Evolution is one thing you can always count on in marketing. It’s about giving old ideas a new coat of paint.
Take radio, for example. It’s a storytelling medium that goes back decades. And yet, it’s alive and well in a new form.
That’s right, folks: We’re talking about podcasts.
Podcasts are a perfect example of an old format finding new life with a fresh medium. They have different rules and audiences, but they have the same basic premise.
And at the same time, they created a media category all their own.
So, what do podcasts teach us about marketing evolution? Let’s find out:
Change isn’t linear.
There are different kinds of podcasts, which means radio didn’t just put on a new outfit and call it a day. Instead, it evolved in multiple directions depending on the type of storytelling it needed to present.
My takeaway here is that you don’t have to passively follow evolution. You can take an active role in shaping it so you end up with something that suits your needs while still building on a familiar foundation.
Some trends have staying power.
I hesitate to call podcasts a “trend” because they’re clearly here to stay. And that in itself is a learning opportunity.
A decade ago, podcasts were just getting started. Now they’re everywhere, talking about everything.
But that doesn’t mean you need to break out the old crystal ball and determine which trends have similar staying power. Instead, find creative ways to leverage whatever’s “hot” at the moment — and if it sticks around, great. If it doesn’t, let it be just another step in your storytelling evolution.
The idea may be the same, but the rules aren’t.
Podcasts may be a new form of radio, but that doesn’t mean you can assume the audience, subject matter and tone should all be the same. Evolution changes more than the format, folks.
Think about it. Radio is still around, which means it serves a different purpose from podcasts. This, in turn, means you have to consider podcast culture in its own right.
Learn.
Podcasts aren’t the only example of marketing change. For example, discoverability in a digital world is a familiar idea, but the new iteration is AI search.
So don’t get too focused on one evolution at a time. Teach yourself to recognise this kind of change everywhere. That way, you get comfortable adapting.