Media & Marketing: The growing influence of podcasting within mainstream media has arguably been exaggerated to some degree up to now. Anecdotally it would appear that no podcast in the world can match the circulation of a major city newspaper or the listenership of a mainstream radio station.
But that is clearly not going to be the case forever. The technology, which allows consumers to download audio content to their iPod or mobile phone, is growing at an extraordinary rate. The beauty of the technology is that it allows consumers to listen to a show, concert or interview whenever and wherever they choose on their MP3 player or other device.
In Ireland, RTÉ and commercial radio stations have embraced it, even though their conventional listenerships probably remain much larger.
Conferences in particular are being revolutionised by podcasting. For example, Oracle recently allowed delegates at one of its conferences to download large parts of the event via podcast.
Advertisers have also stepped up their activities by buying space on podcasts put together by conventional broadcasters. For example, in theory someone could download their favourite podcast from RTÉ, Today FM or NewsTalk and at regular intervals hear advertisements for various brands.
Newspapers have also embraced the technology, with the Daily Telegraph offering a daily podcast of pieces by its various writers. The London-based financial paper City AM has taken it a step further by offering commuters a special podcast they can listen to on the way home which sums up the highlights of the day's business news.
Despite these innovations, one of the problems holding back podcasting up to now has been the lack of a reliable measurement system of the number of podcasters.
That may be about to change. The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) is developing a tool to measure the number of people downloading podcasts. ABC is most readily associated with newspaper circulation.
Reacting to this week's news that it was moving into the area of podcasting, Dublin agency Saor Communication said: "The move will be watched closely by this market, which has seen a huge increase of podcasting this year. ABC Electronic represent over 1,500 websites in the UK and their research on podcasting should result in a trading currency metric to allow advertisers to get more involved in a measured accountable manner with podcasts."
World Cup viewers
For a variety of reasons - not all of them noble - Irish sports fans traditionally watch England in the World Cup when Ireland does not qualify. Partly as a reflection of this, RTÉ this year charged a premium for clients to advertise before, during and after England group matches. No doubt this will give those clients value for money, but things do not look too auspicious so far, based on the audience figures for the England V Paraguay game.
Based on figures from AGB Nielsen, the England V Paraguay game reached an average audience of 260,000, whereas Portugal V Angola managed to get 332,000, and Argentina V Ivory Coast racked up 321,000.
While the timing of fixtures plays a part in figures, it is clear the Irish sports fan may not be as parochial as previously thought.
Adverts in urinals
Dublin agency AFA O'Meara is reporting this week on one clever way to dissuade young males from drinking and driving.
Nassau County, Florida, US is experimenting with putting public information devices in urinals. This is based on the view that the last place male drinkers visit before they leave a venue is the men's room.
As part of the campaign, devices are placed in urinals. When triggered, the urinal communicator delivers a message saying: "Hey you, yeah you, having a few drinks? Then listen up! Think you had one to many? Then it's time to call a cab or call a sober friend for a ride home. It sure is safer and a hell of a lot cheaper than driving while intoxicated. Make the smart choice tonight, don't drink and drive."
In Ireland, placing adverts and public information campaign literature in toilets is not unheard of, but this type of reminding has yet to be tried.
Concert screens
More than half a million people are expected to attend various concerts and outdoor events this summer. Most of those going - though not all - will be under 35 and advertisers simply cannot resist the chance to access this group.
Setanta Screens, which is to provide outdoor screens, is going to operate a live television channel at the concerts, sponsored by mobile company 3. The screens will operate at any concert promoted by MCD.
Only 20 advertising packages are available for the events. For €20,000, buyers are guaranteed 100 20-second slots during broadcasts. Setanta Screen is part of the Setanta Sports group.
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