These projects directly reflect the focus of two main initiative of the ADM in the last six months: Provide value to our membership and build awareness.

Clearly, any member organization must provide value to those who, through their membership, show belief in the mission and provide funding to advance that mission. It’s our goal to provide real tools and resources to help those who produce and distribute downloadable content to monetize that content.

To that end, I’m happy to say that we’re just weeks away from launching an ADM Member Directory. This directory is designed to be a point of direct access for advertisers and media buyers to the offerings of our membership. ADM members will be able to post information about their shows, the audience they reach, and the various types and amount of inventory they offer, as well as the all important contact information that will allow buyers and advertisers to reach these providers.

As far as I know, no directory currently exists that allows those with marketing and advertising money to spend  such easy access to a wide range of outlets and the audience they provide in such a fast growing medium. ADM Committee members Dave Hamilton and Matt Snodgrass are currently tweaking the current beta version of the Directory, so look for information on the member release soon.

Another exciting project that’s in the works is a comprehensive research study that will, as project manager Jeff Karnes describes it, “explore consumers’ attitudes towards advertising within podcasting to provide media buyers and marketers with information about those attitudes, as well as insights into the best advertising opportunities.” Simply put, we’ll be providing data that will not only show who uses downloadable media, but how they use it, what they want from it, what they expect from it, and the best way advertisers can use it to their advantage. Make no mistake, we aren’t out to prove to the world that podcasting reaches millions of people and is growing…we already know that. We’re going to show advertisers how best to reach their audience and that modifying their ad budget to include more downloadable media will help them become more successful.

The ADM, in conjunction with Tom Webster and Edison Research, is currently crafting and vetting all aspects of the project and working toward a presentation date of sometime in September. Look for more info as we field this unprecedented study.

As I noted earlier it’s vital to let the industries we serve and represent know about the mission and purpose of the Association for Downloadable Media as well as tactics and tools we use to accomplish them. So we will continue to improve our ongoing communication to the industry and it’s constituency. In fact, the upgrade of this site, increasing our Twitter presence, and other social media initiatives are all steps toward raising our profile. We’ll continue to reach out and inform not only the content providers but, through our Advertising Council and other outlets,  those ad buyers and agencies that offer us that monetization we seek to build for downloadable media.

So, as you can see, for a member funded, volunteer based,  non-profit group, we’re quite busy…and I would be remiss if I didn’t take this chance to say thanks for the support of our current members. And members…please  make sure your membership is current so you don’t miss out on reaping the rewards of this hard work.

I’d also like to invite you, if you aren’t a member to join us! I’m confident that we’ll provide you with the tools and support to get your downloadable business noticed and, on the way, I hope more profitable.

However, once you look past the “glass half empty” headline you’ll see real opportunity. Opportunity to do so much better. Opportunity that was really the reason a group of forward thinking people decided to form the Association for Downloadable Media.  How about, “Podcasting Not Too Profitable…Yet!”

First, let’s look at some of the facts about podcasting consumption. After all, you can’t make money on a product or service unless there are people using it, right? Well podcasting is being used…alot. This fact will be reinforced by data to be presented during our May 21st webcast with Edison Research’s Tom Webster and that same fact was noted in data the aforementioned eMarketer have themselves touted as recently as March 9th of this year. “As a percentage of Internet users, podcast downloaders will grow from 9% in 2008 to 17% in 2013.”

To be clear, when eMarketer states that “The appetite for podcasts is fairly light” they are referencing the appetite of media buyers, not podcast users. So, it’s not a matter of finding audience, it’s a matter of increasing the appetite of advertisers for, or even making them aware of the existence of, that audience.

We must seize the opportunity. Or as Tom Webster says in his Infinite Dial post, “Projections generally describe a possible future–perhaps even a probable future–but not the only future. The key is, what are podcasters going to do to change it?” Downloadable media producers (in this case podcasters, must work harder, whether it’s  an organized manner through the ADM, or by individually approaching advertisers to sing the praises of reaching consumers through this new and highly personal medium.

While eMarketer* “projects” ad spending will increase to $43 million in 2013, we will continue to champion a medium that is growing in appeal and audience to those that seek to reach that audience. Enough so that the current projection looks like chump change when we look back at it.

(*Update: As noted below the “projection” was that of Zenith Optimedia rather than eMarketer’s.)

In this public webcast, ADM Member Tom Webster from Edison Research will  present the fourth iteration of this widely-cited, authoritative look at the growing audience for audio and video podcasts. The event will be free and requires pre-registration at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/502857363.

In the recently published Edison Research/ Arbitron 2009 update to their “Infinite Dial” study, results offered up hints of good news for podcasters. With awareness of podcasting increasing from 37% to 43%, and the percentage of Americans who have ever listened to an audio podcast growing to 22%, podcast consumption appears ready to break into the mainstream. According to Edison Research’s Tom Webster, “If you are in the business of creating downloadable media, this is key, significant research that you won’t want to miss.” He goes on to say, “This report and webcast will look at demographics and usage, key audience behaviors, content preferences, and attitudes towards advertising and sponsorships.”

