What podcast libraries can inform us about shopper identification

Podcast libraries have advanced past a easy log of listening habits, changing into a telling indicator of non-public identification. More and more, essentially the most revealing supply of who somebody is will not be their social media feed or viewing historical past, however the podcasts they select to observe.The medium’s intimate and co-creative nature imply their listening decisions are hardly ever nearly passive leisure. They typically act as quiet, but revealing, declarations of affiliation. They level to the mental tribes an individual feels a reference to and the delicate cultural ‘vibe’ they’re drawn to. These insights are sometimes tough to articulate in a survey or grasp by way of demographic information alone – therefore what makes them so helpful. To seek out this important layer of perception, one should look past what audiences purchase and into what they eat culturally.

The rise of the aspirational podcast

Contemplate Intelligence Squared’s latest transfer to provide Accommodations with Historical past, a sequence the place Richard E. Grant and Jules Perowne discover iconic institutions. The sequence begins with Claridge’s and expands globally to showcase a number of the world’s most unique and sought-after motels. The technique right here is to not merely evaluation the motels. As an alternative, it goals to light up the world of those motels for many who may not be fortunate sufficient to expertise them first hand. The listener who subscribes to this podcast is not only within the historical past of hospitality; they’re expressing an affinity for all the sensibility these motels signify. They’re, in impact, immersing themselves in that world all through an episode.

This skill to forge group by way of a shared sensibility, fairly than a shared demographic, is what units podcasts aside. Subscribers of The Relaxation is Historical past are a primary instance; whereas listeners might span all ages and incomes, they’re united by a typical ethos of mental curiosity and a specific narrative-driven sense of humour. This shared vibe is highly effective sufficient to transcend the subject material itself. It reveals why initiatives just like the present’s ebook membership resonate – the hyperlink between Horatio Nelson and Camus’ L’Étranger will not be apparent but feels totally pure throughout the confines of the podcast’s group.That is the facility of the medium: it builds scenes by connecting folks by way of a shared wavelength, lengthy earlier than any tangible hyperlink between the content material itself is considered.

Equally, a subscriber to a high-end vogue or structure podcast is commonly searching for greater than data; they’re participating with the mythology and cultural codes of that world. Their subscription is a badge of belonging to a selected tribe of thought.

Strategic implications for viewers intelligence

For manufacturers and strategists, this shift presents a big alternative to maneuver past superficial concentrating on and construct deeper cultural resonance.

The first takeaway is the transfer in direction of affinity-based alignment. A partnership with a podcast needs to be much less about reaching a demographic and extra about associating a model with a well-defined ethos. A luxurious model, for instance, will discover extra worth in sponsoring the Accommodations sequence – the place it underwrites a vibe of heritage and craft – than in inserting an advert on a broadly in style present with a less-defined viewers identification.

A podcast library presents a longitudinal view of cultural priorities. In contrast to a single buy or a fleeting social media engagement, a subscription represents an ongoing dedication to a specific worldview. This offers a a lot richer, extra secure understanding of a shopper’s core values and aspirational self than many different information factors.

Because the media panorama continues to fragment, the alerts of shopper identification turn out to be extra nuanced. The podcasts a person chooses to pay attention to supply a robust and underutilised key to decoding their aspirations. For any entity searching for to know the ‘why’ behind shopper behaviour, the message is evident: don’t simply take into account who they’re on paper and start thinking about what they take heed to. Their podcast library is the profile they may by no means write.