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Author: Jay Nachlis

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Four Scary Research Stories

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Last week, Meghan Campbell and I hosted the latest edition of our Coleman Insights “Ask Me Anything” webinar series and shared four scary research stories just in time for Halloween. I’ll recap them here, with some tips, tricks, and treats to ensure your outcome isn’t frightening.

Story #1: The Bad Ratings Story

When I was a program director, ratings day was my least favorite day of the month. If Arbitron (later Nielsen) was to drop the numbers at noon, my stomach would be tied up in knots at 11:45.

I consulted a station that was used to being in the top three of their target demographic. But this station was haunted by the ratings ghost, sinking the station well out of the top of their target and even last among the other stations in the market that shared their format.

We conducted a strategic Plan Developer perceptual study to determine how much of this nightmare was meter-based and how much was a real perception problem. In the end, it was a little of both. The station looked way better in the study than it did in the ratings, but we identified clear issues between how listeners perceived the station and how it was imaging itself and the music it was playing. We were able to offer some peace of mind that the radio station wasn’t completely broken. We offered strategic guidance to improve performance and the station returned to its perch at the top.

Story #2: The Focus Group of One Story

Without research to lean back on, it can be easy to rely on just one voice. This can be a super fan you run into at an event. It can be the boss’s spouse, who has lots of passionate opinions about the station. Or maybe it’s a loyal listener who regularly calls in to offer feedback.

Photo credit: Shutterstock/Drovnin

It’s simple to have the last thing you heard be most present in your mind. But this singular opinion may not reflect the opinions of your listener (and potential listener) base. In the absence of formal research, widen your net and don’t allow one person to influence important strategic decisions.

Story #3: The Short-Term Thinking Story

What’s the first thing you think of when you think of the recently departed and then brought back from the dead Bed, Bath & Beyond?

The 20% off coupon you’d get in the mail every month.

If the first thing you think about when you think of a brand is a coupon before what the brand actually stands for, that brand has a problem.

Bed Bath & Beyond coupon

Tactical contesting can be valuable for sure, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of brand building. Make sure you’re not putting so much focus on contesting that listeners think of your station more for the next promotion than for the music and personalities that they should be thinking about.

Story #4: The App Story

A company we work with spent a lot of time and money on developing an app. In their minds, they shouted it to the rooftops, promoted it on air, and came into the study feeling there should be a lot of awareness and usage of the app.

But when we conducted the study, very few of their listeners were aware of it. And because of that, very few used it. This was frustrating because their digital offerings are awesome. Without research, this company may have charged ahead with a different strategy assuming listeners were aware. But with the benefit of research, they were able to focus their marketing message and target moving radio listeners onto their digital platforms.

Ask Me Anything

Ask Me Anything – Episode 7: Scary Research Stories

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Welcome to our new Ask Me Anything webinar series!

Each month will feature a different topic, as we cover questions related to research, branding, and marketing strategy in audio entertainment – all in just 15 minutes!

In this episode, consultants Jay Nachlis and Meghan Campbell, along with moderator and Director of Client Services Kimberly Bryant, discussed Scary Research Stories. Watch the 15-minute video below:

Questions We Answered:

2:01 – Bad Ratings Story
5:09 – The Focus Group of One Story
7:38 – The Short-Term Thinking Story
11:11 – The App Story

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Three Thoughts on Strategic Research from a Taxi Ride

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During a ride in a New York City taxi recently, I noticed the credit card machine displayed “No Surge Pricing. Curb: The #1 Taxi App.”

Here are three things that came to mind.

#1:  I’d never heard of Curb.

So first things first, I looked up where Curb is available and it’s in seven cities: New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Miami, and Ft. Lauderdale. It’s new-ish, but not new, having launched in 2016.

I visit these cities for business and leisure, so this means one of two things. Either the brand a) didn’t make an impact on me or b) I haven’t taken a taxi in a really long time. Truth be told, it’s probably a little of both.

Curb taxi app

Photo credit: Shutterstock/Janet Julie Vanatko

#2: “No Surge Pricing” is an interesting choice for a positioning statement.

My Lyft trip from Newark to Manhattan was $66. The ride back would have been $95. A taxi was $122. Yes, Uber and Lyft have surge pricing, but in my experience, it’s nearly always less expensive than a cab.

