Podcasts and the Audio Renaissance

“From the New York Times, I’m Michael Barbaro. This…is…The Daily.”

Michael Barbaro’s signature sign-on and The Daily have become as much a part of my morning routine as brushing my teeth. I listen to The New York Times’ podcast every day on my walk to work, and since I’m free of swiping and scrolling, my commute is now the most efficient part of my day. And I’m not alone.

15-percent of Americans listened to a podcast in the last week. That’s 42 million people replacing other streaming sites for podcasts as their primary source of news and entertainment. To add perspective, only 18% of Americans have listened to Spotify in the last month, and now that Spotify Premium subscribers outnumber free users, more listeners are paying to avoid companies intruding on their audio experience. Podcasts are quickly asserting themselves as the future of audio marketing and companies are adjusting.

By now anyone who has ever listened to a podcast has heard from Blue Apron. The meal-prep startup was an early adopter of podcast advertising and initial sponsor of several hit podcasts, including NPR’s “Serial” and The New York Times’ “Modern Love.”

Blue Apron advertises almost exclusively through audio, podcasts in particular. The company has found success playing in the audio space. As of 2017, Blue Apron’s valuation is just shy of $2 billion and sells over a million meals each month.

What truly made Blue Apron’s podcast efforts successful was its unconventional messaging strategy. The company used on-air testimonials from the podcast host rather than prerecorded segments from paid actors. Podcast hosts were encouraged to sample the product before recording an episode and give a genuine endorsement to their devout listeners.

This marketing strategy works because podcast enthusiasts, like myself, curate our listening experience. Hitting the subscribe button is not something we do lightly. When a show is added to our library it means it scratches a particular itch. This makes interest based targeting easier than ever.

If a company is looking to sell widgets to high-end tech junkies there is a podcast for that. If single 25-year-old female fitness buffs with extra spending money is their audience, “Bulletproof Radio” and “Half Size Me” are two podcasts that specifically speak to that demographic.

Some brands are taking this insight a step further: instead of investing millions of dollars searching for the perfect podcast that resonates with their customers, brands are creating podcasts of their own.

Blue Apron’s podcast, “Why We Eat What We Eat,” targets millennials inspired to stay in and cook rather than spend money at fancy restaurants. The show covers a wide range of food topics from what makes some people picky eaters to how to get the most out of your cooking experience. By creating an inviting space inviting for a particular demographic, Blue Apron reaches listeners hungry for their content.

“Why We Eat What We Eat” uses the same marketing strategy that made Blue Apron successful in the first place: subtlety. The podcast nods to its executive sponsor, but remains independently branded and avoids heavy-handed references back to the company. In fact, the only mention of Blue Apron from host Cathy Erway is a simple credit at the beginning and conclusion of each episode.

Blue Apron’s innovation of audio has inspired companies like Microsoft, eBay and Tinder to invest in podcast real estate of their own. In 2016, Tinder released its branded podcast, “Define the Relationship,” which covers dating in the digital age. It is exactly as you would expect, a mixture of insight and hilariously awkward stories from a familiar host, Jane Marie of “This American Life,” “Jezebel,” and “Cosmopolitan.”

“Define the Relationship” may be the brand’s best bet to shake its reputation as the “hook-up” app. The show offers mature insights to those serious about meeting someone. Tinder describes it as “part wisdom, part data science, part investigative reporting.”

The most successful podcasts all have one thing in common, none of them lose sight of what makes sponsorships so successful in the first place: the podcast! By keeping the focus on the quality of each episode, instead of the number of brand mentions, products spotlights and discount codes, companies are able to retain the integrity of the podcast and reach their customers in a more intimate setting. As a result, 65% of consumers are more likely to purchase a product they learned about from a podcast.

What truly sets podcasts apart from any other advertising medium are the podcasters themselves.

“People tend to have warmer feelings about advertisers on podcasts than other media, and they tend to remember us a lot more than on other media,” says Mailchimp’s director of marketing Mark DiCristina.

