Media on trial - Jon Snow's Podcast

by Jean-Paul Edwards, Media Week 31-Jan-06

Show: Jon Snow's Podcast

Broadcaster: Channel 4

So Channel 4 is jumping on the podcasting bandwagon, but is this not a
little late in the day? What does it hope to achieve that hasn't already
been done?

Podcasting was last year's New Oxford American Dictionary's word of the

year, also Apple sold more iPods in the 2005 Christmas season than it

did in the three years between launch and the end of 2004. It would seem
that this bandwagon's wheels are securely tightened.

The first podcast in the series, about cannabis and mental health, works
well as a consumer experience. C4 is a client of OMD, so I may be a
little biased, but it appeared on the iTunes top 50, so others must
agree. The production values are first rate, a welcome relief from the
vast majority of podcasts I force myself to listen to.

It would also seem to be distinct in style from Radio 4 and the other
commercial talk stations. The real innovation is, I believe, that this
podcast acts as a doorway into a far deeper world of content.

On the same page of the website there is a video interview with Charles
Clarke about the issues raised in the podcast, a more scientific video
piece and health-related information from other Channel 4
properties.

The idea of linking a diverse set of media properties around a podcast
is a new one, something the average bedroom podcaster cannot match. This
example shows that we may be able to create podcasts as a way into a
brand's content proposition.

Would we wish to advertise in the podcast? Cannabis is not a subject
most advertisers want to be associated with, but for the mental health
charities and Government drugs education campaigns it could potentially
target a highly motivated and engaged niche audience.

The podcasting concept may develop beyond the iconic technology to
become a method of delivering all sorts of content propositions,
although we will probably need to come up with another nifty buzz term
by then.

Review by Jean-Paul Edwards, Head of media futures, Manning Gottlieb
OMD.