The podcast - 3 preconceived ideas for brands

Ladies, we want to hear from you! Audio is waiting for you, so let's fight 3 preconceived ideas:

• "Podcast is the replay of radio",
• "Audio is not a mature enough market for brands to launch brands to launch",
• "Podcast or audio on demand replaces video".

Myth #1: Podcasts are radio replay

Digital audio programs (podcasts in particular) have long been considered the replay of radio, and rightly so... Indeed, when we looked at the content available on the main streaming platforms - by which I mean Deezer, Spotify &co - over a year ago, radio stations accounted for almost the entire catalog! They absolutely had to respond to the new "on-demand" consumer habits, so it was only natural that they put theirshows and chronicles online.The idea that podcasting IS the replay of radio took hold...But many other types of content have since arrived on these platforms to expand and vary the offering... and alongside our podcasting friends we're working on it every day! So there's a big difference between content that's been thought up, written and produced in radio format and then made available on the web, and what we call "native podcast".

For brands, this original content is created first and foremost to meet digital brand content challenges, in a form adapted to the uses of web listeners.Just as is the case with video, when a TV campaign is produced, a different content dedicated to the web is created at the same time, to meet the codes of each broadcast medium and maximize the impact of the content produced.This format therefore goes much further than simple radio replay, and enables brands to open up a new communication channel, complementing the existing ones: videos, articles, posts, etc. Brands thus create a whole new point of contact with their consumers on the customer journey, which offers serious advantages: it's a new way of communicating with consumers. Brands are thus creating a completely new point of contact with their consumers on the customer journey, which offers some serious advantages:

• The medium of intimacy: 46% of French people listen to this content alone, in a bubble. A unique closeness is created between the brand and the listener, thanks to qualitative listening that is effective for memorization. Brands whisper in their consumers' ears...
• A creative medium: anything is possible with audio! You have a choice of formats (interview, documentary, series/show, narrative, etc.), duration, speakers (actors, voice-overs, unknowns, etc.) and, last but not least, the packaging, which gives the program, and therefore the brand, a sound identity.
• An accessible medium: a wide range of distribution options between music platforms that are real audience hubs (Spotify, Deezer), dedicated platforms (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and the new Sybel, Eeko and Majelan), and digital media such as websites, social networks and the entire digital ecosystem already in place.
• A content medium: it enables real targeting. A single brand can easily create 2, 3 or even 10 programs, each with a specific editorial line, adapted to the target and responding to different insights.

It's a long way from radio replay, isn't it? Native podcasts have become a must-have for brand content strategies, whether B2B, B2C or internal communications. It's just waiting to be explored!

Myth #2: Audio is not a mature enough market for brands to enter

All too often, we hear that the audience for audio in France remains too confidential. But let's start by looking at the figures* for the French market. They speak for themselves:

• 69 million podcasts listened to in June 2018
• 39% of French people listen to them regularly,
• 26% of French people listen to podcasts at least once a month
• +30% listening during confinement 2020

As the value proposition evolves, so does the listener profile. The first podcasts to go online were mainly focused on society/culture, politics, business, sexuality, luxury, etc., which makes for a typical profile today. Today's typical profile is young and urban, but it's getting younger and broader every day with the diversity of content produced by creators/podcasters, media and brands.[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="751"]

CSA x Havas study 2019[/caption]In any case, it's a fact: the audience is there. Butwhat is the impact of this brand content on listeners? Here are a few more telling figures*:

• 9 out of 10 people will continue listening to a podcast after the first episode
• 74% of listeners remember an ad they heard while listening
• 4.4 times greater brand recall among podcast listeners (the best rate for any digital channel)
• 51% say they have already bought a product following a podcast.

With scores like these, it's hard to argue that the market isn't mature yet, and above all, that the opportunities for brands aren't already there...

Opinion Way for Audible - March 2017 // Médiamétrie - June 2018

Myth #3: Podcasts replace video

Why should a new opportunity cannibalize a channel (in this case, video) that continues to progress and demonstrate its effectiveness every day? The ambition for brands is to be omni-channel: to be present in the right format, with the right content via the right distribution channel, throughout the entire customer journey. It's true that video requires a screen, which isn't always available on the move (while driving, doing the dishes or even doing crunches!). When consumers are at home on their Insta, for example, the brand can be present with mini #snacking videos, to capture attention and convey a universe and a message. But it's essential not to lose this consumer as soon as he leaves home, for example, and gets into his car. They then decide what they want to listen to. It makessense to enrich your site with articles, and to create an audio program around the same themes, but in the form of interviews, for example, to go deeper into the subject. What's more, at Calliopé we believe in the complementary nature of different media and channels, in the service of brand messages. In fact, video and podcasts go very well together, and we're increasingly involved in cross-production with our customers, to optimize the content they produce. For example, podcasts are also filmed, and community managers add stories directly to Insta, Facebook and even Linkedin accounts, to create a buzz around brand podcasts! Powerful storytelling for your communities![caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="751"]

The Lucky Day podcast[/caption]

In this way, branded podcasts enrich your strategy by offering a whole new experience to your target audiences, and create powerful synergies between media, so you can support your community at every stage of its customer journey!

Avner UZAN