Podcasting with Purpose; MRT Sits Down with Crime Junkie Host Ashley Flowers & BetterHelp CAO, Brittany Clevenger; Brand Safety Post-GARM, And More…
This episode of the Media Roundtable is a guaranteed jolt of energy showcasing the positive power of audio! This week, we feature the kickoff event from our 2nd Annual CAO Summit. The conversation focuses on what makes our work matter: Purpose.
Daniel Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road ) takes the stage with two audio titans; Ashley Flowers (Founder & CEO, audiochuck , Creator/Host of Crime Junkie) and Brittany Clevenger (Senior Director of Growth Marketing, BetterHelp ) to discuss harnessing the power of audio for ‘good.’
Together they cover: thoughtful ad breaks, long-lasting partnerships, celebrating wins, and getting started the right way. Let’s dig in.
“The right stories, the right way, for the right reasons.”
Celebrate Your Wins ?? – One benefit of knowing your bigger purpose? The wins become a lot clearer and they energize you along the way. Ashley and Brittany both share story after story of lives they’ve touched. The takeaway for CAOs? Define your big, purposeful goal early and be on the lookout for wins to sustain your mission.
Be Thoughtful ?? – The fireside chat’s just a MasterClass in GOAT-iness. Ashley (2.5B downloads) and Brittany (top podcast spender) are both at the top of their game. One thing that separates them? It’s not just doing the big things right. When you know your work matters, you take care of the smaller details too. Like consciously building ad breaks into your content in places where the ads will shine.?
Getting Started ?? – Brittany helped scale BetterHelp into a podcast juggernaut. Her one bit of advice for getting started? Don’t do it on your own. Whether you’re tapping a consultant, a colleague who knows the space, or a top audio agency (??), leveraging existing expertise gives you a head start and makes the journey so much easier.
Let these experts inspire you. Tune into the full episode with the link below.
The Classifieds
An Apple a Day Keeps the 30 Away
Network: Libsyn Ads / Monthly Downloads: 75k / Current Civility Score: 97, HIGH
For a second time this year, professionals from the audio industry are gathering en masse for a week of thought leadership. Podcast Movement’s slate of engaged speakers includes some of the biggest names in podcasting, and we’d like to showcase two of their shows. Our first selection has long been a consistent high performer for our female skew clients and beloved by health nuts everywhere. Hosts Krista Williams and Lindsey Simcik have made it their mission to provide context on both alternative and mainstream health topics to an entire generation of young women. Their show covers a wide variety of topics including weight loss, body positivity, sexual health, pregnancy, and so much more. This podcast has additionally thrived thanks to its consistency in providing a safe space for those who want to ask tough questions. We’re fully, not almost, sure you’ll love this opportunity.
Forever Young, I Want to Be, Forever Young
Network: YAP Media / Monthly Downloads: 300k / Current Civility Score: 98, HIGH
Hala Taha is an extremely credentialed podcaster. She built the eponymous network on which her podcast resides, she’s been a longtime a LinkedIn guru, thought leader, public speaker, and a bonafide hustler. For these reasons and many more, listeners flock to her show regularly to hear Hala and her show guests expand on trending topics. Hala Taha ’s solo episodes are consistently high quality. She also boasts an impressive list of guests including; Dr. Jill Stein, Ryan Serhant, and will.i.am-let the beat rock! The show speaks to an audience interested in production and marketing of podcasts, making it a great resource for audio newbies. While this offering is best suited for those targeting small business owners, social media managers, and millennial women, it’s always a solid top performer for anyone investing heavily in the business genre.
In Case You Missed It
Podscribe's Benchmark
According to Q2 2024 – Podscribe Performance Benchmarks, Apple Podcasts' iOS 17 rollout has significantly made an impact on the podcast industry, with 86% of downloads now being implemented on devices using this latest operating system. The shift has helped remove excessive downloads and align the "download" metric with an advertising "impression" metric, improving return on investment metrics for advertisers. The update also lowers the number of "phantom downloads" included in impression counts, resulting in better performance for episodic-based advertising. Podscribe has done it again. Their latest benchmark report identifies tangible insights that can enhance campaign performance. One key takeaway: episodic buys often outperform impression-based buys due to better control over excessive frequency among a small number of consumers.
领英推荐
Has Claritas Solved Terrestrial Radio Attribution?
Claritas has introduced an AI Broadcast Attribution Solution, allowing marketers to optimize the effectiveness of broadcast campaigns. It promises to accurately measure the impact of broadcast advertising and enable analysis of performance within a broader media mix. The solution also navigates masked consumer identifiers, enabling marketers to identify similar audiences for targeted outreach. The ‘Claritas claim’ to have cracked the code on terrestrial and satellite radio attribution is a bold one. If true, the solution will unlock radio for performance advertisers, which has proved to be elusive for many. Stay tuned as we put this one through the test.
FTC Takes a Stand on Fake Testimonials
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued new rules to combat fake testimonials in advertising and websites. New regulations prohibit radio stations and other businesses from disseminating testimonials if they know or should have known they’re fake or false. The FTC emphasizes the importance of traditional media like radio to be vigilant for "red flags" indicating a testimonial is likely fake. The rules also prohibit businesses from creating or selling fake customer reviews, including artificial intelligence, and from buying or disseminating such testimonials. This news has implications for podcasting. There is a difference between a host read ad and a host endorsement - i.e., 'I use this and you should too'. With the latter being the North Star in podcasting. Let's make sure those endorsement ads are genuine. We’ve seen this one coming for a while, so at Oxford Road, current FTC Endorsement Guidelines are included as mandatory links in host-read copy.
#SaveTheLiveReads
Forever35 + MasterClass = Perfect Match
This week’s #STLR highlights a perfect match between our client MasterClass and the Forever35 podcast, “for the things we do to take care of ourselves.” Author and podcast host Kate Spencer is perfectly suited to demonstrate the quality of learning for writers just starting out, as well as for seasoned pros seeking new inspiration. Kate’s impressive writing skills and credibility enable her to genuinely substantiate the live read content. So does her willingness and vulnerability in sharing how these lessons specifically help her career continue to excel. Kate’s earnest delivery instills a sense of trust with her audience, reassuring them this recommendation truly reaps GREAT rewards!?
OXFORd In The News
GARM Out - What’s Next?
Last week we shared that the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) called it quits, just 3 months after Daniel Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road ) pointed out the inherent flaw in using the framework for brand safety during the IAB Upfronts in May. After last week’s Influencer, ADWEEK picked up Dan’s message about why the end of GARM is actually the beginning of rethinking brand safety and suitability for our industry. For CAOs wondering what’s filling the void created after GARM’s dissolution, we’ve got some answers. Email us to learn more.
Loads of PodLoad Press
Also in last week’s Influencer, we shared our “The Danger of Rising PodLoad” report which addresses the massive spike of ads in podcasts, how it’s negatively affecting performance, and it provides a solution we call: The Oxford Clock. We’re happy to announce the industry is taking notice. Trade publications are currently sharing the news, with Podnews, Podcast News Daily, and the Podcast Business Journal all sharing our POV with their readers. More to come on this, but in the meantime, check out our report and let us know your thoughts by emailing us here.
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 [email protected]