If a little bit of advertiser involvement in podcasts is good, a lot is better, right?
No!
Let’s look at two business podcasts and how they treat their advertisers (or “sponsors”, if you want to pretend it’s not advertising).
On For Immediate Release, Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson talked openly about adding commentaries prepared and voiced by their sponsors. This was a blessed relief from the canned ads they first tried, and also a step up from hearing a product endorsement from the hosts every episode.
Now their podcasts include a short bit of bumph from Ragan Communications, and an advertorial (oops, I meant to say “commentary”)from Custom Scoop. There’s generally useful information, some good advice. Best of all, the spots are brief enough to not spoil the listening experience.
Contrast that with Joseph Jaffe’s podcast sponsorship by the U.S. Postal Service’s Deliver Magazine.
After explaining to listeners how great the partnership was going to be, Jaffe started running infomercials on his Jaffe Juice podcast (formerly known as Across the Sound). These 4-5 minute corporate think pieces are written and voiced by the client. Think Troy McClure and you’ve got the idea.
That’s bad enough, but then Jaffe devotes more podcast time to rehashing the paid commentary, expending what remains of his editorial credibility on a discussion about the advertorials.
Conversational marketing is one thing. Five minutes of “thought leadership” by a paying shill is not any kind of conversation I want to be part of.
Mercifully, the sponsorship is soon ending, so we can return to Jaffe explaining at length that he is breaking new ground by selling an interview on his podcast in exchange for some electronic gear.
But it’s okay, because he’s transparent about it, so no ethical boundaries are being violated, right?
Ack. Edward R. Murrow is not only rolling over in his grave, he’s jamming large spikes into his ears so he doesn’t have to listen any more.
During its relatively short history, journalism has established (and often broken) fairly clear rules about keeping the editorial function separate from the advertising function. That line is blurring in a lot of mainstream publications and shows, but at least there’s some attempt to distinguish between information chosen based on its news value, and messages designed to get you to buy a product.
Podcasting, in its infancy, doesn’t have a lot of rules about what should and shouldn’t be done. Some podcasters are choosing to keep ads separate from editorial. Others, not.
My patience for commercials tarted up as commentary tends to only last as long as the podcasters use humor or sincerity.
What doesn’t work for me is having someone explain to me in great detail that pseudo editorial content is much better because it’s conversational.
Those kinds of conversations usually end with me saying, “Sorry, we don’t respond to any telephone solicitations,” before hanging up my phone.
Sandwich board photo by Mike Coghlan, used under a Creative Commons licence. Photo of Joseph Jaffe by Paull Young, used under a Creative Commons licence.
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