The Year of the Martini Medium: When Podcasts Came of Age

 
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Written by Ally Lang, Head of Maple Street Creative

Here’s a first for a Maple Street posting; one that requires interaction. Well, more interaction than the usual passive digestion of words, ideas, and sentiments. I’d like you to take a piece of paper and write down all the things that you think count in favour of podcast listening.

Let’s pretend you’ve done it.

I imagine you’d have written things like, non-linear, not restricted to platform, and not restricted to device. All great assets in the modern age. But what if something happened that threw us back twenty years and we lived in a world where those benefits had little or no currency? Think hard and try and imagine a time when we didn’t seek content to accompany a commute. Or a time when being at home constantly meant that box-sets and streaming services were readily available. And if a time such as this ever did exist, it would force podcasts to operate on a level playing field, without their unique superpowers. How on earth would they survive against the kryptonite might of the house-bound consumer?

Answer? It appears they’d flourish. In the first weekend of lockdown, Acast experienced a spike in listening of three-quarters of a million, and podcast listening has just enjoyed its biggest jump in growth since 2015-16. And brace yourself for the most fascinating statistic you’ll ever read about podcasts: listening times almost perfectly mirror that of live radio; meaning that habit is a more influential factor than device and platform when it comes to consumption and that the decisive factor is therefore…content.

Last week’s Midas report on audio revealed that in the last five years, podcasts have overtaken listen again radio, cd’s, and digital tracks, and are keeping up with the pace of growth of on-demand music. The Martini medium of choice for almost 20% of the population has come of age: anytime, any place, any where, and any one’s guess where it will end.

In celebration, here are five podcast suggestions for you to enjoy over the long weekend:

Get Smarter

Thinking Loud with Konnie Huq

Mrs Charlie Brooker, and her best friend, the incredibly infectious, Liz Owens ask all the stupid questions you have in the back of your mind about all the stuff you feel people assume you should already know. Test yourself with the Drugs episode featuring Dr Suzi Gage. Check it out.

Kick Back

Brazil & Porky

Radio’s Greatest Ever Partnership has reunited for a couple of Bank Holiday specials. In the latest episode they discuss the TV shows that are getting them through isolation, and recall the time Mike Parry was caught out with an expenses claim…something to do with misunderstanding an exchange rate apparently… Have a listen.

Invest in Yourself

Bar Chat

You might consider it strange to find tips on looking after yourself better from a podcast with Bar in the title, but the folks at Diageo started this series with just that. An absolute must-listen for anyone who enjoys a good run. Listen here.

Improve Yourself

Leading Edge

Who knew that a lockdown would be like New Year’s Eve? All those great ideals about losing weight, learning a language, and finding some inner peace….all fallen by the wayside. But it’s not too late to resurrect the better you with Henley Business School’s podcast series. Go get em tiger!

Think Big

Each For Equal

Revisit Mariam Khan’s appearance on the podcast for International Women’s Day, where she and a panel of guests, including Frankie Wells and Katie Thistleton, discuss representation in the commercial world. Come on, Love Island has been cancelled…you might as well. Listen here.

 

Ally Lang - Head of Maple Street Creative