As we look towards 2021 with a big sigh of relief, it feels like a good time to look back at 2020. As traumatic as 2020 has been, it was also a year of change for audio. Stay-at-home orders disrupted our lives and shook up the habits around the soundtrack that accompanies our lives. Commute […]
8 Things We Learned from Our Audio Research in 2020 Read More »
Every year when we dig into the findings from the latest Canadian Podcast Listener study we see some fascinating changes in how people are listening to podcasts. This year, in our 4th annual study, we couldn’t help noticing how different the most popular podcasts are from what we saw in our first study back in 2017. As
Podcasts for the People: the Growing Variety of Podcast Content Read More »
There are hundreds of thousands of active podcasts. That’s a whole lot of podcasts. And they come in all shapes and sizes. So why is it that there are so many podcasts, but only two basic types of podcast ads: the host-read ad and the announcer-read ad? With so many podcasters striving to put their
Do Podcast Ads All Have to Sound So Much Alike? Read More »
It all started with streaming. Then podcasts. Now Spotify is setting its sights on radio. In case you missed it, on October 14 the streaming giant took another big step in their master plan to dominate all things audio. Using Anchor, the podcast-creation app they picked up in early 2019, creators can now mix talk
Spotify’s Latest Move: Not Your Father’s Radio Read More »
It’s the curse of being a researcher. Our clients often ask us what’s going to happen in the future. But the truth is that researchers have a limited perspective: we see things through more of a rear-view mirror than a crystal ball. At best, we can look at what just happened, review findings from other
Polishing the Crystal Ball for the Future of Audio Read More »
We’ve all been living in bubbles since March. And the podcast world has been living in something of its own bubble. With revenues cratering in most media sectors, podcasting has been floating above the fray. Even with downgraded growth projections, the IAB/PwC Podcast Advertising Revenue Study is expecting a double-digit increase in U.S. ad revenues
Could Too Much Success Burst the Podcasting Bubble? Read More »
Working on brand lift studies for audio I am often reminded of David Ogilvy’s complaint in Confessions of an Advertising Man that some marketers use research “as a drunk uses a lamppost—for support rather than illumination.” That quote goes back nearly 60 years now to the Mad Men era of advertising, but the point may
Using Brand Lift Studies for Illumination as well as Support Read More »
Apple’s role as a pioneer of digital audio has to stand as one of its greatest achievements. Think about it. What would the audio landscape look like today without Apple? They were the first to mass market digital audio with the iPod nearly 20 years ago. (Remember “1,000 songs in your pocket”?) A couple of
Could Apple Show Broadcasters the Way for Live Radio? Read More »
As we’ve been working on brand lift studies for radio, podcasts and music streaming lately, I’ve found myself thinking about my trips to art galleries. Sometimes, a gallery visit can be like taking an art history course. You can start by seeing what was valued by an ancient culture through their sculptures or pottery. Then
Brand Lift Studies: Seeing the Full Picture Read More »
There’s a new meme for 2020: “We’re no longer working from home; we’re living at work.” It really captures the new reality, doesn’t it? A lot of us have been “living at work” since early March. And while we should be thankful that we have a job and don’t have to put ourselves in danger
Building a New Soundtrack for At-Home Workers Read More »