Nathan Aminian Sets Sights on Fixing Audio Attribution; What Rogan’s Recommitment to Spotify Means For Podcast’s Future; Super Bowl Ad Alternatives

Attention Chief Audio Officers! We’re back with a very special episode of the Media Roundtable.

Dan Granger (Oxford Road Founder & CEO) is hosting, joined by audio heavyweight Bryan Barletta, (Partner & Founder at Sounds Profitable) and Oxford Road’s newest Agent of Influence Nathan Aminian (EVP of Operations, Oxford Road).

We’re talking about what Joe Rogan’s new $250M Spotify deal means for podcasting, and an even bigger deal–Nathan joining us at Oxford Road. Let’s dig in.

“You get to a size where there’s a lot more downside in taking on a risk of switching (attribution) partners than upside.” – Dan Granger, Oxford Road Founder & CEO

A Quarter Billion and Non-Exclusivity – Rogan and Spotify make it official–the walls are coming down. So much to sift through but in no particular order:

1. If Rogan were an athlete, it’d be the 35th biggest contract ever (Sorry, Steph).
2. A new age of big deals for big podcasters (not just big stars) is upon us.
3. A bigger market with an ad rev-share could mean Spotify feels good about non-exclusivity and getting a piece of that sweet YouTube simulcast revenue.
4. CAOs, ride those coattails. If the JRE is out of your budget, book spots on the shows of JRE guests–they get a whopping 47% bump in engagement–bonus impressions!

Oxford Road’s Big Hire – If you’ve been in the audio space, odds are you’ve felt the impact of Nathan Aminian’s analytics leadership at some point. As we announced last week, Nathan recently joined Oxford Road as our new EVP of Operations and he’s already making things happen (in the greatest possible way). We live and die by our data but despite the fact that audio is not in short supply of options that promise an attribution silver-bullet, nothing is perfect (Bryan Barletta’s big compliment to Oxford Road: “I don’t know if I’ve heard of a vendor that you haven’t worked with or have a perspective on.”) With Nathan, Oxford Road is taking a huge leap in our abilities to integrate disparate sources of information together, while lowering dependencies on third-party vendors. Ultimately, we’ll achieve a level of trust and truth that’ll help all of our CAOs make better decisions. Hard not to get excited about that.

As always, for audio insights you won’t get anywhere else, tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below.

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The Classifieds

A Random Person on the Internet

YouTube is still seen as the Wild West for DR brands thanks to unreliable YouTubers. That’s why high performers are that much more valuable, thus we have two such options for you this week. We’re starting strong with Double Play Projects’ D’Angelo Wallace, a YouTuber who has shown immense growth in recent years. After a year and a half break from content creation, Wallace returns to his diehard fans with a series of videos trending across multiple demos. Wallace creates an air of respectability, thanks to his in-depth research and analysis of internet culture and the people who shape it. D’Angelo’s entertaining rhetoric and sometimes unpleasant yet necessary topics, often sway public opinion and inspire many look-alikes. Wallace performs well for DTC brands interested in reaching highly educated young professionals. Like and subscribe, by clicking the informative link below.

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Documentaries Come to YouTube

“New j aubrey just dropped,” is a common phrase uttered by reactive Twitch streamers. Why? Because Aubrey’s longform videos are seen as some of the most detailed, heavily researched single topic videos on the platform. He covers everything from mainstream media figures, to internet influencers, and even niche drama with the seriousness of a true documentarian. Only a handful of creators can hold the same level of attention, as his videos often run between 45 and 90 minutes. This is one of the reasons his videos are classified as ‘must watch’. NanoZebra is currently offering competitive pricing on his next video, which will most likely see optimal exposure on various other channels as well. While all host reads live in equitable harmony in the DR landscape, such an unattainable media figure as j aubrey would be an excellent consideration for anyone with open budget. Click the link below to absorb and learn more about this opportunity.

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In Case You Missed It

Joe Rogan Gets Polyamorous with New Spotify Deal

On the heels of SXM shelling out $100 million+ for SmartLess, Joe Rogan renews with Spotify. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but The Wall Street Journal reports the deal is estimated to be worth $250 million, including revenue share. The new multiyear deal will allow his show to be distributed to YouTube, Apple, and other podcasting platforms. Why should marketers pay attention even if Spotify refutes the $250 million price tag? It’s all about the audience, and Joe Rogan has a BIG one. Looking across demographic audiences, the Joe Rogan Experience routinely reaches ~20% of weekly podcast listeners. The next popular podcast according to Edison Research data is most often in the single digits.

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Westwood One’s Case for AM/FM Based on Web Traffic Lift

Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group® has conducted 17 attribution studies with LeadsRx over five years, analyzing the impact of advertising on site traffic across various categories. Studies show AM/FM radio campaigns generate a +14% lift in site traffic on average. We are skeptical of using time series analysis to judge performance of radio advertising, yet we commend Pierre Bouvard and team on conducting a thorough analysis. We encourage marketers to take note of insights in the WWO analysis.

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Weren’t Able to Secure That $7 Million Super Bowl Spot?

In case you were locked out of buying that $7 million Super Bowl spot, Sounds Profitable has some alternatives to consider, including podcasting. Based on industry average CPMs reported by Libsyn, you can achieve approximately 300 million impressions in podcasts for the same budget. Our take: We love audio, but the Super Bowl is almost impossible to justify based on the media value alone. You have to consider impressions delivered via earned media and any surrounding promotions, not to mention the less tangible value of costly signaling and cultural imprinting.

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#SaveTheLiveReads

Two Hot Takes On Why There’s Success with Shopify

With so many advancements in technology for businesses today both big and small, it seems IMPOSSIBLE to weed through all the platform options when first starting out on your own. Host Morgan Absher of Two Hot Takes knows all about starting from scratch! Her ear catching Set Up about learning how and where to sell her merch, is an all too universal experience. THIS is exactly why Oxford Road partners with Two Hot Takes, as her ability to personalize Positioning is a powerful influencer from Oxford Road’s Audiolytics™ components list. Additionally, her use of Substantiation showing how EASY learning to sell her merch on Shopify was, along with her enthusiastic tone, gives listeners an immediate sense of trust. And if you’re one of Morgan’s regular listeners, you know she does not hold back on spilling all the juiciest tea if something doesn’t live up to her expectations. Morgan + Shopify = a perfect example of Oxford Road’s mission statement, “To grow companies worth fighting for.”

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