Make some noise


Podcasting is going strong

What is Podcasting? I found a pretty godd description on Adrants where they say:

"Podcasting is a method to deliver time-shifted audio programming created on a PC which is then distributed via RSS to an iPod or other MP3 device. Podcasts can be subscribed to just as RSS feeds are subscribed to and special software automatically transfers the feed from user's computers to their MP3 device for later listening. It's radio broadcasting for dummies, if you will."

The interesting publishing twist comes from Steve Rubel. He calls podcasting a "completely new online content medium". While most of the podcasts are provided just like weblogs, even the established media is jumping on the bandwagon. Why? Because some of the established podcasts have more than 10,000 subscribers. More than some magazines and a good basis for marketing and podvertising.

Steve Ruble lists a couple of podvertising possibilities :

* Audio Spots -- One of the earliest forms of podcasting that will emerge will be brief inserted audio spots. Doug Kaye, who hosts the very popular IT Conversations podcast, recently said he is testing technology to insert spots and promos on-the-fly. While this is a natural evolution of a time-tested classic radio advertising model, it has possible downside in the podcast world. Users who find these ads obtrusive can easily skip over them on their iPods.

* Sponsorships -- A more viable approach, one that is more sustainable, is underwriting an entire podcast. If this sounds familiar, it’s because this is a throwback to the Golden Age of Radio when a single company would sponsor an entire hour of variety programming. Such sponsorships might closely resemble TV product placements where the ads become part of the content in some meaningful way. For example, it’s possible a podcast sponsor might be able to embed a full audio news release right into a program, provided it is consistent with the show’s content.

* Promotions -- Promotions and giveaways, akin to those that dot the radio dial, also transcend nicely to the podcast world. For example, advertisers and podcasters could team to offer special discounts to listeners. This will make it less likely that the consumer will skip over an ad.

* RSS Ads -- Right now, anecdotal evidence shows that most podcast listeners are using a dedicated application like Curry’s iPodder to subscribe to program feeds. However, this may change over time as the more popular RSS aggregators that have an installed base -- including FeedDemon and Bloglines -- all add support for podcasting. As this happens, you can bet that marketers and audio publishers will start running short interstitial text ads in the podcast’s RSS feed, just as they are beginning to do with blog feeds.

* Roll Your Own -- Last but not least, marketers should also start looking at rolling their own podcasts. This could embody everything from audio infomercials to entire specialized programs that build loyalty among select customers. Earningscast, for example, has already started publishing select quarterly company investor conference calls in podcast form.

Posted: Mon - December 13, 2004 at 04:42 AM           |

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