Tag: Podcast series

Australia – To reach a new generation of recruits and continue to land their ‘A Step Ahead’ positioning, the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the national and principal federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government, has launched a new podcast series that takes listeners deep behind the scenes of some of the country’s most involved investigations.

The series, which was created in collaboration with creative agency Host/Havas and Australian podcast Casefile, opens the vault on some of the AFP’s most complex investigations, including interviews with the officers responsible for cracking the cases and some insight into the techniques used to unravel the crimes.

Titled ‘Crime Interrupted’, the podcast is supported by a 30-second trailer for the first episode, created in partnership with the Emmy Award-winning director of the True Detective main title sequence, Patrick Clair.

Host/Havas said that the series is a compelling alternative to creating stock standard police recruitment ads to engage the next generation of officers for the AFP, with a focus on women, people from diverse backgrounds, and First Nations people.

Marina Simoncini, Australian Federal Police’s manager of the culture and communications branch, believes that the podcast series created with Host/Havas takes an unexpected approach to recruitment. 

She further shared that the six hours of content will not only intrigue and entertain, but it will show potential recruits—people who may not have previously considered a career with the AFP—what they can expect.

“As we’ve shown through the podcast, we need people from all kinds of backgrounds with all kinds of skills to help keep us a step ahead,” said Simoncini.

Meanwhile, Jon Austin, Host/Havas’ executive creative director, shared that when it came to recruiting for the AFP, they didn’t need to hyperbolise or dramatise as the most compelling reasons come obviously with every case story heard from officers.

“What a privilege to be able to work not just with the officers behind these stories, but with the likes of Casefile and Patrick to bring them to life so powerfully,” said Austin.

The podcast series was launched last 4 February 2022, and is available on AFP’s YouTube.

Australia – Vodka brand Grey Goose Vodka in Australia has launched a one-of-a-kind podcast series that will be featuring 3D augmented reality audio and sonic seasoning – designed to make use of the fifth sense of hearing, which is the first time applied to a drink.

Titled ‘Grey Goose Garden Bar’, the podcast, developed in partnership with Southern Cross Austereo‘s (SCA) commercial creative services unit, The Studio, and the brand’s media and communications agency OMD Create, aims to immerse listeners in a virtual garden bar experience. It features three crafted Grey Goose Cocktails, namely Le Grand Fizz, Fresh Cut Spritz, and Watermelon Spritz, where each cocktail will be utilizing immersive 3D sound that washes over listeners to enhance and complement the taste of the drinks.

The new podcast series will be hosted by Australian journalist Brooke Boney, and will run each Friday in December. For each episode, Boney will be releasing a special sonic seasoned cocktail immersive short cast, where listeners will be walked through steps in making each cocktail and to introduce them to a piece of smooth, uniquely composed music that is designed to deepen the taste and experience of the cocktail.

Stephanie Sarantakos, Grey Goose’s marketing manager, believes that the world-first curated sound and the taste experience is yet another elevated way to engage consumers with their products. 

“Vodka is a booming category and Grey Goose is leading the way with innovation not only in flavor but also in consumer experience and enjoyment,” said Sarantakos.

Meanwhile, Luke Parsons, the head of The Studio, said, “This world-first audio innovation is a new way forward in creating customer experiences via bespoke, cutting-edge, immersive audio technology.”

Steph Pearson, OMD Create’s director of social and innovation, said this is an exciting time to be in the industry where enhanced audio technology is being more embraced by Australians. 

“We wanted to create a memorable experience that truly enhances the taste of a Grey Goose cocktail, through the science of sonic seasoning and binaural sound technology. We’re proud to be working alongside SCA and Grey Goose to bring this world-first to market,” said Pearson.

The podcast will run starting today, 10 December, on the digital audio app LiSTNR.

Singapore – E-commerce fashion brand Zalora has launched ‘Zalora Talks’, the first of its kind podcast series in Asia that centers around the latest trends in the fashion and lifestyle industry. 

Comprising two seasons annually, the platform said ‘Zalora Talks’ is part of the company’s plan to boost its content marketing strategy this year. 

The series will be hosted by Amy Yasmine, the former editor of Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia and will have six episodes making up each season with a 45-minute run time. The series aims to bring together industry experts, brand partners, and fashion and lifestyle key opinion leaders to discuss trending issues around lifestyle, health and wellness, and fashion and beauty, as well as current events like the new realities of celebrating Eid al-Fitr during the pandemic.

The series will feature celebrity guest appearances from personalities like Filipino celebrity stylist Laureen Uy, Singapore-based TV host and entrepreneur Yumika Hoskin, and Malaysia’s model and influencer Natalie Prabha, as well as Singapore’s national swimmer Kimberley Chan, and founder of Wanderlust & Co. Jenn Low from Malaysia.

Over the past year, the brand has been embracing new digital marketing formats, from introducing workout sessions via Instagram Live with gym partners as part of the #SaturdaySweat campaign to in-house editorial productions like digital magazine covers. 

The launch of the podcast series is the latest milestone in the company’s increased investment into native content development and comes off the back of the recent launch of Zalora’s industry webinar series, which is broadcasted quarterly on platforms such as LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook. Further, Zalora said that its newly launched podcast series is a way to introduce the podcasting format to the industry, which has itself seen a surge in search interest and activity since the onset of the pandemic last year.