When you search for terms like, “Common complaints from Uber riders” and “Common Lyft complaints”, you get a long list of items including:

  • Failure to pick up customers
  • Drivers being late
  • Incorrectly charged
  • Distracted driver
  • Messy car
  • Getting lost
  • No surge pricing

My 20-year-old kid won’t take an Uber or Lyft because they are fearful that the drivers aren’t screened properly, and they’re worried about their safety. I was surprised to see this one not pop up more often in my search.

But, this is an important lesson in the value of research. It’s certainly possible that Curb’s research indicated frustration over surge pricing in the cities they serve is a big problem. To their credit, that message is on the machine in the cab, on the app, and on the website. Pick a message and be consistent. But do research to make sure it’s the right message.

#3: Taxis need an industry marketing campaign.

Many have said the same thing about the radio and podcasting industries. If you want consumers to think about using your product, you better remind them why they should.

It’s been my perception for many years now that Uber and Lyft are faster, cheaper, and easier than a taxi. Period. And while I don’t live in a city with Curb, I do visit them and take Uber and Lyft often.

Changing my perception isn’t going to be easy, because the taxi industry allowed the rideshare industry to run roughshod over it with better tech and more drivers.

A deep research study to understand consumer perceptions of taxis, Uber, and Lyft would be valuable. But beyond that, I wonder if images have passed beyond subtle “no surge pricing” being effective enough.

I’m seeing a commercial with…oh let’s see…a messy car showing up late with a driver that keeps texting while driving and getting lost and ends with the customer getting a push notification from the credit card company that they’ve been overcharged.

That is, of course, if those negative images showed up as significant vulnerabilities in research.

Understanding your brand’s awareness levels and images (along with that of the competition) is at the core of what makes strategic perceptual research so effective.

Once you know the results, the execution of the strategic plan is where the real fun begins.

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Podcast Research on YouTube: But Wait! There’s More!

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Anytime we conduct a research study, our favorite notification email is the one that reads, “The sums for your project have been delivered and can now be found in your brief.”

Like a kid opening presents on Christmas, that email is an invitation from Santa to go to a folder on our server, open a spreadsheet, and dive into mounds and mounds of data.

Research isn’t for everyone, but if that gives you a thrill, the business may be for you.

When analyzing the data for the recent research study we conducted with Amplifi Media, “The New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube,” as we do with all studies, we’re looking for a story. What does the data tell us? What does it mean? And how can we turn it into action to produce strategic results?

In this study, the big story is that the definition of “podcast” and how people consume podcasts is shifting, big time. Consumers now define podcasts as audio or video, not just audio. They like YouTube for podcasts. I mean, really like YouTube. What we learned from those who use YouTube to consume podcasts uncovered actionable findings that can help podcasters formulate their video strategies.

But wait, there’s more!

That spreadsheet with multiple crosstabs, or “data tables” as we refer to it, lists every question asked in the study and the corresponding answer overall. But we’re also analyzing answers by things like age, gender, ethnicity, and geography. We want to see how questions are answered by users of specific podcast platforms or fans of specific categories. How different are the answers by how often they consume podcasts? This is an example of just some of the digging we do.

If we showed every piece of data, the presentation would go on for days. And different pieces of data may be more interesting to different people.

If you work in radio, we’ve got data that shows how listeners of local radio stations feel about podcasting and the role of video. We’ve got data on users of many streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Paramount +, and Max.

If you work in marketing or advertising, you may find it interesting how podcast consumers say they’re discovering new podcasts.

We’ve got “momentum” data – which platforms are moving up and down in usage vs. last year. We know which podcasts consumers say are their favorites and can look at that data across other measures.

If you’re interested in purchasing additional data from “The New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube,” click here and fill out the form. Multiple levels of access are available at different price points, and we’d love to discuss how the data may help you.

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The Undeniable Marketing Lessons from Taylor Swift’s Focus on Fans

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I was thinking about Taylor Swift over the weekend. Not so much about how I felt regarding her apparent budding romance with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce after she was spotted watching the Chiefs game in a suite with Kelce’s mother on Sunday, though I’ll admit to being curious about what song she’ll end up writing about him someday.

Rather, as Swifties around the globe processed this dating news, I reflected on the immense connection she has with her fan base.

Taylor Swift fans buying merchandise

Photo credit: ezellhphotography/Shutterstock

About 15 years ago when I was programming a radio station in Raleigh, a colleague who worked at our Country sister station WQDR told me an anecdote about a relatively new artist named Taylor Swift.

After her concert at the local amphitheater, Swift held a meet and greet that included listeners and radio station staff, which in and of itself is not an unusual occurrence. What’s unusual, as I was told, was what came next.

