Pondering Possibilities in Podvertising

You can't walk 50 feet in a major city without seeing them. You can spot them a mile away by the dual white wires that dangle from their ears. They're young, technically savvy, loyal, enthusiastic card-carrying members of the burgeoning podcasting -- a play on the words broadcasting and Web-casting. A podcast is a time-shifted audio program that can be created using a simple microphone-equipped PC. It is Adam Curry. Since then it has been widely evangelized and adopted by the blogging community. In just two months the number of Google results for the term "podcasting" jumped nearly 1,000 percent, from 5,950 pages in early October to KOMO radio, the Minnesota Public Radio have all started to make some of their programming available in podcast form. Early evidence also suggests that programs are attracting listeners in droves. The podcast edition receives 55,000 downloads per episode, according to the show's producer, Phillip Torrone. Newsweek.com recently * Audio Spots -- One of the earliest forms of podcasting that will emerge will be brief inserted audio spots. Doug Kaye, who hosts the very popular said he is testing technology to insert spots and promos on-the-fly. While this is a natural evolution of a time-tested classic radio advertising model, it has possible downside in the podcast world. Users who find these ads obtrusive can easily skip over them on their iPods. * Sponsorships -- A more viable approach, one that is more sustainable, is underwriting an entire podcast. If this sounds familiar, it's because this is a throwback to the Golden Age of Radio when a single company would sponsor an entire hour of variety programming. Such sponsorships might closely resemble TV product placements where the ads become part of the content in some meaningful way. For example, it's possible a podcast sponsor might be able to embed a full audio news release right into a program, provided it is consistent with the show's content. * Promotions -- Promotions and giveaways, akin to those that dot the radio dial, also transcend nicely to the podcast world. For example, advertisers and podcasters could team to offer special discounts to listeners. This will make it less likely that the consumer will skip over an ad. * RSS Ads -- Right now, anecdotal evidence shows that most podcast listeners are using a dedicated application like Curry's FeedDemon and Earningscast, for example, has already started publishing select quarterly company investor conference calls in podcast form. This list is by no means exhaustive. Just as iMediaConnection, which was Steve Rubel is a PR strategist with nearly 16 years of public relations, marketing, journalism and communications experience. He currently serves as a Edelman, the largest independent global PR firm.

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