Podcasting Listeners Are Paying Attention

I just love it when the data weighs in to support something I have witnessed anecdotally and intuitively known long before research could prove it. Podcasting does the heavy lifting of finding niche audiences and capturing their attention in a way that is otherwise unattainable to marketers. Be sure to read all the way down to Rox's 4 L's of Podcast Success.

I am presenting here the results of two studies, one by Arbitron/Edison Research and one by PodTrac.

I was lucky to be on a panel of experts who spoke at ad:tech san francisco two weeks ago, on behalf of the Association for Downloadable Media. In our session, we released the latest survey data from Edison Research addressing both the size and the behavior of podcast audiences. Their data is oriented somewhat towards audio podcasts, and IMO video podcasts are audio podcasts on steroids.

Here's the takeaway from the lead analyst, Tom Webster

The audience for downloadable media is not only growing, but also represents a very attractive target for advertising...and those 23 million Americans are affluent, spend lots of time (and money!) online, and are increasingly more difficult to target with interruption advertising. I would love to see more and more partnerships between mass media broadcasters and independent content producers. You need each other.

You can download the full PDF here from Edison Research. (PDF)

The second study gets down to the nitty gritty: so what if there are more podcast consumers, are they paying attention? Yes, and in ways that are unheard of in traditional advertising and marketing.

• Average unaided ad recall of 68%
• Average aided ad recall of 89%
• 73% average increase in likelihood to use/buy vs control group
• 69% having a more favorable view of advertiser due to ad exposure

How is this possible? PodTrac CEO Mark McCrery summarizes it this way:

Narrowly targeted audiences, appropriate ad formats, content relevance, and show host involvement are some of the factors which come together to produce highly effective ads in online shows and podcasts.

I would describe it as Rox's Four L's of Podcast Success:

1. Love: Podcast producers deliver authentic, topic-specific content and do the heavy lifting for attracting a unique, targeted, and interested audience. People who love Hawaii watch Beach Walks with Rox.
2. Loyalty: Podcast hosts, who by virtue of sharing their expertise and some personal details, create very loyal audiences. Over 60% of Beach Walks viewers tune in every day.
3. Location: Podcast audiences largely consume the content at the physical (not geographic) location of their computer (60-70% on average) and can take immediate action when presented with offers from show sponsors. When listening to traditional radio or TV, they are not in a physical location to be able to respond on impulse. (Being able to take podcasts on the go is an added bonus of podcasts—not available to radio or TV. We show Beach Walks episodes to our seat mates on the plane coming back home to Hawaii, and that combined with a good old-fashioned postcard generates new viewers and gives travelers a personal connection to the vacation of their dreams)
4. Leadership: Podcast hosts serve as a filter for their audiences, as most will not accept sponsors for products and services they do not support. This is the best of leveraging word-of-mouth advertising with scale.

I didn't include it, but another L could be the Luxury market. Podcast users are far more likely to have attained at least a college degree, are more likely to live in households earning in excess of $75,000 per year, more likely to buy online, and more likely to use pop-up blockers. But heh, it doesn't always have to be about the Benjamin's!
What do you think about podcasting? I'd love your feedback.

Quick Overview of Video Podcasting

Here's a short video interview I did with Kara Ratliff for WebProNews at the Podcast & New Media Expo.

Topics included:

• How do you choose? Text, Audio, or Video?
• Why I think video is the "killer app" for business.
• A few examples of how to start playing with new media.

Links from Rox’s Talk at PNME

Here's the link to my talk at PNME

I am giving an overview of the many things to consider for business video podcasting - from technology to audience interaction. Hope you'll join me in Ballroom A - and there will be a DVD for sale afterwards.

CC Chapman - Social Networking Expert
Jim Kirks - The Clip Show
Viral the Show
Blip.tv
Mefedia
Revver
Sherwin Smith - MotorKultTV.com
Seth Godin - author
Richard Burns of Culture Catch
Todd Cochrane - Geek News Central and Raw Voice
Steve Garfield - Videoblog Pioneer
Spices of Life
Doug Kaye - Podcorps
Matthew Ebel - Musician
Jen Myronuk - Fireant and Odeo
Bruce Sharpe - Levelator
Joel Mark Witt - MarylandZoo.tv
Mark Rotblat of Tube Mogul
Chris Brogan - Co-founder of Podcamp
Laura Athavale Fitton - Pistachio Consulting

I'll post the presentation file later!

Apple did NOT invent Podcasting

Don’t get me wrong. I love Apple. I think of Apple as much more than a computer maker and software company. Apple is actually a lifestyle company that really understands design, culture, art, and creativity. But I digress…

For all of the wonderful things that Apple has created, Podcasting is not one of them. And while they did arrive at the party about 8 months late, they were smart enough to have already developed the infrastructure, ITMS (iTunes Music Store), that gave them the ability to easily and quickly develop support for downloading and subscribing to Podcasts.

Apple has never claimed they invented Podcasting. But as the mainstream media is finally coming to the party, now over a year after the first podcasts were launched (I have the proud distinction of being among the first 30 podcasters in the world when I launched my personal podcast in October of 2004), they (mainstream media) are starting to rewrite history. This from a story today in the Sacramento Business Journal:

"Podcasting began to catch on about a year ago. Apple invented the medium to give its multiplied millions of iPod users something to listen to besides their favorite music." Sacramento Business Journal: Pondering podcasts' potential

Come on! Even a minimum amount of research will turn up the true origin of Podcasting. It's one thing to misquote a source. If you've ever been featured in a newspaper or magazine article you know how some reporters can set out to write their story rather than the story. But to just make something up out of thin air? Enough already. A lot (thousands) of people have worked long and hard and have put in very late nights to get Podcasting to where it is today.

I beg of you, mainstream media, do a little research—heck, maybe even subscribe to a few Podcasts so you really understand the technology—before you start rewriting history and adding untruths to what is already a confusing technology for most people.