“After the meet and greet, Taylor went to the back of her tour bus and wrote handwritten notes to every single person that was at that meet and greet, making specific mentions of something only that person would know. It may have been something they wore or something they talked about.” The notes would be mailed out to each attendee soon after the show.

I couldn’t have projected back then that Taylor Swift would become the megastar she is today, but it was the moment I realized Taylor might be the greatest marketer of any musical artist ever.

In 2020, I wrote about the marketing prowess of her perfectly timed Folklore album. The reality is, Taylor Swift just keeps doing it again and again, from the easter eggs she puts in album announcements to showing up at a fan’s engagement party.

The Eras Tour, which will almost certainly finish as the largest-grossing concert tour of all time, is a master class in marketing. Most artists would just change up their setlists and not tell anyone about it. Taylor Swift announces she’ll perform two surprise acoustic songs each night. Naturally, a Swiftie built a “Surprise Song Tracker.” There was the morning on which a fan posted via social media that her brother died five years to the day and asked if Taylor could play “Daylight” as the surprise song. Done. I’m not crying, you’re crying.

How many artists (and their teams) would care enough to notice that post?

We can’t borrow Taylor’s talent, but we certainly can heed her marketing lessons. When you do something important, don’t expect the audience to figure it out for themselves. Tell them. Tell them why it’s important. Make it an event and make it special.

And always…always…put your fans first. Taylor Swift is undeniably a talented Pop star. But it is her obsession with fan satisfaction, from handwritten notes to social media requests to engagement party pop-ins, that sent her from great to stratospheric.

Press Releases

Coleman Insights Launches Ascend Brand Lift Study Service

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RALEIGH, NC, SEPTEMBER 13, 2023 – Media research firm Coleman Insights announces the debut of its AscendSM Brand Lift Study service, designed to track and prove the effectiveness of radio, podcasting, and streaming audio advertising campaigns. These studies, customized for each client, can measure components including Brand Awareness, Brand Favorability, Purchase Intent, Message Association, and Trust.

Radio, podcasting, and streaming clients will have two methodological options when conducting Ascend studies, depending on the goals of a given advertising campaign. An analog methodology is based on survey research conducted with consumers meeting specific criteria; a digital methodology employs pixel-based technology that matches ad exposure to each respondent. Furthermore, Ascend studies offer the option for clients to test spots for favorability and message retention so that advertisers can assess the performance of their creative.

According to Coleman Insights President Warren Kurtzman, the launch of Ascend follows more than a year of custom research for clients seeking to demonstrate the brand lift advertisers achieve through effective radio, podcasting, and streaming campaigns . “We are big believers in the effectiveness of audio advertising when it is executed correctly. With Ascend, we provide deep insights to our clients that will help improve the effectiveness of audio advertising campaigns.”

More information is available about Ascend Brand Lift Studies from Coleman Insights here.

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The New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube

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Here is the webinar version of the “New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube” presentation delivered by Coleman Insights Vice President/Consultant Jay Nachlis and Amplifi Media Founder/CEO Steve Goldstein.

In this webinar which details findings from an August 2023 research study, Jay and Steve cover the changing perceptions and behavior of podcast consumers, the increasing importance of video in the medium, and answer questions from attendees.

6:13-7:13 The definition of a podcast is changing
8:16-8:53 How people consume their favorite podcasts
9:32-10:35 Which services, apps, or destinations do you currently use for podcasts?
10:37-11:18 Which service, app, or destination do you use most often for podcasts?
11:19-11:42 Age Matters
15:15-15:50 Why do you choose YouTube for podcasts?
15:54-16:26 Are all your favorite podcasts on YouTube?
17:06-17:44 How do you search for podcasts on YouTube?
18:59-19:48 YouTube Shorts
21:19-22:07 YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts Face-Off
22:16-25:19 Key Findings
25:29-30:39 New Rules

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Cirque Du Soleil: When the Innovator Needs to (Re-)Innovate

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Cirque Du Soleil is in trouble.

One major impact on the challenges was out of its control. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down live shows, Cirque Du Soleil ceased operations around the world, from its traveling shows to the fixed performances in Las Vegas.

Another major impact on Cirque Du Soleil’s current struggles is maintaining relevance to younger generations. As is pointed out in this New York Times piece detailing the issue, “nostalgia” comes up often in conversations about reinventing Cirque. If you understand the history of Cirque Du Soleil, there’s something ironic and staggering about that.

