Podcasts and New Media Advertising

*This post is edited from the original, which was featured on Socialnomics.

I can personally say the way I consume media has drastically changed. I watch TV on Netflix or Hulu and don’t have cable. I enjoy original shows, clips, and programs on YouTube, listen to music on Spotify or Songza as well as one of the most unique new forms of entertainment; podcasts.

The podcasts I enjoy are simply digital copies of audio/radio broadcasts and interviews. My constant favorite for the past few years is the Nerdist Podcast which is great for entertainment purposes as well as stuff like the Smart People Podcast, Reply All, or Nerdette, which all have some great thought provoking content. What I think is the distinguishing feature of podcasts is how I am able to consume them. I can download them onto my smartphone, listen to them in the car or on the go with headphones while I work out for example. It’s awesome, original content coming out all year that is experiencing a boom recently, which in turn is a great opportunity for advertisers to create a unique relationship with their audience.

According to recent findings, at least 29% of Americans listen to audio podcasts (clumping in video bumps this number up), which is a sizable chunk consuming podcasts of all varieties on an array of topics. This means that consumers are getting on demand entertainment, news, and discussion on what they want most, creating a unique experience for them every time they listen. I know with the Nerdist Podcast, I feel like I’m catching up with friends when I listen to the podcast so whenever they talk about something, I follow up and heed their opinions. Check out these recent metrics that back up that sentiment:

• 67% of podcast listeners don’t mind sponsorship messages and occasionally find them useful, compared to only 6% positive sentiment expressed for the advertising approaches of television or commercial radio.
• Nearly 80% of podcast consumers (responding to the survey), agreed that “when price and quality is equal,” they “prefer to buy products from companies that advertise on or sponsor” the podcasts they regularly enjoy.
• Ninety percent of these respondents indicated that they had taken some kind of action as a result of podcast advertising or sponsorship, and over 40% reported purchasing behaviors, which indicates that they are receptive to the right message, in the right context. (For the rest of the findings, click here)

Although I’m mostly highlighting podcasts here, it is clear that with this being a huge "new media" format, other mediums like music streaming sites and video streaming sites cater to the same sensibilities. We don’t want to be fed phony ads any longer. If I’m looking to buy a camera, I’m going to ask my friend who knows about cameras or reference customer reviews at the very least. Consuming is social and the advent of on-demand entertainment is linked with that. Advertisers should take notice and start to take advantage of this new possibility to create a more authentic, genuine connection with their customers.

Thanks for stopping by!

Highlights From #SDCC15

From July 9-12 I was at 2015 San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), which was my first time ever attending this mecca of sorts for geeks and nerds (and my first time ever in California). It was a whirlwind trip that had a lot of great highlights for me.

First off, the weather in San Diego was beautiful for the weekend I was there. The sun was out, it wasn't too hot, and overall it was just a great setting to be able to explore and experience the area. I did a lot of walking over the few days I was there, which wore me out a bit and gave me a solid sunburn towards the end of the trip.

On the first day of the trip (Thursday), I walked to the convention center to check in and just walked around the show floor and other off-site events to see everything and get a lay of the land. I eventually made my way to the San Diego Central Library for the panel I was helping to cover. This was definitely a huge highlight and it was what enabled me to come out in the first place so I'm really happy I was able to sit in and take a bunch of photos of the session.

After that panel, I crashed back at my room since I had to wake up early that day for my long flight from Boston. On Friday, I did more exploring, got tickets for a session, popped in for a panel, and then played the new Star Wars Battlefront game on the PlayStation 4. The Nerd HQ was demoing the game and it was incredible! I would contemplate getting a system to play this game it was that good. Then I went to the Nerdist Conival to see of their speakers (mainly Felicia Day). Both the Conival and Nerd HQ were free to anyone to come in, no SDCC badge was required. They both a lot of fun activities and it was nice that they were there as accessible options for fans to enjoy.

My favorite session that I got to go to was the Nerdist Podcast Network Podcast Jam (an unwieldy title to be sure) that featured Jonah Ray, Matt Mira, Pete Holmes, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily Gordon, and Sandra Daugherty. There was also a kid who does a podcast apparently on the network (The Mutant Season) that I had no idea who he was but it was sort of neat to hear from a young person and the impact doing a podcast has had on him. I had never seen all these people in person, much less all at the same time. It was hilarious! They provided some neat insights as well from their collective years podcasting. As a fan of the medium and an avid podcaster myself, it was definitely a major highlight of the whole con for me.

Saturday was spent checking out a local beach and dipping my feet in the Pacific Ocean (a life goal for me). I came back to SDCC later in the day to check out Adam Savage from MythBusters do a Q&A session as well as a session from the folks at Nerd for a Living about doing just that; how to get into nerdy creative fields like costume design, movie makeup and effects, comic writing/illustrating, etc. I have appreciated the work they do for a little while now so it was cool to be able to check this panel out.

