Nick's Tech/Multimedia Marketing Mash

I discovered podcasts about two years back and really got into them about six months later. I listen to them to relax when I’m stressed out because of university and the impending doom that my pile of homework represents or just to tune out the sounds around me and make my hour and fifteen minute long (on a good day) transit ride less dreary. While taking the bus home I can keep up to date with what’s going on in the video game world (Gamespot Presents the Hotspot and 1UP’s Games Dammit!) learn about tech related topics (TechStuff from HowStuffWorks.com), find out how all sorts of things work (Stuff You Should Know from HowStuffWorks.com) or even learn more about Marketing (Age of Persuasion from CBC Radio)!. Listening to podcasts has turned into a soothing routine for me and greatly expanded my knowledge on all sorts of subjects.

Obviously I am quite passionate about podcasts. I eagerly download the latest episodes whenever they are available (doing that right now actually!) and pay full attention when I am listening to them. This makes me a captivated, interested and clearly segmented target market. Additionally, the subject matter of many podcasts is quite niche which means that it is very clear what the people listening to it are interested in and what products they might be drawn to.

Might this be the perfect marketing opportunity? A captive, interested audience that is almost guaranteed to be part of the target market for your product (assuming you’ve done your research correctly)! Some advertisers seem to agree (at least partially) with this assessment with the New Times marketing a spot on their podcasts like this “Reach an audience of curious and engaged consumers with a :5 – :10 second billboard prior to the Podcast feature.”.

I know that, on my end, as long as the advertisements are kept short (as in Stuff You Should Know) or they involve the hosts speaking about the product (as in Tech News Today) I am willing to listen to the advertisement. This is very different from my attitude towards more traditional forms of advertising which I tend to ignore, shut off or be annoyed by. All things considered (the specific targeting of a niche market, the newness of the medium and the opportunities present there, and the comparatively low cost), advertising is an attractive option as long as you know your target audience and have a product that they would be likely to appreciate.

Which is fine with me. As long as they’re supporting creation of material that I enjoy consuming I’m all for it, :)!