How do you measure the effectiveness of your portable media campaigns?
Go Daddy: We have a number of elements that we monitor. I can tell you we are very happy with the results we see. We are doing more podcasting advertising, not less.
U.S. Navy: Our podcast download buys have been Nielsen-guaranteed.
AccuQuote: We're using traditional DR methodology to track, including the use of unique toll-free numbers and unique tracking URLs. These are then measured using Omniture, our phone stats and back-end OLAP data. In addition, we're trying to isolate lift in our web traffic from people directly typing in our URL.
Dreamspan: Online sales driven from unique codes mentioned from individual shows.
Is there something you'd like to do with this medium that you haven't been able to do? What are the gating factors, and what is your recommendation for fixing those issues?
U.S. Navy: Some publishers, like Podrunner, have assisted ad-content integration by taking our existing Navy radio commercials and adding compatible audio as an enhancement for listeners. I hope we can do more of that in the future. It's like a mini mash-up. Believe it or not, there have been a few publishers that have refused to accept Navy ads, which was surprising to me.
AccuQuote: This is a learning process for us right now. As time progresses, we'd like to create a deeper level of engagement with the audience of each show. We're looking at the shows and their audience as partners, as opposed to viewing this strictly as an advertising campaign.
Dreamspan: I would really like to have the brand name and/or logo show up on the iPod-facing/computer screen while consumers download and listen to the show. A visual aspect would be great for retaining information.
Go Daddy: Something that many advertisers and podcasters alike are struggling with is an accurate measurement tool to know the exact reach of each episode. Some companies like Podtrac and RawVoice have made great progress in this area by providing rich analytical tools, while many video-sharing websites are still lacking. Much like tracking unique visitors has become the gold standard of online advertising, new media producers should also develop a standard unit of measurement.
What do you see the future of advertising being like in podcasting/vidcasting in portable content?
AccuQuote: I see a higher level of engagement between audience, show host and advertisers to the point where advertising is simply viewed as content.
Dreamspan: I see it growing as more people become familiar with new age technology. The great thing about podcasting is the limited commercials.
Go Daddy: As more people continue to consume this type of media, the space will grow, encouraging others to launch shows of even greater variety, reaching previously underserved audiences. More advertisers will recognize this space and begin shifting advertising dollars to new media opportunities in order to reach a more targeted population segment. Continued advancements in analytics will further add to this shift. Being a pioneer in podcast advertising, we have already seen a number of advancements in the past few years, and it's safe to say we will continue to see more.
U.S. Navy: I'd like to let our target's media habits lead us. That said, as new technology facilitates the public's ability to download faster and store more content, I look for the appetite for free, ad-sponsored content to grow and grow.
Conclusion
If you are intrigued about how you might play in this space, you can now scale your campaign across multiple podcasting networks and independent podcasts that support the ADM ad standards. The best way to find great content is to go to iTunes, click on podcasts and do keyword searches to see what shows might have a passionate audience that would love your brand story. You'll be amazed at the breadth and depth of this new content channel and the wide-open opportunity you'll have as an early advertiser.