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.

In addition to his thoughts below, I would advocate online or podcast only content made available by radio stations. Whether it be the long unedited version of an on-air interview, the 4th hour of a 3 hour morning show, episodes featuring character’s from the station,  or anything else you can imagine.

Mark also references the measurement of podcast plays and downloads that warrants some discussion, especially as it pertains to iTunes, but that’s for another time. Here’s Mark…

When it comes to radio station podcasts, we’re generally talking about two flavors:

One is the Public Radio kind, usually weekly shows with beginnings, middles, and ends or clips of information updates or highlights.

The other is the commercial radio podcast – often three hours of this or four hours of that.

The myth of podcasting is that this long-form way is the way listeners want to consume our content simply because it’s the way they consume our content over the air – a context in which they have no choice in the matter, by the way.

Actually, they do have a choice – it’s to tune in and out, ever-hopeful for a “hit” or “highlight.”  And tune in and out is exactly what they do.

But wait, doesn’t an on-demand environment give us the ideal opportunity to showcase the “hits” or “highlights” that our active listeners demand?

Let me ask this another way:  What’s likely to be more popular, the brief clip of the 47-year-old woman startling the judges with her vocal talents on Britain’s Got Talent – or the entire episode of Britain’s Got Talent?

Public Radio shows are generally like episodes in a series (for longer form stuff) or immediate and disposable, but useful in the moment (for shorter form stuff).  Or – in rare cases – the entertainment value of the whole (i.e., Car Talk) can’t easily be atomized into its parts.

Commercial radio shows, by contrast, almost uniformly lack beginnings, middles, or ends.  Arguably, the first hour of your morning show is not much different from the last.  And – by design – you do not usually need to hear the first hour to appreciate the ones which follow.  Nor, I would argue, do you need to hear today’s show if you miss it.  Indeed, today’s show is relatively similar to tomorrow’s show and yesterday’s show.  Wait a few hours, and like the movie Groundhog Day it will all come back again.

If I miss Hannity today, no sweat.  I’ll just catch him tomorrow.  One listener call on Dr. Laura can be substituted for any other listener call.  Thus the very consistency of the show reduces its value in an active on-demand environment.  When something is the same all the time, it’s never special – or at least any one show in its entirety is never essential.

Further, even though you can count your podcast downloads you generally can’t count the degree to which a listener is hearing the whole podcast – or any of it, for that matter.  My iPod doesn’t care whether or not I hear what is on it – it dutifully downloads podcast updates regardless.  No wonder most podcasts are heard online – not on portable devices.  At least a few minutes of them, anyways.

What this all suggests – at least in part – is that when we transform the radio show to the podcast we are thinking about the medium all wrong.  In an on-demand world for much of commercial radio, the unit of currency is not the “show,” it’s the “hit,” the “highlight.”

Sure folks will still listen to the long-form audio, but what many of them would prefer is that we carve out the “hits” – those special moments worth actively seeking out and hearing.  The “water cooler” gems.  Not the mundane same-old same-old that characterizes much of what lay between the “hits”

Listen, more folks will read your email if there’s only one short message in it.  And more folks will click your audio if it contains just the “hit” they’re looking for – and only the hit.

This, after all, is why people buy songs instead of albums.

Listening to radio over the air is as different from listening on-demand as an album is different from a song.

Share your content accordingly.

Reach Mark through his company and website Mark Ramsey Media

As a producer of independent programming myself, as well as a person who actively monetizes his own shows in a variety of ways, the value to me of industry standardization and organization sits in front of me every day.

Mainstream media advertisers continue to move into the online advertising marketplace, yet there are still those ad buyers who approach new media advertising with some trepidation.  Why balk when it comes to moving significant dollars into new media markets?  Is this because the markets don’t offer return on investment? Not at all.  A single look at the businesses that have seen huge growth largely as a result of podcasting and new media advertising will show that ROI is not an issue. (Think GoDaddy and Citrix)

What is the problem?

I think it has to do, at least in part, with unfamiliarity.  Media buyers from big, entrenched mass media have been buying sponsorships and advertising in well known units, formats, and structured layouts that have been agreed upon for many years.  They move into our marketplace and they may not see the same familiar words or structured advertising deals that they are used to seeing.

One podcaster offers 2 minute infomercial style slots in their show while another is promoting pre- and post-roll slots with a host read ad-insertion mid-roll?  Does this correlate to what the media buyer is used to from radio and TV advertising? It may, but without some standard to point towards, it would be hard to know.

Standardization is good

Here are some of the standards currently supported by the ADM:

• Download Measurement Guidelines
• Advertising Unit Standards
• Online Advertising Terminology Standards and Definitions (ongoing)

Promoting industry standards, backing those standards in your own programs and site structures, and pointing your advertising clients to sites like the ADM standards and guidelines are all ways new media producers can give their shows credibility and clout in a way that builds the marketability of all downloadable media and online content.

Find out more about the ADM standards and guidelines before your next sales meeting. Use your support of those standards to show the client you know what they really want because you are serious about your industry and its goals.

ADM Media and Download Standards

When the iPhone exploded onto the market, it certainly turned the conversation back to mobile (in a good way) here in the US and even abroad where Europe and Asia are further ahead. It also shifted the focus from the carriers and the concept of ‘on-deck’ towards the devices, many of which are media-enabled and allow users to obtain content directly from whatever sources they choose. Mobile video, just like podcasting, has gone through many phases of interest, buzz, and market projections. Similar to how Napster fueled the online music movement (later won by Apple) and as YouTube propelled online video, it’s quite possible that the iPhone (or media enabled devices) combined with the resurgence of podcasting can push ad-supported, downloadable media into the mainstream. Especially given podcasting’s benefits (e.g. subscription, download, and device readiness), it seems reasonable that these two spaces are likely to enjoy some cross promotion. A terminology post would be useful at some point regarding the best category definition of the media whether it’s downloadable, portable, mobile, on-demand, or some other term.

In June last year, Nielsen published a report on mobile video. Some of the key findings included:

• As of Q1 2008, 91 million (36% of all mobile phone subscribers in the U.S.) owned a video-capable phone. As more subscribers upgrade to phones capable of receiving mobile video, subscription cost, promotion and network speeds will be the primary challenges to the growth of mobile video consumption.

• As of Q1 2008, there were already 13.9 million persons (6% of U.S. mobile subscribers) paying for a mobile video plan, up from 8.4 million (4% of all mobile subscribers) in Q1 2007.

• 4.4 million persons (2% of U.S. mobile subscribers or 31% of those who subscribe to mobile video) report that they watched mobile video with a mobile video subscription.

• In addition, 95 million persons (37% of U.S. mobile subscribers) subscribed to mobile Internet as part of their mobile data plan in Q1 2008, a significant platform for mobile video consumption.

As an industry, connecting podcasting into the mobile discussion can help accelerate the recent eMarketer audience numbers towards a more mainstream conversation (say over 60% of US Internet users as opposed to 17%). This combined with ADM driving the standards and awareness, should fuel a bigger and more efficient advertising market that benefits us all.

Jeff Karnes
VP Marketing and Products
VoloMedia, Inc.

As a result of the work done by Kiptronic’s Dave Rowley and his Terminology Standardization committee, the ADM invites you to provide input on downloadable media’s ever changing terminology.

Based on the committee’s charter “To collect, refine, propose, correlate, and present standard terms used in our industry for the benefit of publishers, advertisers and consumers of downloadable media.” the ADM has a established a Terminology Wiki to allow you to add to or comment on the terms that have been established to date.

As I noted at the outset, our taxonomy tends to be evolving. Hence the wiki. If you note new terminology emeging, whether it be to describe something new or existing, please take time to note it on the wiki. We will then inlcude it as part of our information provided to those offering potential revenue sources the industry we serve. Buyers of ADM member services and products will be better able to participate if they know, understand and use the language that is unique to them.

It should be noted that, just as an organization is strong because of it’s members, a wiki is only as strong as those who provide and edit content. Please take a moment to visit and share your knowledge!

Thanks to Dave Rowley and his committee for all of their work in establishing this valuable tool.

In addition to being featured in the publication, Susan will join the other named Women of Influence at a private reception and awards dinner at The Fairmont Hotel in San Jose on March 18th. More details are available here.

The Association for Downloadable Media congratulates Susan on here many accomplishments

This is just one example of our members making an impact. I know that there are more doing incredible things and being recognized for them. If you have news to share please email me at pwilson (at) downloadablemedia (dot) org so we can be sure and recognize it here.

First, let me say thanks to Chris MacDonald for the opportunity to serve you. I have often talked and blogged about the ADM since my joining last year. The concept of an organization that can help a relatively young medium prosper and grow while maintaining its unique nature is truly a noble cause, one I happily join.

The press release with the always enthralling “More About Phil Wilson” can give you a glimpse of my work history and some of things I’m currently pursuing. Beyond that I should say that, after so many years in “traditional media”, I am thrilled to be part of this exciting, growing, and refreshingly creative and relatively uncharted space. I believe that the knowledge I have gained in broadcast…of what works and what doesn’t and what’s right and what’s wrong with it…will serve me well in helping the ADM and the industry it represents achieve it’s goals.

