My Cannes Diary (part 2)

?Well it’s one week post-Cannes, and after having written last week’s newsletter in the airport departure lounge I’m glad to say that:

A) we got home safely

B) the delicate lemon tart that Michaela Hallam (King) - Director of Content and Fierce Woman - had purchased in a French patisserie for her husband Jamie also got home safely, uneaten and un-damaged. At 1am in Nice airport, the odds were very much against this outcome, but it just proves that if you love someone enough and a fancy lemon tart is their ‘thing’, you’ll guard it with your life.

Sadly, ever since Cannes, due to an infection of some sort, Michaela’s voice has completely disappeared. This has led to a week of silent Zoom calls, whispered in-person meetings and lots of improvised sign language. Some people might suggest that his wife being unable to speak a single word for a whole week was an even greater gift for Jamie than a lemon tart, but I certainly wouldn’t be one of those people.

Audio at Cannes

Overall, audio creativity often struggles to break through in major advertising awards, and it’s telling that the biggest winner of this year's Cannes Lions was a campaign that was actually led by outdoor. After twenty years in audio advertising and content, I really wish that agencies treasured and valued the medium as much as we do, and that the simple beauty of perfectly chosen words and sound were given more creative attention. Instead, the functional radio ad (heard by 20 million people) is often handed to the junior to knock out on a Friday afternoon while the seniors concentrate on the 18th VFX mix of the TV.

This is of course a generalisation, and there are some rare examples of both wonderful campaigns (normally in Australia or South Africa) and agency champions such as Vicki Maguire (see last week’s email describing the incident for which I have now formally apologised). But imagine if your average ad break on Heart regularly included as much creative care and imagination as a burst of cinema ads. What a beautiful, inspiring and exciting thing that would be for all of us, as well as a blessed relief in between blasts of Amanda Holden. We can always dream.

Pat Murphy

A special mention to Patrick Murphy - CEO of MCA - whom I had breakfast in Cannes with on the Thursday morning, and who was disappointed not to be included in last week’s newsletter. It’s fair to say that by Thursday morning Pat had had quite enough of Cannes and was ready to go home. Which, thanks to cancellations, he eventually had to do via flippin’ Düsseldorf.

It’s no insult at all to say that Pat is the greatest radio nerd I know, and at his house I was once honoured to be ushered up to his special room where he keeps all his keepsakes and souvenirs from 1970s and 80s commercial radio. I’m fully aware of how that sounds, but it’s largely just tapes of Pat and Paul McKenna alone and enjoying themselves. Which also sounds terrible, but it’s not. It was wonderful.

Brad Pitt

Richard Blake - Director of Pressing Send on the Email - has sometimes been referred to as ‘The Brad Pitt of Podcasting’ due to his rugged good looks and irresistible charm. Well now there’s a new Brad Pitt of podcasting - Brad Pitt. Brad’s production company - Plan B - is all about gathering IP for future movies and it’s clear that audio and podcasting are going to play a major part in their strategy. In an interview with Hot Pod, CEO Chris Morrow says audio presents the chance to experiment with ideas that others shy away from. The IP model of podcast production is one that’s quite difficult to crack unless you have plenty of cash to throw at development. I think we can assume Brad has plenty of cash so it’s exciting to see what Plan B might be planning.

Willy waffles

There’s a shop in Cannes that specialises in making personalised macarons and waffles in the shape of willies. And lady parts. It’s a bit much if I’m honest.

British Podcast Awards - Listeners’ Choice

Every year, the British Podcast Awards reserve one category for a public vote. We all know this is dangerous, opening up chances for hilarity, such as Boaty McBoatface, and tragedy, such as when Nigel Farage was this week named Best News Presenter at the TRIC Awards. No, Victoria Derbyshire and Clive Myrie, you are NOT as good at news presenting as Nigel Farage, and the British public know it. Please collect your belongings and don’t let the door hit your backside on the way out.

Anyway, if you’d like to vote for your favourite podcast you can go right ahead vote for it. Preferably it would be one made by Fresh Air . Like, very preferably. But in honesty we’ll never know or be able to judge you as a result, so just go ahead and cast your vote. Enjoy yourself. Vote for absolutely anyone. But make sure it’s a Fresh Air one.

Self Serve Your Acast

Richard Blake DoPSotE is a sucker for a self-serve platform, and so has joyfully embraced the ability to create 30 second audio campaigns on both Acast and Spotify through a simple interface. Honestly, it’s great, and means that even clients with a relatively low promotional budget can promote their brands with audio messages against thousands of podcasts.

