2021 has been the biggest year ever for podcast production, listening and advertising. 68% of Gen Z and millennial Spotify users said that they discovered more content that they like than ever before and the number of distinct podcast users aged 15-44 on Spotify grew by +34% YoY. (Spotify 2021 Wrapped for Advertisers.) It’s been a great year for Ranieri and Co. as they continued their exclusive partnership with Wondery and kicked off representations of outstanding Australian-made podcasts The Byron Cooke Show, The Mind Muscle Project, The Fitness and Lifestyle Podcast and Single Minded. Find out the team’s audio highlights of the year and predictions for the industry in 2022.
Sammy
Favourite podcast of the year:
Unravel: Juanita and Dr Death Season 3: Miracle Man
A podcast that sums up your year:
This is Actually Happening
Your most listened to podcast genre in 2021:
True Crime - I needed an escape from all the COVID content!
Your favourite podcast ad of 2021:
Tourism New Zealand’s 360 audio ad is in my opinion a cinematic masterpiece. The aim was to take Australian audiences simply imagining their dream trip to New Zealand, and move them into planning, booking, and making it a reality. This one in particular was produced by Creative Fix, you can listen to it here (stick your headphones in for full effect!). I hope other brands start to really explore these types of creative executions in 2022 because they are such a standout when it comes to brand recall.
Hot tip for a podcast about to make it big in 2022:
One of the main reasons Ranieri & Co. came into existence was to produce premium original content and we’re SO excited that this dream will be coming into fruition for us in 2022. In January we will be releasing Motherlode which is an historical investigative podcast about early computer hacking in Australia and it’s evolution during the past three decades. It details the cyber-crime activities of young hackers, including Julian Assange in the 1980’s and 1990’s in Melbourne who pushed the boundaries of computer security systems around the world.
In February, we will be releasing The Long Haul which goes beyond the bright lights and cheering crowds, into the culture of elite sport in Australia. From childhood sports; to sports betting; and the big decisions that have changed our sporting bodies. The Long Haul will tell stories you’ve always wanted to hear and the ones you didn’t know existed.
We’ve worked with incredibly talented and passionate teams to get these produced this year and we can’t wait for everyone to hear them!
Your favourite ad campaign of 2021:
Plico: Renewed. Plico is passionate about reducing their carbon footprint - so much so, they saved on the power costs associated with recording a voiceover by repurposing old ads and renewing them, piecing them together to create a new ad! This type of execution ties in so nicely to the brand's purpose.
What podcast trends do you think will be big in 2022?
So many! Here’s a few;
Spotify will continue to increase market share over Apple. I’m really looking forward to Spotify updating the UE of their platform for Podcasts specifically and with their acquisition of Podz this year, they may finally be able to solve the problem of podcast discovery and tailoring search to individual preferences.
360 and immersive soundscape in podcast ads - if you listened to the Tourism NZ example above, you’ll understand why!
Audio Social will continue to rise in popularity. Facebook, Reddit, Twitter and Spotify have all entered the domain on the back of Clubhouse’s success and it poses a very interesting marketing opportunity for brands.
Zach
Your favourite podcast of the year:
Business Movers for an ongoing series and The Grand Scheme - Snatching Sinatra for limited series.
A podcast that sums up your year:
The Imperfects
Your most listened to podcast genre in 2021:
Personal Growth / Business & Finance
Your favourite podcast ad of 2021:
Any Smartless host read - they are exceptional at keeping the ads conversational and making it feel a part of the content.
Your favourite ad campaign of 2021:
Ryan Reynolds ads - Mint Mobile & Aviation Gin. They’re super creative and have a reputation for taking the piss out of stereotypical ad campaigns.
What podcast trends do you think will be big in 2022?
Shorter format podcasts.
Immersive Storytelling podcasts will continue to be a big trend in 2022. With the content crunch Netflix, Stan and others will face over the coming years, they'll need new ideas that have a proven concept that builds an engaged audience. The format of these podcasts lends itself nicely and easily adapts to the small screen in particular as episodic content is the nature of what podcasts are built on.
Rob
Your favourite podcast of the year:
The Devil Within.
A podcast that sums up your year:
Why Won't You Date Me?
Your most listened to podcast genre in 2021:
Personal Growth (Good Life Project).
Your favourite podcast ad of 2021:
Dave and Kitty for Canva (The Junkees). I love Kitty exclaiming “Hang on a second, Dave… it sounds like we’re doing an ad!” It’s the conversational, funny and relaxed approach to advertising that I just adore.
What podcast trends do you think will be big in 2022?
Here in Australia we expect to see consumption times shift back towards the commute hours. These timeframes were when most listeners consumed content pre-COVID, but we then saw a shift towards midday as folks would take a break while working from home.
Nick
Your favourite podcast of the year:
That's a tough one...The Apology Line was sublime. The story arcs, the twists and turns, narration and final production was like nothing I'd heard before. But, the first season of Against All Odds had me so emotionally hooked.
A podcast that sums up your year:
The Imperfects - that got me through lockdown 5 & 6.
Your most listened to podcast genre in 2021:
Self awareness and inspiration.
Your favourite podcast ad of 2021:
Easy! The Canva ads delivered by Dave O'Neill and Kitty Flanagan in The Junkies - BRILLIANT!
What podcast trends do you think will be big in 2022?
Motherlode and The Long Haul which launch in Q1 will both be big. Both feature amazing up and coming talent and both have expert story tellers at the helm as EP's.
Canva! Cannot get enough of this brand and their story.
Podcasting consumption will continue to go through the roof. There's a lot of BS floating around about consolidation, but by the very nature of how easily anyone can make a podcast I think we will continue to see the democratisation of storytelling. What I do think we will see in 2022 is the rise of short form content.