“Bring them to Life:” Behind the scenes of LiSTNR’s major marketing campaign
In December of 2021, SCA kicked off an expansive and multi-layered marketing campaign to promote the LiSTNR brand across out-of-home, television, radio, and digital.
To discuss the campaign Mediaweek’s Trent Thomas caught up with SCA’s chief marketing and communications officer Nikki Clarkson.
“LiSTNR is the cornerstone of the SCA business,” said Clarkson. “The campaign aims to bring the breadth and the depth of the content that consumers can find to life. It’s really about driving that awareness for LiSTNR, but also increasing the level of understanding around what LiSTNR is.”
Nikki Clarkson
Clarkson said that the goal of the campaign was to dramatize the idea of discovery on the platform, and to bring it to life in an engaging way.
“It heroes all the well known and well loved audio creators that we have on LiSTNR and brings them to life in their own unique scenarios, whilst all coming together under the one consumer facing brand that aims to represent what we call the house of LiSTNR. This is just the start of the campaign, we’ve developed it in a way that is flexible and modular so that we can build a campaign that has some longevity in market. But it does have that flexibility to be able to adapt and evolve over time, to be a truly engaging representation of all the amazing content that consumers can discover on the LiSTNR app.”
The campaign has a broad scope, as it covers every key marketing medium in the market, which Clarkson says helps represent the offering of LiSTNR.
“Because of the modular way in which the campaigns been developed, it enables us as a marketing team to create the halo effect around the brand, its awareness and what it stands for, but also engage in digital media in a way that’s highly targeted and highly measured on an ongoing basis. It’s about a campaign that aims to represent the offering on the platform. You’ve got 99 radio stations, over 100 original podcasts, 25 exclusive music stations, news information, sports content, as well as a whole range of content that we’re able to deliver to our consumers through our local and international partnerships.”
When asked if the marketing strategy has changed since LiSTNR was created last year, Clarkson said that it is an evolution of the initial launch campaign.
“It’s reflective of the marketing strategy that we put in place 12 months ago, where we were focusing on the growth of the user base of LiSTNR. As the campaign has evolved, we have done a whole range of testing and learning within that sphere in terms of what’s going to drive their digital behaviour, i.e. the app install. So that’s a combination of mass media, as well as digital media.
“We always knew that we would start with digital acquisition marketing and content lead marketing and build into a brand campaign once the product was a bit more established. So the broad outline of the strategy has been fulfilled. But in terms of the digital media that we’re employing, and the granularity of each of the channels and what’s performing in order to deliver the growth that we require, that’s been a range of testing and learning different strategies as a way of finding which channels driving cost-effective installs.”
Clarkson said that promoting the company’s radio stations alongside LiSTNR plays into the broader strategy of becoming an audio company.
“We know that the growth of our FMs is also extremely important to the success of our overall business. We are a big radio company, and we have LiSTNR, which is the brand that will transform our business from a radio company into an audio company. Our radio brands play an extremely important role in the success of LiSTNR. We know that the way people are consuming FM radio is changing, it’s changing into digital audio consumption. So, they are a complementary offer in market. And as a marketing team were tasked to grow both our FM and also grow the consumption of LiSTNR and all the digital audio that’s available.”
Clarkson also reflected that she is proud of the marketing team and the whole of SCA for adapting to the changing landscape of the company and their ability to roll out this campaign which was meant to begin in October but had complications due to Covid.
“It has been an all of business collaboration. We’ve worked very closely with SCA’s product and technology teams, as well as our content teams, to make sure that the marketing that you see is a reflection of everything that the consumer has available on that platform.”
Andy Lee on Hamish and Andy return date
One of the nations most listened to podcasts, Hamish and Andy will be returning in March. Catching up with Podcast Week though, Andy Lee admitted that he wished it was sooner, but their hands were tied.
“Obviously people that listen to the podcast will know that there’s a government mandated break between December and February for all podcasters and so we’d love to keep working but the government states that we have to have long holidays and we hate it, but we try and endure it.”
[Listen to the most recent season of Hamish and Andy here]
The Law Society of NSW and LiSTNR launch Lawfully Explained podcast
The Law Society of NSW and LiSTNR have launched a new podcast, Lawfully Explained, that helps break down some of the most common legal issues for the public.
The podcast series will feature a range of legal experts talking about everyday legal issues in a straightforward, easy to understand format. The first two episodes tackle two common topics; ‘How much does it costs to hire a lawyer?’ and ‘Can my landlord evict my fur baby?’.
The podcast also points listeners to a website, lawfullyexplained.com.au, and a tool where people can search for a lawyer in their area.
President of the Law Society of NSW, Joanne van der Plaat, said the podcast will help bridge the gap between the public and solicitors and importantly help them to understand what to expect when they talk to a lawyer.
“In so many situations – buying a house, getting a divorce, dealing with a tense situation with a neighbour – people need a lawyer but often they don’t know where to begin,” van der Plaat said.
“Rather than randomly Googling ‘where can I find a lawyer’, Lawfully Explained connects the public with the information they need to access the most appropriate legal assistance. Ultimately, we want to help people, particularly the more vulnerable members of our community, to look for legal advice in all the right places. This has become more crucial in the current pandemic environment.”