CEO of Zalora Group Gunjan Soni said that as consumers continue to accelerate their migration to the online space, they have noticed the increasing demand for new forms of engagement. 

She further shared that with consumers fatigued with Zoom and video conferencing over the last year of pandemic, audio has become the refreshing new choice of medium, and that they are excited to tap on the guests’ diverse areas of expertise and foster community-driven conversations.

“Being a vertical specialist in fashion and lifestyle, Zalora has always invested in being a leader in content marketing in the e-commerce industry, and we will continue to add more innovative formats through the year while maintaining our high bar on quality,” said Gunjan.

A new episode of Zalora Talks is available on Spotify every week.

Manila, Philippines – Podcast Network Asia (PNA), a Philippine-based media and technology company, has recently concluded its seed funding round, valued at around US$750k.

The funding round has seen participation from Lisa Gokongwei, president of Summit Publications, multi-focus venture capital firm Foxmont Capital, and Jakarta-based VC firm Venturra Discovery, as well as Filipino live-streaming platform Kumu.

Commenting on her participation, Gokongwei said, “I think podcasting is still in the early stages of growth in the country, and that PNA has put a stake in the ground ahead with a scalable business model. The team knows the industry well and they are quite passionate.”

Funds collected from the investment round will be used to expand the company’s presence in the Southeast Asia region, particularly in Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Since its establishment in August 2019, PNA has helped podcast creators have access to production support and monetization opportunities. Over the course of the pandemic, PNA has since grown its roster to 93 shows. With four Spotify-exclusive shows, PNA is also home to the top podcasts in the Philippines, including ‘Boiling Waters’, ‘Eve’s Drop’, ‘Kool Pals’, and ‘Walwal Sesh’.

For Ron Baetiong, CEO and co-founder of Podcast Network Asia, podcasting is already entering its ‘golden age’, as statistics from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and consulting firm PwC, podcast advertising has grown exponentially along with the increase of podcast shows which is estimated to be at 1M. From 2015 to 2020, podcast ad revenue grew exponentially from US$69M to US$659M and is forecasted to reach a value of US$1B in 2021.

“We are very excited with what this investment allows us to do – with the Philippines as the sixth fastest-growing country in terms of listenership plus our own listenership, which already stands at 10M; we can scale up and continue the momentum we’ve built in the Philippine podcasting industry and replicate it across the region,” Baetiong said.

PNA will also leverage its data analytics and ad marketplace platform Podmetrics.co, which allows monetization opportunities to the global podcast market. With the new funding, PNA hopes to grow its client network, which currently has 415 podcasts signed to Podmetrics. 

As the client numbers of Podmetrics Marketplace, a feature within the Podmetrics.co platform, is slated to grow, users will now be able to take advantage of viewing total podcast analytics, applying to affiliate marketing campaigns, brand collaboration for episode sponsorships, and viewing campaign impressions, conversions, and other podcast metrics.

“Podcasting is still in its nascent stage in Southeast Asia. When we look at top-charting podcasts, [a] majority of them launched within the past year. The industry has strong momentum, as audio streaming platforms are doubling down on this segment. We believe we can empower creators to improve and commercialize their content through data analytics and production support,” said Raditya Pramanay, partner at Venturra Discovery

Hong Kong – Insurance group FWD is launching a podcast series titled ‘Changing the way people feel about insurance…with FWD’, in an aim to freshen peoples’ perspective towards insurance. 

The podcast will offer insights into FWD’s innovative approach and areas of expertise as well as the exciting trends in Asia’s dynamic insurance industry by means of expertise from FWD’s leadership team across Asia.

Its CEO, Huynh Thanh Phong is the first guest for the pilot episode of FWD’s podcast series. The episode centered around his personal philosophy that inspired his work, revealing what his customers have taught him, and describes how FWD is taking a new approach to a legacy industry.

Huynh-Thanh-Phong-FWD-CEO
Huynh Thanh Phong, FWD Group CEO

Hosted by broadcast journalist and writer Fiona Mattesini from podcast production group The Podcast People, FWD’s future podcast episodes will be focused on FWD’s customers, business partners, and employees and will cover topics ranging from FWD’s brand and culture, to its customer-led approach, to technologies and industry trends that are driving business initiatives.

“We’re delighted to announce our first-ever podcast series which is designed to bring powerful stories and helpful insights and information to our customers, partners, and employees located all across Asia. FWD is a digital-first insurer that prides itself on innovation, so launching a unique and educational podcast is a very logical step and aligns with our ambition to engage and inspire our customers in new and exciting ways,” said Azim Mithani, FWD chief of staff.

He added, “Today’s audiences are looking for original, on-demand content that sheds new light on old topics. This is exactly what our new podcast series is all about and we hope it will allow us to illuminate trends and leading-edge solutions in insurance to our audiences throughout Asia.”

Meanwhile, Bernadette Stevens, FWD Vice President for Brand and Marketing, said, “Our new podcast series will enable us to start a fresh conversation in what is a largely unoccupied space in the Asian insurance industry. Our aim is to stimulate interest in insurance and explain complicated subject matters in a creative and accessible way. At the same time, we are providing access to deeply candid conversations with FWD executives that illustrate exactly why we’re different and ahead of the curve, and ultimately changing the way people feel about insurance.”

FWD’s future podcast episodes will be released every two weeks, and are available on online platforms Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify.