The Next Frontier in Podcasting

Building Worldwide Audiences With Brands

I LOVE working in podcasting.

Here’s an odd confession, though. I don’t love it just because it is audio or just because podcasts are fantastic.

I love being part of the podcasting industry — for three big reasons:

1. We are inventing the future of a new medium.
2. We are solving new problems with smart people to make it easier for brands to find podcasting success.
3. There is a healthy spirit of collaboration and coopetition.

So when Neil Cowling and I started talking about how we approach our branded podcast businesses, Fresh Air Production and Pacific Content, I quickly realized that creating a global podcasting partnership would be committing to all three of the reasons I love this industry.

So we made it happen!

In truth, the three reasons can be connected together to serve one big strategy: make it easy for global brands to find success in podcasting.

1. Inventing the Future
   Podcasting is always evolving. It is not a mature medium the way print, TV, and radio are. The rule book is still being written. There is room for experimentation and new ideas, plus you don’t need permission from anyone to try something out.
2. Solving problems with smart people
   Every client is different. Many of the brands we work with ask questions we haven’t heard before or pose new challenges for us. So our team of experts in storytelling, strategy, production, sound design, and audience development regularly digs in and solves these challenges in new ways. By actively solving new problems, we build a podcast strategy and series unique to each client’s individual needs. In order to find success in our business, and in order to continue to build greater success for brands that are podcasting, we HAVE TO dig in and solve these problems.
3. Collaboration and Coopetition within the Industry
   Creative solutions to problems often occur when we work with other people and companies on the frontier of the podcasting space. And because so many people and companies in the podcast space are wonderful and like-minded, collaboration is not just smart, it’s fun and rewarding.

When we can combine these three elements, it’s a win for our clients, it’s a win for listeners, and it’s a win for the podcasting industry overall.

So the more Neil and I talked, the more we both realized how many values our two companies have in common. We both want to help brands think and act like media companies. We both want to help brands make listener-first shows that offer real value. We both believe that brands have superpowers that will help them over-perform in the podcasting space if they make the right show and market it effectively.

And that’s when we had the eureka moment that together, we could solve a new problem for brands in podcasting.

The Next Frontier Is Global

Over the last several years, more and more of our clients have expressed interest in a globally relevant podcast strategy. This query has taken several forms:

• We are a global brand and we want to tell stories that reflect the global nature of our business and that are relevant for listeners in markets around the world.
• We are a global brand and want to create individual episodes of our podcast featuring stories relevant to individual geographic regions or markets. We then want to market those episodes specifically to those markets.
• We would like to explore localization strategies for our podcast in various markets globally.
• We are a fast-growing brand with a strong North American presence and are expanding into new markets. How can we introduce our brand to new listeners in markets where they have never heard of us?
• As a global brand primarily based in North America, how can we avoid sounding North American-centric in our brand storytelling?

These are the questions to which, thanks to this new partnership between Fresh Air Production and Pacific Content, we can now confidently provide solutions. When a global brand, or emerging global brand, has a desire to create a globally relevant podcast series, we will come together and be able to offer:

• Podcast strategy for brands in multiple continents
• Production teams with deep experience in both audio storytelling and brand marketing strategy
• Production teams with strong local knowledge, able to produce compelling content that is authentic and reflective of the culture of the region
• Strategy and production teams working in multiple time zones and able to collaborate with brand marketing teams in different regions
• Audience development strategies and services designed for global marketing campaigns
• Measurement reporting for brands through a global geographic lens
• Market-by-market podcast marketing effectiveness metrics

As more and more brands enter the podcasting space, the easier and easier we make it to find success and solutions, the better the entire industry will fare.

Where the superpowers of a medium like radio are local, podcasting is global. Global brands are realizing the power of podcasting, and Fresh Air Production and Pacific Content are here to help :-)

If you’d like to know more about our global podcasting solutions, please reach out to:

North America: Annalise Nielsen, Pacific Content

UK, Europe, Middle East: Neil Cowling, Fresh Air Production

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