Audio Killed The Radio Planner
Okay, I do realize that the headline is similar to MediaPost’s this morning, but what else can this post be titled? 
MediaVest has made a very interesting announcement. Terrestrial broadcast radio will no longer be referred to as radio; rather it will be referred to as audio.
I realize that, to some, this seems to be a mere semantic difference, not worthy of a press release. In my opinion, if MediaVest lives up to this statement with its actions (i.e. The way it plans communications), this move is certainly worthy of a press release, as this announcement acknowledges the significant change that has been occurring in the media space for some time.
Content Convergence/Media Divergence
Many people in the media industry today are paying blind lip service to the idea of media convergence. While there is a convergence occurring, it is not the type of convergence that many people are talking about.
I created the slides below while flying home from the Microsoft Strategic Accounts Summit in Seattle. I was reading Henry Jenkins, “Convergence Culture” and got inspired (how cool is it when inspiration manifests in the form of PowerPoint ). Jenkins talks a great deal about transmedia storytelling and how it is central to the idea of content convergence.
Jenkins talks about his idea of the Black Box Fallacy and how we will never have one box that feeds us all of our media, rather we will have various boxes of different sizes and purposes feeding us similar content. We may have a black box for the living room, one for the car and another for the hiptop, but the fact of the matter is, it will never be one black box to serve all media needs.
The Audio Planner
In light of Jenkins notion of content convergence, the idea of an audio planner makes a bit more sense. As referenced in the slides below, radio is merely a delivery technology, while audio is the medium that contains the content (the message).
I am not advocating that agencies should have discreet audio planners (and I am not sure how MediaVest’s announcement will effect the way they plan media) but the fact that they are acknowledging the fact that radio is not the medium, and it is simply a delivery technology, seems to be a step in the right direction.
If MediaVest were to create the role of audio planner, things may get confusing as radio planners would have to familiarize themselves with everything from radio, to podcasting to mobile. Perhaps it would not be so bad.
The Storyteller Versus The Delivery Strategist
Perhaps we need to call “creatives” Storytellers and media planners, Delivery Strategists. Again this is a semantic difference, but the language may help advertising/media professionals understand their roles better. Then again, I think we need to do a better job of getting these disciplines closer together. After all, not every story can be told through every delivery technology.
What do you think, should communications be planned by delivery technology as opposed to media channel?
Tags: media, electric media, digital media, convergence, media convergence, transmedia storytelling, Henry Jenkins, Convergence Culture, communications, mediapost, mediavest, radio, audio, delivery technology, medium, black box phallacy, microsoft
Aug 13, 2007
Great post, I think Morpheus Media should place a test Radio Ad for ourselves, of Just Wee Two to begin mastering the medium.
Aug 13, 2007
Great title to this post! Caught my eye immediately, as this topic is discussed regularly around our offices. As audio content providers, we’ve seen the traditional radio spot become less creative (and some might argue, effective) and more of an afterthought in traditional multimedia advertising campaigns as the message trends toward getting lost in the medium. I agree, radio is the delivery technology, audio is the medium, and many opportunities do exist for delivering engaging and effective audio communications beyond the artificial restraints of segmented programming.
Aug 14, 2007
Angel
My question for you is, do you think that audio can be planned across all delivery technologies?
Do you think a radio planner is properly equipped with the necessary tools to plan podcasting or internet radio?
The element if interactivity is something they may not have dealt with…
Aug 14, 2007
New technologies involving interactivity are so different from push media that I think audio planners would need an understanding of how they can best be utilized before planning. For example, we’re developing a preview podcast for a regional theater company to promote a specific play, which will be promoted in radio with a URL along with the play itself to drive to the site to download the podcast and learn more about the play. Planning across these delivery channels means understanding timing and messaging for each, wouldn’t you say?
Aug 14, 2007
Angel
I 100% agree!
With podcasting there are potential metrics for success (downloads, plays etc.) that you cannot get from radio. Whether or not these metrics are more meaningful remains to be seen, but one must understand exactly what they mean to best leverage them.
Furthermore, a good podcast strategy will have a web component that coincides with it. Things such as show notes and the ability to comment are essential to provide the type of interactivity that podcasts allow for.
At a high level, I am wondering if it makes any sense for agencies to start to align their planning and buying teams across delivery technologies. My feeling is no, as I am a true believer in the 360 degree strategy. Furthermore, one day all media will be interactive and everyone will need to be prepared!
Aug 30, 2007
[...] The idea of content convergence is often mistaken. I often make reference to Henry Jenkins’ notion of The Black Box Fallacy which refers to how people tend to think, one day all of our media will be contained in one unit. This will most likely not be the case (can you imagine carrying around a cable box all day ). [...]
Jan 04, 2008
[...] This type of fragmentation begs the questions, do we need people dedicated to video planning (see my post Audio Killed The Radio Planner) to ensure the content is appropriate for the delivery technology. [...]
Apr 08, 2008
[...] Last night I had dinner with Jeremy Beyda, Real Estate Mogul (and soon to be interactive marketing superstar) and the product SugarSync came up. We began talking about the future of cloud computing and the convergence of information and the divergence of hardware. [...]