[Listen to Lawfully Explained here]
Audible commissions two seasons of Climate of Change With Cate Blanchett and Danny Kennedy
Audible has greenlit a new Audible Original podcast, Climate of Change with Cate Blanchett and Danny Kennedy to be released in April 2022.
Co-created and co-hosted by multi-award-winning actor, producer and environmental advocate, Cate Blanchett (Don’t Look Up, Nightmare Alley, Blue Jasmine); and climate entrepreneur and activist, Danny Kennedy (CEO of New Energy Nexus [NEX] and managing director of the California Clean Energy Fund). It features out-of-the-box thinkers, innovators, and high-profile guests, all of whom will be announced at a later date.
Danny Kennedy and Cate Blanchett
Two seasons have been commissioned in the deal between Audible and Blanchett’s Dirty Films (in association with StoryHunter), with the first series set to launch globally this April ahead of Earth Day. This collaboration marks the first time Cate Blanchett and Danny Kennedy will create and host a podcast together, as well as Audible’s first major original climate change podcast series.
Climate of Change sees the two long-term friends explore despair, optimism, and hope in the face of environmental change. This one-of-a-kind podcast, featuring an exclusive soundtrack by Grammy Award-winning electronic artist Imogen Heap, takes listeners to the front edge of initiatives to address the climate crisis. From women-led energy solutions in Uganda, to a Navajo solar farm in the Arizona desert, to ideas that could transform the global fashion industry; Cate and Danny offer surprising, uplifting stories of ingenuity and resilience, and a listening experience to empower the change we all want to see.
Julie Bishop joins the former head of MI6 on One Decision
Tough decisions rattle us all to the core, but for the guests on One Decision, the choices they are up against can also shape history. Taking listeners through all of their doubts, emotions, and—sometimes unexpected – consequences.
Hosted by the former head of Mi6, Sir Richard Dearlove, the most recent episode features ex-Foreign Minister of Australia Julie Bishop as a guest. The pair talk about Australia and the IndoPacific region.
The episode is out February 10th, and an excerpt of the conversation can be seen below:
“China continues to buy commodities that they clearly need and want like iron ore, and lithium, and the like. But in areas where they can source them elsewhere Australia is being singled out, not the only country but we’re certainly feeling singled out for punishment because of various transgressions, according to China, that Australia has been guilty of. In fact, the Chinese ambassador in Canberra published a list of 14 areas of dispute with Australia. In each instance China expected Australia to change our policy, which of course no self-respecting sovereign nation will do. So at a government-to government level, relations with China are tense. However, at a business-to-business level, in certain sectors of our economy that life has continued as it was previous to these challenges.”
Host/Havas creates podcast series Crime Interrupted for Australian Federal Police
The AFP has debuted the launch of a podcast series that takes listeners deep behind the scenes of some of the country’s most involved investigations. Host/Havas created the six-part Crime Interrupted series in partnership with the AFP and leading Australian podcast Casefile.
Crime Interrupted opens the vault on some of the AFP’s most complex investigations, including interviews with the officers responsible for cracking the cases and some insight into the techniques used to unravel the crimes.
Host/Havas developed the series as an alternative to creating stock standard police recruitment ads to engage the next generation of officers for the AFP, with a focus on women, people from diverse backgrounds, and First Nations people.
The podcast is supported by a 30-second trailer for the first episode, created in partnership with the Emmy Award-winning director of the True Detective main title sequence, Patrick Clair.
Host/Havas ECD Jon Austin said, “When it came to recruiting for the AFP, we didn’t need to hyperbolise or dramatise. The most compelling reasons were obvious with every case story we heard from their officers. They were smart, hard-hitting and, at times, confronting – and they all showed exactly why we need the AFP (and the next generation of recruits) to be a step ahead.”
“What a privilege to be able to work not just with the officers behind these stories, but with the likes of Casefile and Patrick to bring them to life so powerfully.”
[Listen to Crime Interrupted here]
Netflix launches new podcast, Lived It
From Netflix, funny pals Gen Fricker and Alexei Toliopoulos are back with a brand new pod: Lived It.
In the podcast, Gen and Alexei will be hearing real stories from everyday Aussies and Kiwis with real life stories on a cinematic scale. From scam artists and wacky neighbours, to downright horror stories, the new show will cover everything.
The very first episode launched on February 8th, with special guest Sugar Bones from Aussie indie electro band Confidence Man, who’s got a nosey neighbour story full of twists and turns.
Executive produced by Pariya Taherzadeh and produced by Abbey Lenton, the new weekly podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
[Listen to the trailer for Lived It here]
Slash to appear on Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast
As Slash Ft Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators get ready for the release of their fourth album titled 4 on Friday, February 11, Slash will join comedian, talk show host Conan O’Brien on his podcast Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend.
Slash and Conan O’Brien
On the podcast, he will discuss his music history, the new Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators studio album, and more. Tune-in worldwide to Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend on Monday, February 21.
[Listen to Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend here]
