of us are comfortable talking about our underwear choices, least of all with our dad on one of the biggest podcasts on Blaze Media’s roster. That’s why there’s a father and son duo like Phil and Jase Robertson(and the rest of the Robertson clan) who can do justice to an ad read for Tommy John underwear the way they did on the Unashamed with Phil & Jase Robertson podcast. It’s about as amusing as you’d hope with an account of Phil’s upgrade to the 21st century with his cutting-edge Tommy John underwear while feeling authentic at the same time.
With a gang like this reading your copy, you can usually bank on more than one testimonial. Be it duck calls, politics, or their underwear, each man will have his own opinion on the matter, and that’s when you’re gonna be glad you picked them.

Listen Here

OXFORd In The News

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!