Personally, I have incredible respect and admiration for those in the downloadable arena. I am always impressed and inspired by the content that is produced. As in any art form and I believe it is an art, there are those that will choose to produce content for the sake of that art, those that produce content with the intention to generate revenue, or perhaps, find there is an opportunity to do both.

It is for those that seek to monetize their work that the Association for Downloadable Media is here to serve. The ADM will continue to establish and champion standards and guidelines, making it easier for advertisers and media buyers to be part of and understand. It will also continue to seek to provide its members with the knowledge and tools to better promote their work to that group of advertisers and buyers as well as the public at large.

In my role as Director for the ADM I look forward to help guide the projects undertaken by its passionate board and committees. Through my many conversations with Chris, Susan Bratton, Duncan Perry, Mathew Snodgrass and many of the other forward thinkers of the ADM I’m confident that you as a member are in great hands and will reap the rewards of the Association’s efforts.

If there is any question I can answer or anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at pwilson@downloadablemedia.org.

David Lawrence interviews Susan Bratton on the history and direction of the ADM.  They talk about the early days of the ADM’s formation, the challenges of starting an association, and the direction they are looking to go in the future. Discover the connection ADM has to the Internet Advertising Board (IAB) and who benefits from unified ad standards.

David and Susan also discuss how to make a business from downloadable media and the tools and resources the ADM has for members such as media kits, terms and conditions, insertion orders, advertising standards, and measurement standards.

Susan Bratton is the Vice Chairman of the ADM and CEO of Personal Life Media, a podcast publishing company producing 38 weekly audio shows and companion blogs on personal growth, relationships, longevity and spirituality for people on the leading edge of culture.

David Lawrence has been involved in radio/tech since 1973, podcasting since 1994, and creeping people out since 2007.

Matthew Snodgrass from ADM and Lippe Taylor interviews both Tim Bourquin of TNC New Media and Rick Calvert of Blog World Expo about the sale of Tim’s New Media Expo to Rick’s Blog World Expo. Separately, the two conventions were delivering a wide array of content and attendees. As the scope of the two shows started to overlap, Tim and Rick realized that the community would be better served by a single – and greater – convention. You can find out more about the combined show at http://www.blogworldexpo.com. We also get Tim and Rick’s thoughts on social media today and the use of it by corporations.

Tim Bourquin is Founder and CEO of TNC New Media, Inc., an online media company that has developed, launched and grown several advertising-supported podcasting sites.  Under Tim’s leadership, TNC New Media has also used podcasting and other forms of new media as a promotional tool for everything from corporate events and tradeshows to product launches.  In 2005, Tim launched the Podcast and New Media Expo, a convention and conference for podcasters and online video creators.  The event, was recently sold to BlogWorld Expo, is held annually and attracts thousands of podcasters who attend to learn how to create compelling shows and grow their audience.

Rick Calvert is the CEO and Co-Founder of BlogWorld & New Media Expo. He has been active the trade show industry since 1998 working on three Tradeshow Week 200 events including the SEMA Show (#4), AWFS®Vegas (#39) and the DEMA Show #(97), as well as one of the nation’s largest consumer shows, Comicon. He has been a voracious new media consumer since 2000, launched his own blog in 2005 and formed BlogWorld & New Media Expo in 2007.

For more information, check out these posts at Blog World Expo:
BlogWorld & New Media Expo Now One Super Huge Event!
BlogWorld Expo Acquires New Media Expo
 

Matthew Snodgrass from ADM and Lippe Taylor interviews Scott Monty, head of social media for Ford Motor Company. Scott, formerly with Crayon, joined Ford just five months ago at a tumultuous time for both Ford and the U.S. auto industry in general. News and rumors are flying around the Web about the auto industries’ tough financial times, but Scott is finding a way to manage the mayhem and create real conversations about what Ford is doing in a time of crisis.

The Ford Story – http://thefordstory.com
Ford Digital Snippets – http://ford.digitalsnippets.com
Ford’s Corporate Twitter account – http://twitter.com/FordDriveOne

Scott Monty is currently the head of social media for Ford Motor Company, where he holds the title Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager. While his role is based in the Corporate Communications area, he is a strategic advisor on all social media activities across the company. From blogger relations to marketing support to customer service to internal communications and more, social media touches many facets of Ford business, and Scott is there to ensure it is consistent across all of them. You can follow Scott (@scottmonty) on Twitter.

Matt Snodgrass is the secretary of the ADM and is SVP of Digital Marketing for Lippe Taylor, a brand communications agency based in Manhattan. Matt has been involved with digital production and marketing for over 10 years. You can reach him at mattsnod (Twitter/Flickr/Skype), mattsnod@yahoo.com, and www.mattsnod.com