The webcast will last one hour and will include time for your questions. Participants will also be able to download the presentation prior to its wider public release.

Please join us for this ADM event.

ABOUT EDISON

Edison Research is a global leader in market and consumer research for businesses and media organizations worldwide, and has been the sole provider of exit poll information to the six major news organizations
–ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, NBC and the Associated Press–since 2003. As part of this effort, Edison has conducted exit polls and collected precinct vote returns to project and analyze results for every major primary and the general elections in 2004, 2006 and 2008.  Edison provides companies with custom research solutions to measure audience, effectiveness and other key metrics of marketing and advertising campaigns. They are, along with Arbitron, the co-authors of the widely-quoted Internet and Multimedia Research Series, now in its 17th iteration.

1. The overall podcast audience continues to show significant growth: the overall UK figures rose from 6 million persons indicating they had ever downloaded a podcast in May 2008, to 7.2 million today. Also in that same period, the number of persons indicating that they listen to a podcast each week rose from 3.7 million to 4.1 million.

Two things strike me about these numbers–first, of course, podcast consumption continues to grow at a very healthy rate. More significant to me is the fact that 57% of the total podcast audience listens to a podcast each week. That, combined with the fact that the number of podcasts subscribed to increased from 3.6 to 4.4 is clear evidence that listening to podcasts is becoming more of a habit, and less of a novelty, for the majority of this ever-growing body.

If you are monetizing podcast content, habit is most definitely what you need. It is vital for content producers to encourage, promote and even reward regular, timely listening–again, the fact that podcasts can be consumed any old time is a benefit to the listener, but means that ‘campaigns’ can stretch for weeks–even months–and occur asynchronously. The more podcast producers can create and reinforce the habit of listening to a podcast, the more they can control variables and show demonstrable results for advertisers within a finite window of time. So listen whenever you want–but listen this week–and be creative about how you encourage your listeners to make the habit.

2. 33% of podcast listeners responded positively to the idea of podcasts without advertising that would have to be paid for. However, the same study showed that the number of podcast listeners who had actually paid for a podcast remained unchanged–3%.

I am sure that the 33% figure will get some headlines, and provide some comfort for podcasters trying to make a go of a paid subscription model. The proof, however, is in the Yorkshire pudding here–the real number hasn’t budged. That’s not to say that some paid subscription models won’t work–just that they won’t be common occurrences. Selling a podcast of a one-off event, for example, is a perfectly valid model. The last thing most of you should be doing, however, is putting up a barrier to growing your audience. Howard Stern’s reach is a fraction of what it used to be when you could hear his show for free on broadcast radio–and that’s Howard Stern.

3. 78% of podcast users listen to podcasts that are more than a week old.

This is, of course, the flip side of point #1–on the one hand, content producers need to continue to find ways to make content topical and “unmissable,” as I have written before in an analysis of Edison’s podcasting statistics. On the other, there is obviously a need for “evergreen” content (and detailed, easily-scannable show notes) to help listeners devise their own plans to “catch up” with your content, should they want to.

You’ll be telling the world that the ADM is the organization to look to for championing the monetization of downloadable content.

Becky Hogge from the Open Rights Group lead a meaningful session on how TV regulation threatens to spill over to internet. Dean Whitbread from UKPA moderated a panel on music rights in which speakers from the MCPS-PRS (the UK performing rights organisation representing writers and publishers) and the head of digital for the Association of Independent Music laid out the now more affordable and less rigid schemes designed to give podcasters access to their extensive repertoire of music.

Read more here on UK Podcasters Association website.

Here are their comments:

We need to continue to reach out as an organization and educate producers and networks who want to monetize their content about our mission.

Dave Hamilton and I Twittered back details and invited them to join. Leo has been invited more than once. If any of our members would like to connect with Leo or Dave or Steve, I’d encourage you to do so.

And I want to restate that what ever standards and guidelines we come out with with always be voluntary. They are to help move the industry forward, not to be limiting in any way. You can support the ADM standards (if you want to) and also offer “out of the box” opportunities to sponsors and advertisers. One does not preclude the other.

Leo, Dave and Steve, this is an open invitation to join us in our hard work to bring more revenue into the industry for all of the wonderful content creators and networks out there.

We welcome you.

We are currently programming 4 sessions for ad:tech San Franscico. Three at our ADM meeting on the 16th of April and 1 in the ad:tech conference programming on the 17th of April.

We are seeking podcast advertising customers to share their wisdom on ad formats, audience metrics and case studies.

If you work with an ad agency or marketer who would like to share their opinions and ideas and support one of the sessions below, please connect them via email to susan at personallifemedia dot com.

If you believe you have a strong case for speaking and can add value to one of these sessions below. Please email Susan.

