The golden rule of public relations is to stay current and relevant. For PR pros, it’s not only expected, but part of our job to stay up-to-date on all industry trends and current affairs in the U.S. and beyond. While we have access to a wide breadth of digital platforms to consume our daily dose of news and information, let’s not ignore an essential medium for staying smart – podcasts.
Podcasts are mainstream
62 million Americans listen to podcasts each week, and the first ten months of 2019 saw a record 192,000 new podcasts launched. Because they’re easy to consume and offer a certain intimacy, brands are using podcasts to inform, entertain, and be visible. With WFH a new normal in the COVID era, listeners are consuming a vast array of podcasts across business, finance, education, entertainment, and more, and at different times of the day.
Here’s a roundup of some top advertising and marketing podcasts. It’s by no means is a complete list, but a good starting point if you’re looking to raise your podcast game.
AdExchanger Social Distancing With Friends
As most people stay home and practice social distancing, AdExchanger (the leading voice in ad tech) was quick to adapt and start a new podcast series titled, “Social Distancing With Friends.” In this new series, AdExchanger editors invite top industry newsmakers and practitioners in digital and data-driven advertising – all while under social isolation. They’ve featured a stellar lineup of industry experts including Innovid Founder Tal Chalozin, advertising legend Martin Sorrell, marketing veteran and DoubleVerify interim CEO Laura Desmond and many more. Each episode reflects on the company’s business, opportunities, and challenges as well as how they’re navigating these unusual times.
Yet another AdExchanger weekly series, hosted by the seasoned editorial team and featuring discussions and compelling conversations on the week’s top news stories affecting the industry.
Hosted by industry veteran and AdAge Assistant Managing Editor E.J. Scultz, this weekly podcast offers insights from industry leaders and looks at stories making waves across the marketing sector. It features brand marketers and CEOs in travel, retail, FMCG, health and wellness, among other high-growth and heavily COVID-affected industries.
Adweek Yeah, That’s Probably an Ad
Launched in 2016, Adweek Yeah, That’s Probably an Ad features co-hosts David Griner and Ko Im debating the highs and lows of creativity, advertising, marketing, media and technology. David and Ko are joined by Adweek’s news team every week in deep dives into a wide range of topics, including diversity and inclusion, social media influence, streaming media, women empowerment, etc.
Moving beyond the US, The Mumbrellacast from Mumbrella – Australia’s key ad trade media, this podcast throws light on the latest news in the Australian media, marketing and advertising industries. Every week features a rotating panel of hosts including Mumbrella’s news team, and they invite the adland’s key newsmakers to share their take on news and trends dominating the region.
This is a fairly new podcast, but it looks promising! Matt Scheckner, widely recognized as the producer of Advertising Week (the world’s largest and premium advertising, marketing, media industry summit) sits down with great minds from all walks of life for thought-provoking conversations. The list of remarkable featured guests includes Martin Sorrell, Ndaba Mandela (Nelson Mandela’s Grandson) and Lisa Gilbert, CMO at IBM Japan, among other industry leaders.
The CMO Podcast with Jim Stengel
Hosted by industry trailblazer Jim Stengel (former CMO of the largest marketer in the world Procter & Gamble), the CMO podcast holds intimate style conversations with the industry’s most dynamic leaders. Highly rated and inspirational, every episode is packed with real-life experiences of business and success, sharp insights and storytelling. Jim goes deep into the thought process and motivation of the CMO and offers a unique perspective on their pivotal role that touches every facet of customer experience. His list of inspirational guests includes CMOs of Uber, Roku, KFC, Lowe’s and the list goes on.
Renegade Thinkers Unite focuses on marketing innovators, uncovering the how, what and why behind their ongoing success. Hosted by award-winning marketer, author and entrepreneur Drew Neisser, this podcast is considered consistently refreshing and is packed full of marketing lessons that you can use in your day-to-day work.
AList Daily’s Marketing Today With Alan Hart
Alan Hart, host of Marketing Today, goes behind the scenes with the world’s best CMOs and business leaders. Alan does an excellent job bringing strategies, tips and advice from the marketing stalwarts. Each episode takes a deep dive into what makes a great brand, marketing campaign, or turnaround. His recent guests include Petco CMO, Head of Brand Marketing at Oreo and CMO Planet Fitness, to name a few. Alan keeps his conversation style quite casual and offers great takeaways on how to build a successful business.
Weekly podcast Marketing Over Coffee covers both new and old marketing. Hosted by John Wall and Christopher Penn, each episode covers all aspects of marketing and business, SEO, analytics, email marketing and more. Regarded as the go-to-destination for people with no marketing background, this podcast offers guidance on how to build and market your brand. For someone with a small business, it’s a definite asset for learning marketing fundamentals and shaping a successful strategy.
Sure, I’m missing many other influential podcasts. While we all can only hope to go back to our normal lives soon and tune in to our favorites while commuting or running errands, for now, we can tune in from home and plan for the future. Happy listening!