Ofcom's Listening Report and Tremendously Sticky Buns
I’ll begin with an apology. In last week’s newsletter, I passed on tips for the US Masters Golf and the Grand National. Annie – Head of Snacks, Chat and Gambling – was given the chance to show off her skills for the benefit of us all and finally drive an ROI for all those who read this nonsense every Friday morning.
Sadly, her suggested horse – Panda Boy – might as well have been a panda for all the success it had, and half of her golfers missed the cut. The nearest we got to a sniff of success was Tommy Fleetwood coming third, so well done if you went each way. To be clear, we do not offer any refunds on bets placed because of being misled by this newsletter.
As a result, Annie?has been warned that she is now ‘at risk’ when it comes to the ‘Head of Gambling’ position. Yesterday, she begged for a second chance and confidently predicted an Arsenal v Manchester City Champions’ League final as well as a Conservative victory at the next general election. I’ll let you know when more tips are ready to share.
Ofcom Audio Listening Report
If you’re like me, there’s nothing you like more than to sit down on a Sunday morning in your favourite chair with a nice cup of tea and a Ofcom report. Well, great news for this weekend, because they’ve published their 2024 report into Audio Listening in the UK.
And it tells us some genuinely interesting stuff. No, really.
I know I bang on about this a lot, but the idea that everyone is listening to podcasts, awareness is saturated and there’s no more growth to be had is still absolute bobbins. Podcasts do not feature in the top three listening media for any age range, and for anyone under 55 all three of these top three media are music-led. Either music radio, streamed music services or music videos.
Amazingly, 32% of over 55s still listen to their music on CD, vinyl or cassette. I mean, CD or vinyl yes, but if you’re still listening on cassette and using a pencil to wind the tape back in when it gets mangled in the player, you really need to sample more of what the 21st century has to offer.
So who is listening to podcasts? Well, 20% of UK adults (and 26% of 25-34s) listen weekly, and the highest listening penetration is still among higher socio-economic groups in the South of England. None of this is terribly surprising, but I’d love to see more mainstream shows that can pull in those listeners outside the comfortable middle class bubble. More podcasts made by people in Shoreditch for other people in Shoreditch whilst knitting their own yoghurt won’t really help to shift the dial above the 20% mark.
Among 16-34s, 49% use Spotify to listen, versus 22% using Apple. This has significant implications for how much we should care about the Apple charts, and how we should target advertising and promotion for products or podcasts in the podcast space. It’s an enormous swing in the last couple of years, and Spotify’s promotional and targeting capability keep on improving. Have a read for yourself this Sunday and let me know your thoughts.
Eva Saves the Day
On Wednesday afternoon, we were due to have a team chocolate tasting session in Fresh Air Towers. This was genuine actual research for a potential future project, but never in the history of Fresh Air have so many people agreed to leave their homes and come into the office for a research session. Sadly, it was postponed at the last minute, so Eva – Fresh Air’s Head of Cinnamon Buns – brought a whole set of home-made lemon buns instead.
The scheduled meeting proceeded with just me and Bukky dialling remotely and the rest of the team sitting on the sofa barely able to speak because either they had a face full of bun, or their teeth were stuck together. No research was done.
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The Top 1,000 podcasts in the world
How many followers is good?
We get asked this all the time, and everyone’s interpretation of ‘good’ is different of course. So we’re grateful to Podglomerate for having listed the top 1,000 podcasts in the world by Spotify followers.
Joe flippin Rogan – the podcast that just won’t flush – is way out in front with 14.5 million followers. That’s 9.5 million more than the next biggest – TED talks Daily. Diary of a CEO comes in at Number 11 – the highest ranking British podcast. The Rest is History is the biggest of the Goalhanger stable, and the fact that Serial – once the undisputed biggest podcast in the world – is down at number 67 tells you everything about the podcast explosion in the last ten years.
Interestingly, if you’ve got over 1,000 followers (subscribers in old money) on Spotify, you’re already in the top 1,000 global podcasts. Followers are the Holy Grail because these are people who love your show enough to want it every time a new episode comes out, and will be reminded as such whenever they visit their Spotify library. So how many followers is good? Over 1,000 is excellent.
Events, Dear Boy, Events*.
The Fresh Air team are going to be at events all over the place throughout May, June and July, so I thought I’d let you know. We love a get-together, we love talking, and we love the occasional shandy, so if you’re expecting to be at any of these events, please do let us know. ?
May 21st & 22nd -? Campaign Media 360 in Brighton.
We’re official partners, recording the official podcast and chatting to everyone who fancies it on the Brighton beachfront. We’ll even bring our massive headphones so you won’t miss us.
May 22nd & 23rd – The Podcast Show, London.
Yes, they overlap, but don’t you worry we can do two things at once. We’ll be on stage and working the floor throughout. It’s the biggest podcast event in Europe, with great speakers and sessions.
June 16th - 20th – Cannes Lions.