Well now Acast have gone one better and added a self-serve capability to their presenter read sponsorships. This opens up arguably the most powerful tool in podcasting promotion to a much wider range of clients who can now arrange for hosts to read, adapt and own their brand message as an integrated part of their show. The trust and connection that a podcast audience has with their favourite host is unlike any other media, and the democratisation of access to this relationship is at the heart of Acast’s offering. Great news for both hosts and advertisers that makes our beloved DoPSotE dribble with excitement.

And our wonderful recommends this week..

Paul Russell returns with a fantastic recommend..

They always say that you have to have been though adversity as a creative artist to be able to make your best work. Whilst this is a slight exaggeration, when it comes to comedy it's certainly true that the funniest material invariably comes from personal travails of some sort.

And this is certainly true of the wonderful Janey Godley . To say her life has been incident filled would be the understatement of the year. She has coped with so many life challenges it's amazing she's come out the other side to become so successfully creative in her later life. She's written three brilliant books (please read them. you're in for a treat), an artist, a mischief maker par excellence (her Trump stunt was hilarious), she's a superb stand up comedian and regular TV and radio contributor. You may have also heard her hysterical Nicola Sturgeon impersonations of her in her take on the Covid briefings Sturgeon made. If you haven't - track them down, as they're priceless.

The C Bomb is her latest venture - a four part look at counselling - but as it's from the mind of Janey Godley, this isn't the normal overview of this form of medical help. Janey has been coping with the ravages of cancer for many years and recently she's been having counselling. The show tries to understand what it's all about and there's some inspired material here. This series includes brilliant stand up recorded in Glasgow, interspersed with chats Janey has with her equally talented daughter, Ashely Storrie.

This is simply one of the wittiest podcasts I've heard in years. Superbly written and performed, delivered in such an honest and natural way - Janey simply has funny bones. It's an honour and a treat to be in the company of her and her daughter and to laugh so much in a half hour podcast. She uses her incredible life in a selfless and natural way, making light of some very dark experiences. But you don't feel sorry for her - you just marvel at the way she's able to celebrate life and make us laugh effortlessly. Simply unmissable.?

Listen here

Beckie Bird loves listening to one of our own, partly driven by a pasta recipe..

Fresh Air’s very own Clara Kavanagh hosts Thirty, Flirty & Perishing with her good friend Sophie Lyons. As soon as I heard the title, I knew this was one for me!

The weekly podcast serves up celeb gossip, what they j’adore and detest and even some detective work into James Corden and his inability to leave anyone alone. I feel like I’m in the girl’s bathroom, on a drunken night out and I want the girls to be my new best friends. The episodes are really fun and the perfect escapism, they delve deep into topics such as recent celeb feuds and save me from ever looking at the sidebar of shame ever again. What I admire about both Clara & Sophie is how quick they are with their niche references - especially the Sex and the City ones! It’s very nostalgic to this millennial girl. The chat between the two is authentic and has me holding in my laughter while out in public, not to mention they both have lovely accents. A must listen to keep up to date with your brunch and pub chat.

Listen here.

What we're listening to this week

Billy Joel. He’s had more than his fair share of mentions on this newsletter but he once again got me through the 2am two hour drive from the airport last week, as he has done so many times before.

One thing I learnt in Cannes is that, when with a bunch of cool marketing people participating in a round-table networking icebreaker of ‘what’s your guilty pleasure?’, the correct answer is ‘Trash TV. I’m addicted to Married at First Sight Australia’. This will get you a tonne of whoops and high fives, spark a raft of fun conversations and make you a whole heap of instantly enthusiastic and potentially profitable new friends.

Saying ‘I’ve loved Billy Joel since I was six’ is not the correct answer and simply means that we quickly move to the person on your left.

What we've been doing this week

Handing over the reins.

I know this might surprise you, but I sometimes take time off and allow the good people of Fresh Air to run the show without me. To date, nobody has trashed the place and I have total faith in them all. However, there is one part of our empire that I have never handed over before: The Writing of this hallowed weekly newsletter.

However, I’m off next week and finally it’s time for me to stop being such a control freak and to find an apprentice. Someone worthy of being the understudy newsletter-writer. The ‘Head of Writing Newsletter Nonsense when Neil is Away’.

Well I’m thrilled to say that after a rigorous selection process, Oli Seymour has been anointed as Fresh Air’s new HoWNNwNiA. He has declared himself to be both honoured and scared, and I for one can’t wait to read the results at 9am next Friday.

Be gentle with him.