Cirque Du Soleil’s “Luzia” show (Photo credit: Christian Bertrand/Shutterstock)

The innovator is trying to figure out how to innovate.

Cirque Du Soleil is a literal poster child of Blue Ocean Strategy, which focuses on building advantages over the competition by competing in uncontested space. The wide-open category (“Blue Ocean”) is often preferable to the shark-infested waters of brands competing for the same market share (“Red Ocean”).

Cirque mastered Blue Ocean Strategy by redefining what a circus was. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey were old, outdated, silly, sad animals, discounted. Cirque Du Soleil was new, fresh, unique, massively skilled acrobats instead of animals, premium.

It worked for a very long time.

The pandemic inspired Cirque to hire Cultique, a “cultural analysts” firm that’s in the business of helping businesses stay ahead of the curve. Cirque Du Soleil is now chasing (re)-relevance by brand extension. You can now buy the Cirque du Soleil Tycoon Roblox video game. It’s working on a documentary, a convention, and lots of new merch. By finding new sources of revenue in new markets, Cirque hopes it can reinvent itself and not rely almost exclusively on live show revenue.

The founders of Cultique say they don’t rely much on data, because they believe once they show up in surveys, it’s too late. And when you’re in the business of capitalizing on the hot trend of the moment, there’s certainly truth to that.

What data can tell you…and should tell you…is how relevant your brand is and what images it still owns. Far too often, brands fail to deploy strategic research to keep tabs on consumers’ perceptions and stay on the same path while they fall out of favor. Utilize research and data to stay on the pulse of your consumer so your brand is in a constant state of evolution and innovation, rather than being forced to dig out of a hole that one day may be too deep to ascend from.

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A Podcast is Audio or Video. The Customer Says So.

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Podcasters: Listen to your customers, even (especially?) when the customer may see things differently.

At the Podcast Movement conference in Denver last week, we may have ruffled a few feathers with the presentation of our findings from a new research study, “The New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube.”

One of the headlines from the study is “The Definition of a Podcast is Changing”, which indicates that 75% of 15- to 64-year-old podcast consumers in the United States believe a podcast should be defined as “audio or video”.

Another headline indicates that YouTube is the #1 podcasting app.

These findings are related in an important way, and there’s a clear reason why these findings caused a buzz in some podcasting circles.

Steve Goldstein from Amplifi Media, who collaborated with us on the study, talked about three eras of podcasting in the presentation and will cover this week in his blog. The “MeUndies Era”, when the medium was filled with baked-in ads, host-read endorsements, and the Apple podcast app went native on iPhones. The second era, the “Throwing Spaghetti Against The Wall Era”, was filled with expansion and experimentation. We are now entering the “What is a Podcast Era”, as we see the lines between audio and video blur and converge.

Dannie J. Gregoire is credited with coining the word “podcasting” back in 2004, and from the beginning, two factors were integral to the very existence of a podcast. First, a podcast was in an audio format. Second, and more specifically, a podcast was a piece of audio referenced by an enclosure tag in an RSS feed. RSS, or “Really Simple Syndication,” allows users to access updates to websites in a standardized format. An RSS feed is crucially important to podcasters because it allows them to upload episodes, artwork, and show notes in one place, and have them populate seamlessly onto whatever platform the consumer chooses to listen to them on, from Spotify to Apple Podcasts to Amazon Music. And that was generally how podcasting operated until a very large platform threw a monkey wrench into the medium: YouTube.

As a video-first platform, YouTube’s content includes shows that most would widely consider a podcast and others that wouldn’t necessarily “qualify” because the content on YouTube isn’t available as a podcast on other platforms. The RSS feed is a major point of contention for many podcasters because currently the platform doesn’t ingest feeds the way other platforms do. There are different analytics and different ways of monetizing, and one can understand how easily it can be seen as a headache.

How you view podcasting today is likely informed by your podcasting origin story. If you started listening to Ricky Gervais’s podcast on Apple Podcasts in 2007, it would be understandable if you define a podcast as audio-only. If you started “listening” to the very popular Smartless podcast with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett while “watching” an animated logo on the screen, you may feel quite a bit differently.

It’s also important to consider how the demographics of the podcasting audience has evolved. 39% of podcast consumers in our study have been using the medium for two years or less, a number that balloons to 58% among 15- to 24-year-olds. Quite simply, there are fewer purists that see podcasting as an audio-only medium and more that see it as comprising audio and video.