Arguably, two of the best podcasters in the business are NPR’s Sarah Koenig of “This American Life” and “Serial” and tech entrepreneur and angel investor Tim Ferriss of the Tim Ferriss Show. Both of whom appear in iTunes’ top 10 on a consistent basis.

Tim Ferriss has been dubbed “The Oprah of Audio,” and with over 70 million downloads, nobody is arguing. Tim Ferris is one of the most powerful influencers in the world and his endorsement of a product has a celestial impact with his followers. In publishing circles, it’s called the “Tim Ferriss Effect.” Although it has no grounding in science, the concept refers to the power a heavy-weight influencer and their podcast has on the ability to drive sales.

The question is then raised, what makes podcast hosts like Tim so special?

Among many unrelated things, their addiction to perfection translates into their shows. They are the masters at taking an interest and monetizing it. Not only are they two of the best in “the biz,” their dedication and selectiveness make them the most trusted endorsement on the airwaves.

The way podcast content is delivered is also a driving force to their success. Podcast personalities reach consumers in the most natural way-- through voice. Podcasts converge comfort and charisma to form an authentic messaging platform where ads carry the same tone and personality as the rest of the podcast making it a comfortable space for recommendations.

Take the second season of Malcom Gladwell’s popular podcast “Revisionist History.” Instead of saying “try Blue Apron,” he and his staff set up a blind, on-air taste test. Gladwell sampled two products and described each in a way that only he can. You could hear the flavor in his voice. Not only that, but his reaction was priceless. This is the best advertising has to offer.

From a marketing perspective, podcasts still have one great weakness: coveted user data remains silhouetted by Apple’s commitment to user privacy, making it hard to track consumer related activity.

Fortunately for digital marketers, that’s all about to change. New Apple Podcasts regulations will allow podcasters to track the moment users start, stop, and skip within an episode. This is exciting news for listeners as well. Podcasters will be able to choose how listeners encounter their shows: as episodic or serial seasons, and as full, trailer, or bonus episodes.

Ten years ago audio was written off as dead. Now 15% of the U.S. population tunes into a podcast every day. With greater accessibility to Wi-Fi and surge in mobile data the audio renaissance and podcasts don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. We are just scratching the surface of how stories can be told through the airwaves, making podcasts the most exciting way to reach the most niche of audiences.

Preserving the Accelerated History of Tech Companies →

The big tech companies of the late 20th and 21st centuries have been the titans of industry, the catalysts of what’s been called a Third Industrial Revolution. Their impact on our economies, our societies, and how we live and interact is profound. These companies are literally making history every day. So how are tech companies thinking about and approaching their history?

Many of the older titans of the tech sector — IBM, Microsoft, Apple, HP, Intel, Adobe and Apple — have rich histories that they’ve taken strides to institutionalize in programs such as museums and archives. And now the younger industry titans of the 21st century — Amazon, Facebook, Google and Twitter — are approaching corporate anniversary milestones. Compared to their older industry rivals or role models, these younger firms face unique challenges when it comes to preserving and using their history.

First, today’s businesses — and tech companies in particular — are moving at a faster pace than ever before. Facebook is a premier example of a tech company making history at warp speed. Because of its accelerated portfolio, Facebook records its company timeline in months rather than years. Key moments like the launch of “reactions” worldwide, the introduction of 360 photos, and the release of Facebook Marketplace and Workplace are recorded in quick succession. What would be considered complete game-changers by most companies’ standards are just a few of Facebook’s highlights from 2016.

Moreover, the lack of tangible product is creating a unique challenge for tech companies determined to preserve their legacy in the digital age. For these companies, “shipping product” is actually deploying code. Capturing history in this environment is more akin to investment management. Without the tangible products and packaging, contextual information and supporting documentation is key.