Richard, Michaela and I are donning our shades and speedos to hang out with the cool and beautiful people for a second year. We’ll be on the rosé from Sunday to Thursday so if you’d like to talk brands and podcasts in the sunshine we really must get together darling.
July 2nd – 4th – Madfest
领英推荐
Well blow me down, we’re partners for this too. The coolest get together of the advertising and marketing world in the middle of Shoreditch. We’ve got our own bench and we’ll be recording podcasts here too. Watch out for the massive headphones in their second appearance of 2024.
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*No other newsletter quotes Harold Macmillan does it? No, just this one.
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Jayne Morgan is precariously balancing on the fence..?
How does the saying go? Policy and sausages – you never want to be in the room while they’re being made. I’m thinking that perhaps ‘podcasts’ should be added to that list. Canadian producer Jess Shane made her first audio doc about a friend who was a gymnast – the resulting piece upset her friend so much they stopped speaking. Undeterred, Jess went on and forged a career in documentary-making based on the idea that ‘telling someone’s story’ was still ‘a good thing’. Eventually, though, she could no longer ignore the nagging notion that true-life, human interest programmes are not as great for the people in them as they are for the people making them, so she decides to explore this. Enter?Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative?(or SHT as I have come to call it affectionately). She would choose three documentary subjects and she would be radical. She would pay them – the grand sum of $20 per hour for actual conversation – and she would make the process collaborative. OK, I thought. This could be fascinating and insightful – or it could be very annoying. Early on in this five-part series, I was on the fence. If you’re not an audio programme-maker, hearing about how she made her decisions – both about the people and how she edited them - was genuinely enlightening. But, as we followed Jess through her journey with her subjects, my balance on the fence became more and more precarious. She makes the pieces, two of her people say they’re fine with them … but then one of them not only doesn’t get back to her straight away – she wants things radically changed. Jess is outraged – what about her deadlines, her career … her art?! It was when she started talking about her art that I dived-bombed off the fence and wanted to grind her microphone …. you get my drift. Concerned about exploitative documentary-making, you set out to do things differently and then have a baby when one of your subjects actually wants input into the end-product? What happened to collaboration? You come to the startling conclusion that the balance of power is always in one direction and that, as a producer, you are driven by what your audience wants rather than what is good for the person whose story you’re telling? No SHT Sherlock! Anyway – this series has caused a splash and I’m suggesting you listen to it because, if it isn’t a lesson in the blindingly obvious, I think I’ve missed something … or have I? Maybe someone can make a documentary about it.
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Basil Oxtoby goes back to Hackney...?
"Please Protect Abraham" dives deep into the troubling biases of the police, stirring up some real frustration at the unfair treatment faced by those from different economic backgrounds, and different races. It explores the life of an incredibly brave teenager who stepped up in a situation in which we would like to think we all would, but likely wouldn't. The complexities of living side by side with gangs in Hackney, and the impact that has on a person. Much like with any good true crime podcast, there are contributors from all sides of Abraham's life which help paint an incredibly vivid picture of him as a person from the time of the incident and the following years.?
Having lived near Hackney for around five years, this podcast has further helped me realise the benefits I have from being a white man in the area and what I didn’t see because of this. You hear stories, but don’t realise the scale of it all. Hackney is slowly becoming gentrified, and although it wasn’t its main aim, this podcast helps shine a light on those who are going to be kicked out of the areas they grew up in.?
As Fresh Air’s Head of Pressing Record, I always listen to a podcast with an extra close ear on the sound design and choice of music. There was some fantastic sound design in this ten parter, but sometimes it felt clunky and misplaced, the same with the music, but overall, I think it was done incredibly sympathetically to a very hard story.?
"Please Protect Abraham" genuinely moved me, stirring up a mix of empathy for those involved and genuine anger against the police. An issue I've become more attuned to through podcasts like this and Vishal. Despite its flaws, this podcast is a must-listen, especially if you’re from a middle class, white background.?
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What we've been listening to this week
Liz Earle and Gabby Logan. Two magnificent women in conversation for a special episode of the Liz Earle Wellbeing Show. Liz’s new book - A Better Second Half is available to buy at all good book selling places, and we celebrated with a one-off recording to inspire other women to make the best of their mid-life years. It’s an open, honest and revealing chat touching on divorce, diet, sex and health. Richard DoPSoTE was there, taking copious notes.
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What we've been doing?this week
Expenses.
Oli – Head of Looking Too Young to Get Served in an Off Licence – went to a Manchester Casino on a stag do last week. A classic lad. He accidentally used his Fresh Air American Express card for the taxi and was quick to own up, as well as pay the hefty fare (￡7.10) back into the Fresh Air account as soon as he realised. Oli claims to have found the ultimate way to beat the house: Don’t play any games, and don’t spend any money except when buying a hot chocolate at 1am. That’s the way Oli spends his stag dos – right on the edge. Lads lads lads.??