39% of podcast consumers have been using podcasts for two years or less

So, when we report that YouTube is the #1 podcasting destination, it’s not to say that the highest number of podcasts are being consumed on the platform. When 1,000 15- to 64-year-old podcast consumers were asked, “Which services, apps, or destinations do you currently use for podcasts?” 60% of them said YouTube, ahead of Spotify at 53%.

YouTube is the #1 podcasting app

You can dismiss how some consumers perceive what a podcast is, but that’s their perception.

You can dismiss YouTube as a podcasting platform because it doesn’t ingest RSS feeds, but consumers see it as a podcasting platform. That’s their perception.

You’ve almost certainly heard the term “Perception is Reality,” and this study, as many as any I’ve worked on, is truly a reflection of that.

We often talk about Outside Thinking, which is adopting the mindset of the consumer­. Inside Thinkers get caught up in the way they see things, which is often not in sync with their customers.

This research was designed for one thing in mind, and that was to show how podcast consumers view the medium, and how they view podcasting on YouTube. You may see the world differently than they do, but you can’t challenge how they feel.

As a wise therapist once told me, “Those are your feelings. And your feelings are valid.”

By understanding broad global perceptions of the medium, and not just relying on content analytics, it’s our hope that the podcasting industry will have a clearer path towards building strong brands to accompany much of the incredible content being generated.

The “New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube” webinar is coming up Thursday, September 7th at 2PM EDT/11AM PDT. Registration is open now.

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Should I Be Podcasting on YouTube?

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Imagine, for a moment, that you’ve got a product to promote. There are many places that offer the product you’re promoting, and the great thing is, it’s not like a grocery store that charges you for shelf space. You can put your product in any of these places you’d like, and it doesn’t cost you a thing. There are clear, consistent data that demonstrates which of these places that offer products like yours have the most customers.

If you offered this product, and you had the chance to put your product at the place that boasts the largest number of people interested in your product, would you put it there? Well, a podcast is the product, YouTube is the place, and thousands of podcasters are either publishing their shows there minimally or not at all.

How can this be?

We deployed a new research study, “The New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube,” conducted in conjunction with Amplifi Media, in which we surveyed 1,000 15- to 64-year-old podcast consumers in the United States. We learn that even though there is no shortage of podcast apps, 73% of podcast consumers prefer one of only three: YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. YouTube is the most used app for podcasts (used by 60% of podcast consumers, compared to 53% for Spotify and 30% for Apple).

So, why isn’t podcasting on YouTube a no-brainer?

Different podcasters have different explanations, many of which are perfectly valid. And frankly, not all podcasts should be on YouTube, due to factors that may include type and category. A common concern is the RSS feed problem. I can use a hosting platform like Blubrry or Libsyn to automatically send my podcast by RSS feed to most major podcast apps. I can see analytics via the hosting platform. It seamlessly grabs my cover art and show notes, and uploads my episode.

But not to YouTube.

Reports say YouTube is running an RSS pilot, but it only ingests the audio, doesn’t allow for analytics, and must not contain any ads. YouTube is a monster, but it operates very much in its own podcast ecosystem.

There are some podcasters that believe a podcast is “audio-only” and that if it has a video, it’s not a podcast. So, we asked that question in our study to the robust sample of consumers. “How would you define a podcast?” The answer is clear: 75% of podcast consumers think a podcast should be defined as audio or video.

And if you think YouTube users drive that number, consider that more than two-thirds of those who prefer Spotify and Apple Podcasts feel the same way.

We’ve heard from many podcasters that think YouTube consumers just don’t watch or listen to podcasts as often as on other platforms.

Well…we’ve got data that lays that theory to rest.

Do people think YouTube is hard to use? Why do they choose it instead of other platforms? What about YouTube Music, which YouTube is pushing users to for podcasts? And how big is YouTube Shorts?

We had a lot of questions about YouTube, now we have answers, and we’ll share them with you with one goal in mind. We’ll show you an unbiased view of YouTube’s role in podcasting from the consumer’s perspective, to help you better understand how (and if!) your podcast should be there and how to use it to your advantage.

I’ll present the findings from “The New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube” this Thursday, August 24th at 8:30AM MT along with Steve Goldstein from Amplifi Media at Podcast Movement in Denver. Watch the Tuesdays With Coleman blog next week, when I’ll reveal more findings and a link to an upcoming webinar.

Finally, our thanks go out to Locked On Podcast Network for sponsoring the study. The locally focused sports network has more than dipped its foot in the YouTube pool and was just as curious as us as to what the findings would show.

Much more to come!