Finally, many of the younger tech companies still have founders or first-generation leaders at the helm. We’ve written before about how founders can create unique complexitieswhen it comes to the legacy of their businesses.

The hands that are so well-equipped for moving history forward are not always as adept at preserving the past. With that in mind, we’ve adapted a few heritage management insights into a simple process for you to begin preserving the heritage of your tech company.

5 Steps to Preserve Your Digital History

1. Assess

Before you take action, take the time to analyze the critical functions of your company. What are the defining moments in your company’s history? What drove those decisions? Break down each defining moment of your company’s history, sparing no detail. When you have an outline, you can determine the materials you need to account for.

Future steps in this process will be overwhelming if you don’t have a strategy. Answering these questions will determine how your company will be remembered in the next 50 years. Once you are finished, you will have a searchable list to guide discovery.

2. Discover

The mechanics for preserving the history of tech companies are much different than companies that predates the internet, but the principle remains the same: Gather all significant historic information and store it in one location. For a successful discovery of your company’s history, you should take the following actions:

• Round up photos

The first place to turn for historical images of companies born in the Information Age is your own electronic files. Perform a sweeping internal search for all the materials that adequately capture the defining moments of your company’s history. Pictures should include everything from the founders to the first company move to events that happened yesterday.

At this stage, everything is important. Ask staff to send you every picture of significance. Then, involve other people who have been invested from the very beginning—family, friends, mentors and other supporters. Talk to the founder’s friend who wasn’t actually a part of the company but might as well have been. These are the people who will add unique perspectives and deep understanding of the company’s legacy.

Prioritize your search to focus on images that aren’t easily accessible. Images from media outlets are useful, but those from internal sources are more important. The selfie from the founder during a commencement speech at a university is going to be much harder to obtain than one from the media— but it’s worth every pixel.

Now that you have all your photographic assets, consolidate and label them. Make note of everyone pictured, where they were and what was happening. Names and descriptions can distinguish a photo of just another meeting from one capturing a crucial brainstorm session that saved the company.

• Pick Up Your Paper Trail

Try to recall all of the T’s you’ve crossed and the I’s you’ve dotted, and send out the bloodhounds. Track down all the documents from events of significance. Tech companies are vastly electronic but not completely paperless. It is important to gather hard copies of trademarks, copyrights and patents that built the foundation of your company.

When you begin your search, first think of the “unGoogleable” examples of your history. Be broad and creative. There is a story behind the receipt for the first company purchase, the first investor confirmation, and the handwritten thank-you note. The first recorded company logo may actually be a crude doodle on a stained bar napkin. Where is it now?

It’s safe to assume most of your files will be on a server or in the cloud. Be sure to preserve these, too. Look under your digital mattress for these critical documents and save them with the rest of your historical records. Archiving email and voicemail is another great way to preserve correspondence. Capture and save the ones that are the most important or attached to significant events.

• Search for Icons

Find the three-dimensional objects that are representative of your corporate culture. If you were to construct a replica of your first office, what tangible icons would you include? Think of the items that defined your space. Imagine your office as not just four walls and a roof but also the window into early company culture. Was there plastic folding intern desk that became the beer pong table at 4:30 on Friday, or an unofficial company mascot?

Dust off the hardware that might look like ancient relics compared to what you’re using today—those are physical proof that your company has always been an early adopter. Think of the first computer, the first 3D printer, the first company drone that took your first 360 video and landed your biggest client.

An Amazon Prime Air delivery drone carries a test package.

• Follow Your Digital Footprint

Take a ride on the Wayback Machine and see all the digital content you’ve posted online. Save screenshots of your first website, Facebook page and Twitter feed. Information native to digital platforms can seem fleeting—social media in particular.

At this point, you may have exhausted some of your immediate resources. If that is the case, visit the Library of Congress, which archives company tweets and preserves historical hashtags. Navigate third-party resources and download or screenshot your social media for your own record.