After all that, I packed up and got to bed so I could head out the next morning for my flight back to the East Coast. It was an awesome trip and experience that I did not expect to have so soon in my life. I'll try to capture more of my in depth thoughts in a future post, but I just wanted to share some of the cool highlights from the trip with you all. If you haven't gone before, I hope you get the opportunity to do so at some point. It's an amazing experience to behold, and will definitely be memorable for you for your own awesomely geeky reasons.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pocket These Podcasts: What I'm Listening To Lately

Podcasting has been experiencing a renaissance recently. With the continued success of some foundational shows and the current breakaway success of some few shows, podcasting has become more mainstream in a big way. The quality is increasing, the topics or more nuanced and deep, and the audience is growing exponentially. I've been a fan of the medium for years now, and I'd like to share a few of the awesome new shows I've been listening to lately.

Startup Podcast

I was recommended this show by the incomparable Tom Krieglstein and have enjoyed following along with the story. It is basically the journey of a guy (Alex Blumberg) following his heart, starting a business (podcast network in this case) and his trials and tribulations. He is authentic and reflective throughout the whole process. He makes some mistakes, fumbles a bit, but eventually reaches his goal. It is a great look into how a startup might come to be today, and has some great tips for those interested in doing the same. Even if you're not thinking about starting a business, the story is still entertaining to listen to, so I definitely encourage you to check it out.

Invisibilia from NPR

This is a relatively newer show compared to the others on this list. As the name might suggest, the show examines the invisible forces that influence our lives. While there have been only two formal episodes, you can find a guest episode on This American Life and the two episodes that have been released are fascinating. The premiere episodes was on thoughts, their power, and the history of our understanding of them. The most recent episode is about fear. I'm really intrigued to see where the show goes from here!

Nerdette Podcast

I'm not sure how I originally stumbled across this show, but I'm glad I did. It's a NPR podcast out of Chicago that is a short snippet of interviews, nerdy Q&As, and their signature segment, nerd confessions from their audience. The confessions range from the humorous to the deeply emotional and are amazing since their listeners feel comfortable enough to share them out with the world on their show. If your into smart, nerdy things and good conversations, check this show out. It's light, engaging, and perfect for a listen on your commute or during your lunch break.

Honorable Mentions: Serial (obviously), Nerdist, How Did This Get Made?, School of Greatness, Smart People, This American Life, Freakonomics, Invisible Office Hours, Reply All

Five Fun, Educational, and Quirky YouTube Picks

Good day to you reader.

I thought I start my blog off with something I do every day that I've found to be a pleasurable and positive endeavor lately and that is learning through YouTube. I follow a few different channels, some of which I'm sure many of you already know about but I feel like I should at least recognize them anyway. I see YouTube as the epitome of new media right now. It's open to all to upload content and to view that content. The high quality stuff also has a way of making itself known and the site as a whole has shaped the way I get and share news, entertain myself, as well as connect with others since anything that goes "viral" usually seems to start on YouTube. So here are some of my top picks for channels who are consistently pleasing me with their moving pictures:

1. SourceFed

This channel is a great, fast-paced, fun news channel. They talk about anything and everything from Mormon Samurais to political developments around the world. Their hosts are engaging and quirky and I find myself always checking back for the next new story. They upload multiple videos daily and their always seeming to be expanding and improving. The channel was created by popular YouTube personality Philip DeFranco (who appears occasionally) and I see them doing great things in the future.

2. The Nerdist

I'll just start off by saying I am a big fan of all things Chris Hardwick (the creator of Nerdist Industries). He has become more of a household name recently with his stint on The Talking Dead but he has been a geek icon for a few years now. His channel has a plethora of fresh, original, nerdy content and I can't recommend it highly enough. Appearances by Matt Smith, Neil Patrick Harris, Bill Nye, Neil Degrasse Tyson, and other notable celebrities (especially on his show All-Star Celebrity Bowling) are common here and it is the heart of the Nerdist empire along with his blog and podcast of the same name. You'll thank me later for this recommendation if you haven't converted to the Church of Nerdist.

3. VSauce

This channel is an awesome educational channel that answers all the weird, random questions we all wonder about during the day. From what color a mirror is to why we have two nostrils, host Michael Stevens dazzles audiences with his passion for the mundane yet amazing science of everyday life. I find myself curious enough just by the enticing titles of his videos to keep going back for more. Go learn some stuff to wow your friends!

4. Geek and Sundry

Just like with The Nerdist, this channel succeeds under the cult of personality surrounding it's founder, Felicia Day. Another amazing geek icon, Felicia has created channel of cool original content that compliments the programming of The Nerdist quite well. It serves the niches of geekdom like tabletop gaming and science fiction/ fantasy novels as well as a weekly video blog for Felicia herself. With frequent celebrity guests and growing content base, this channel is definitely a keeper.

5. TED Talks

This one is a no-brainer. I use this talks during meetings and gatherings all the time and there is a huge curated base of content from the TED conferences around the world on pretty much any topic you can think of. Long and short, poignant and silly, these talks are an amazing way to spend some of your time during any down time. You'll feel inspired and engaged in the intellectual conversations of the day. If you haven't jumped onto the TED bandwagon yet, what are you waiting for?!

So those are my picks. Let me know if you have any other recommendations in the comments.

Have a good one!