(April 16th)

Session#1
Downloadable Media: The State of the Industry and Success Stories
Get all the facts you need about podcasting, vidcasting and portable media in this session overview. You’ll learn the definition of “downloadable media,” how many consumers are currently enjoying portable content, who the biggest market players and media providers are, both from a network perspective, as well as top independent shows. An overview of various forms of advertising and sponsorship currently in the market will showcase some of the most impressive campaigns in the market today. Walk away with all you need to buy a campaign or sell an ad program.

Session #2
Downloadable Media Advertising Standards – New Units Debut for Public Comment
Thinking about buying advertising in portable media? Are you a content producer who wants a “piece of the action?” Come to this session to see the unveiling of the first set of ad formats to be ratified in the industry across all networks and individual properties that choose to participate in the industry standards and accept these new common formats. Attendees will see first hand the ad formats selected, hear the reasoning behind them and have the opportunity to comment in this open forum.

Session #3
Downloadable Media Audience Measurement Guidelines – New Best Practices Debut for Public Comment
This session unveils the Association’s recommendations for measuring podcast listener/viewer numbers that can be applied and replicated by any creator or aggregator of downloadable media. The ADM encourages open measurement standards that encourage consistent data collection and distribution within all participating member organizations. Creation of these standards allows confidence in reporting to advertising agencies and brand sponsors so increase the volume of media bought in this burgeoning category of highly engaged consumers.

The fourth session, incorporated in to the ad:tech programming will be this session – a little less “technical” and less “insider” than the first session at our ADM meeting but similar:

(April 17th)

Session #4
Marketing with Downloadable Media: Podcasts & Vidcasts – Buy Ads in Existing Content or Make Your Own Show?
Get all the facts you need about podcasting, vidcasting and portable media in this session overview. You’ll learn the definition of “downloadable media,” how many consumers are currently enjoying portable content, who the biggest market players and media providers are, both from a network perspective, as well as top independent shows. An overview of various forms of advertising and sponsorship currently in the market will showcase some of the most impressive campaigns in the market today. And you’ll learn how to create your own podcast and why that might make sense for your brand or corporation. Walk away with all you need to buy a campaign in downloadable media or create your own show!

ad:tech is the leading conference for digital marketers and agencies who focus on emerging media. They are hosting a morning of ADM programming. In three sessions, we will present the latest numbers in podcasting/vidcasting and downloadable media, case studies of successful programs, new ad units around which our industry can standardize and guidelines for audience traffic measurement.

We currently seek panelists for these sessions. If you are an extraordinary speaker who can talk about numbers, case studies, ad standards and audience measurement, please send an email to susan at personal life media.

If you are a brand marketer or agency person or are working with someone on the “client side” whom you think would be a speaker on one or more of our sessions, please email Susan. This is our top speaker priority.

As an ADM member, you are entitled to a FIFTY PERCENT 50% (woo hoo!) discount on a full conference pass to ad:tech. The Early Bird rate is $1395, so you pay $697.50 if you register before March 14th. Don’t forget or you could end up paying $1895!

Email Bryan Moffet at membership at downloadable media dot org for the promotional code to use on this registration page. You can attend the ADM sessions FREE, as well as attend ad:tech’s exhibit hall and keynote sessions FREE, but only if you pre-register. You must be registered to attend this event.

Thanks to Kiptronic and Porter Novelli for hosting the meeting in San Francisco and New York City respectively, and for Blog Talk Radio to connecting the dots through conference and chat. The hour was packed with reports and ideas. There was a lot worth covering, but I want to lay out the two biggest initiatives on our near-term plate.

Ad Units – (part of the Ad Standards Committee)

We are moving quickly to establish an advertiser-vetted list of the most common ad units to be deployed in our industry. Similar to the way IAB brokered known frame sizes for banners, we will release defined types of units that will be consistent and replicable across the largest swath of the industry. Why? Two reasons.  One:  We need a common currency to promote liquidity in the marketplace. Using these proposed units will not be a requirement to do business, but we believe they will further encourage transactions and get buyers, advertisers, publishers and intermediaries on the same conversational page.  Two: For advertisers to be interested in using our channel of distribution they need to be able to buy large amounts of media across many shows and networks, having a creative standard that allows them to do this ensures that marketing budgets will be placed in our industry.

Audience Counting Guidelines (part of the Measurement Committee)

Advertisers are much more likely to place advertising dollars within an industry that can demonstrate known quantities of measurement output.  In other words, an advertiser that calls on two separate publishers, should be able to make data-driven decisions on an apples to apples basis.  Today this is not an easy task.  ADM can enable these transactional analyses by offering guidelines to the most common practices that our industry uses to measure audience.  ADM will poll its members and develop a set of criteria that are currently being used to arrive at audience measurement.  We understand that not every member handles these actions the same ways, so articulating the variety of ways that are used, and agreeing on some basic operating principles, will take us much further toward creating a framework that advertisers can understand.

I consider these to be the most important objectives of the first quarter of 2008. There are plenty of other issues to focus on and work toward, as we certainly will. But expect ADM to drive towards delivery of these essential two outcomes in the very near future.