#TBWAAfricaConference2019: Be the chosen one

Picture caption: (l to r): Timothy Maurice (The Brain and the Brand Show), Siya Metane (SlikourOnLife), Gareth Cliff (CliffCentral.com) Thami Pooe (The Interchange), Kelechi Nwosu (MD/CEO TBWA Nigeria) and Graham Cruikshanks (Director for Africa Operations at TBWA Johannesburg).

Podcasts are one of the fastest-growing mediums globally and Gareth Cliff, of CliffCentral.com, believes it is no different for the continent. “Podcasts are beautifully crafted stories in audio and visual that come into an audiences’ lives when it suits them,” he says.

Podcasts allow for real engagement

Cliff hosted a panel discussion on podcasts at the recent TBWA Disruption conference held in Johannesburg.

Panellist Siya Metane (SlikourOnLife) says people are choosing new media options. “If you are a brand you want to be in the position where you are chosen.” He adds that in the digital world we are living in, it’s not just brands competing against brands for peoples’ attention. “Brands are finding themselves positioned against an individual with only 10 followers, but he believes he is a brand. It is not even brand to brand competition; it is opinion to opinion competition.”

#Newsmaker: Siya Metane - MD at SlikourOnLife

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Where podcasts differ to platforms such as Twitter is that they allow for real engagement, says fellow panellist, Thami Pooe (The Interchange). “Podcasts, unlike Twitter, which is an echo chamber, allows the audience to engage with a topic from all sides.”

Panellist Timothy Maurice (The Brain and Brand Show) agrees with them. “People assemble and collect content. This makes the content more valuable than when you sell it to them. When content is collected and shared a higher priority is placed on it. This is what podcasts do.”

Who is Timothy Maurice Webster?

Lia Marus  22 Aug 2013

The audience chooses you

However, while audiences understand the value of podcasts, the same can not always be said for brands. Maurice says:

Clients/brands tend to ask how many listeners a podcast attracts instead of asking what that audience is interested in, what is the potential of this audience and this opportunity. Instead of focusing on the numbers, he says brands should be thinking about creating ways to connect.

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Podcast is not target marketing - instead, the audience chooses you, says Cliff. “Hard sell is the worst thing you can do in this environment. Podcasts are about good old storytelling and that is what makes it so powerful.”