More important than the 140 characters in a Tweet? The ideas behind them. If your founder took a particular stance on a hot-button issue, it is part of the company’s grand narrative and worth preserving.

3. Capture Key Anecdotes

Complement your recent search with anecdotal memories of your company. Employees have lived your company’s history. Start by picking the brains of these people, some of whom have legacies of their own.

Sit down with the engineers who created your first beta product and relive the experience. Tease out the stressful all-nighters that aged them 10 years and the days that made it all worth it. Record the highest highs and lowest lows. This process can be as formal as an oral history or as informal as hitting the record button on your cellphone.

This step may be really easy for tech firms, where the founding story is still fresh and the founders are around to tell it. But if you wait until your company turns 100 before you write your story, you won’t capture the meat and grit of it.

4. Structure

Now that you have a substantial collection, you must implement an overarching structure for it. Not every company has the knowledge and human resources needed to build a system to preserve and use its historical assets. It may be beneficial to bring in an archivist with the skill and expertise to handle a project of this magnitude.

Archiving your collection can be done onsite or offsite. Would you rather keep your archives close by? It is not uncommon for a heritage management firm to place a team of archivists on location.

With the right system in place, your archives will be accessible at a moment’s notice. The database you create through this process is a valuable tool, not just another server. Your company’s history is better shared than hidden.

5. Sustain

The amount of history your company is making, combined with the evolving nature of your digital assets, requires upkeep to ensure the time and energy you’ve invested endures. Think of maintaining your company’s newly built archive like you would a vehicle: It is more efficient to change the oil once a month than to buy a new car.

Digital archives don’t suffer the same wear and tear as tangible content. That’s not to say that your digital assets will always remain in mint condition. Your company will continue to make history and produce more content. A well-sustained archive will survive change.

Our archivists use time-tested processes to determine the best content and architecture for a sustainable archive. Our unique focus is to preserve content for the future while making it accessible for the present. Do the same on your end, and your legacy will endure for generations.

Leveraging an Artifact to Promote Corporate History

Moon rocks.

A moon rock isn’t all that different from anything you might kick around on a playground, but when it is associated with the “giant leap,” it becomes significant. It becomes a proof of the greatest feat in all of human history.

Walter P. Chrysler's set of custom made tools.

Like a rock, a toolbox is something common and uninteresting. In fact, one is probably located somewhere in your home right now. Possibly small and yellow with a flat head screwdriver and a tack hammer. But what happens when there is a name on that box? A name like Chrysler, a family synonymous with the automotive industry. What was once a simple box becomes a symbol of ingenuity. And that is something useful.

But even a toolbox with the name of an industry pioneer can become a dusty old relic if you don’t link it to your corporate history. Used properly, the right artifact gives you an authentic tie to your company and tells a broader story. Recently, when Chrysler executives put Walter P. Chrysler’s toolbox on display in their newly built headquarters north of Detroit, they created a tangible link between the company’s founder and thousands of employees.

Employees walking through the lobby recognized their founder’s custom-made tools as the predecessors of their innovative work. They could sit at their computers, using their 21st century “toolboxes” knowing that the work they were doing was just as important to the company’s future as Chrysler’s tools had been in the beginning.

From a heritage management perspective, what can be gained from the story of Walter P. Chrysler’s toolbox?

Authentic artifacts like Chrysler’s toolbox are a physical reminder that great companies aren’t started by computers or defined by logos. They are started by people. Unique genius that isn’t quickly summarized by chrome apples or golden arches.

There is an unequivocal authenticity that comes from an artifact like Chrysler’s toolbox. We have an opportunity to take the idea—that artifacts represent powerful character traits and habits—and use it as a focal point to leverage a company’s heritage.

Somewhere in your company’s vault is your own toolbox, an artifact from your own history that ties your past to your present and future. It’s not always the biggest and flashiest item that makes the greatest impact. Don’t overlook the benefits that small, seemingly mundane pieces of your heritage, properly positioned, can provide.

Find your own moon rock.