Despite Apple’s long lead, Spotify Technology SA. and Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube have now become the most popular places to listen to podcasts.

A study published last month shows YouTube as the most popular podcast listening platform in the US, with 31% of respondents saying they use it. It’s followed by Spotify at 21% and Apple at 12%.

Through the lens of legacy Apple, the lack of focus on podcasts makes sense, despite basically creating the medium. But ads-and-services Apple has to be missing the potential of being the dominant player in a sector with growing ad and monetization potential.

YouTube, meanwhile, cracked the discovery code for podcasts. A persistent shortcoming of traditional podcasting apps.

Brands can help combat this general fatigue with campaigns centered around solving a problem in an impactful way, especially focusing on infectious positive energy.

The fatigue mentioned is compassion fatigue, but could as easily be noise / content fatigue.

This feels like a good campaign planning process regardless.

What?! The goldfish brain is evolving!

Engagement on longer short-form video is increasing across YouTube and TikTok as traditional short-form engagement declines on the trend machine.

users are now seemingly looking to engage with longer videos, not at regular long-form length, but an expanded variation of the short-form trend.

SEO approach for blog content from David CH of SaaSPad.co (YouTube link):

Write like ChatGPT

Not style or tone, but format.

Intro paragraph followed by bullet point list. Mix in tables, charts, media, etc.

No more novellas with unnecessary info (aka recipe posts).

Provide value and make it easy.

This Fall Will Be Fun For Marketers: Part 3

2024 is projected to be a record-breaking year, surpassing $12 billion in political ad spend.

Seventy percent of that windfall will be spent after Labor Day

I’ve been warning clients.

Ads are about to get expensive. Placements are going to become sparse. People are going overwhelmed and annoyed.

If you ask a co-worker to do some research for you, you probably aren’t worried they’ll fabricate it. You’re more likely to worry about things like motivation and prioritization.

If you ask an AI, you won’t worry about its motivation or priorities. But you should probably worry about fabrication and hallucination.

You’ve got to game them, to some extent. In a very different way than you game a person.

-Paul Bloom on using LLMs

Consumers and ecommerce brands agree the sector’s outlook is positive. But they part ways when it comes to what makes a good shopping experience.

While brands chase shiny new toys like livestream and XR shopping, shoppers want:

• Loyalty programs
• Mobile apps
• Reviews

Channels with “influence gaps” include search, broadcast, and events.

💡 The trendy channels brands focus on usually function as front doors for search.

According to LibSyn, podcast ad CPMs are:

:30 second = $18
:60 second = $25

Which means, on average, a minute long podcast ad is at the low end of :30 second streaming TV ad CPMs.

And podcasts create a higher degree of parasocial relationship with audiences.

🔮 AI-powered voice assistants accessible in cars will boost audio ad performance.

Low-income consumers feeling a pinch in the economy are leading to lower-than-expected sales for Dollar General

Not a great sign, especially with the recent downward revision of the jobs numbers.

But maybe there’s a silver lining.

As inflation eases, more retailers are starting to cut prices and focus on value for money messages. This essentially intensifies competition and gives shoppers more alternatives to Dollar General.

YouTube became the first streaming platform ever to exceed 10% of total TV usage in July.

YouTube is massive but probably still underrated somehow.

Netflix is second to YT among streamers with both well ahead of the pack.

Growth hacking is just that—hacks, tricks, shortcuts.

It’s like lighter fluid. There’s a purpose for both (usually speed and ease).

But once the lighter fluid burns off, what’s left?

Building a brand is:

• Expensive in the short run
• Cheap in the long run

95% of consumers are likely to revisit a brand after a positive experience

This Fall Will Be Fun For Marketers: Part 2

67% of consumers are anticipating marketing fatigue by November 1, 2024.

Marketing fatigue occurs when consumers feel overwhelmed by the volume or repetition of brand messages, leading to reduced engagement and negative perceptions.

Consumer confidence is up, with 50% of respondents expressing optimism about the economy, an increase from 26% in 2023.

61% plan to budget more for gifts this year.

via Marketing Tech News

What are your expectations of the circus?

We couldn’t get the elephants because we were too busy perfecting our popcorn. 

You have to know what people are coming to your business for. Every business has some attraction. And the thing that the customer is coming to your business for is what you should be focused on. 

We focus on the things we think are important just because every person has their little peculiar priorities. And every business owner either projects those priorities onto their business or has to be disciplined enough to not do that.

What are your customers expectations of you?

Sales and marketing are not just a tax you pay for not having a great product or great service. Great companies do sales and marketing. Sales and marketing are not evil. It’s just a tool, and you can do it well or you can do it icky. 

They’re amplifiers.

On building a brand with personality:

A lot of business is boring. A lot of life can be really boring—especially adulting. Things can get really dull. 

Having a little bit of fun is helpful for everyone. 

Every interaction with a customer is an exchange of trust.

You’re either banking trust or withdrawing from your accrued balance.

“The time has come for policy to adjust,” Fed Chair Jerome H. Powell said Friday, in his most anticipated speech of the year. “The direction of travel is clear.”

Powell did not specify a timeline or forecast how much Fed leaders were preparing to lower rates. But his remarks came as close as possible to teeing up a cut at the Fed’s next policy meeting in mid-September.

So this, then Halloween, then election, then Black Friday.

Could be a wild Q4.