With Fresh Marketing Push, NPR Is "All Ears"

This is NPR39s first offchannel multiplatform campaign that39s aimed at converting current podcast users to loyal NPR fans The quotMore Voicesquot portion of the tagline highlights NPR39s array of podcast hosts topics and guests quotAll Earsquot conveys how there is something for just about anyone explained Senior Director of Brand Marketing Kristin Hume one of the architects of the initiativequotWe want people to look at NPR and our shows and know that they can hear themselves in the contentquot she said quotOur podcasts are a reflection of you your community your neighborhood your world and your lived experiencesquotNPR is advertising on digital destinations where young consumers congregate including Facebook YouTube and Instagram as well as other podcast networks and search ads In Chicago Atlanta and Los Angelesamp160the campaign also includes outdoor advertising Billboards as well as signage on bus stops and subway platforms are in the mixGrand Army39s Big IdeaThe campaign was conceived and produced by Grand Army a New Yorkbased creative agency with a diverse client roster that includes Vans Eden Productions and the podcast production company Gimlet which is now part of SpotifyAfter meeting with several agencies Grand Army posed a question that stuck with Hume What was NPR39s element of surprise To grab consumers39 attention an established brand like NPR needed to offer something unexpected the Grand Army team opined They wanted to spotlight artists thinkers and dreamers Rather than marketing specific NPR shows or hosts they wanted interesting topics guests and voicesHume was hooked quotWe attached to that idea as the driving focus of the campaignquot she saidBringing Grand Army39s idea to life took some ingenuity Their staff culled through thousands of NPR podcast episodes to find colorful themes and then mashed them up into attractiongrabbing combinations For instance they curated voices from shows that included coveted plumbers shy pornographers aliens migrant singers and even famous PomeraniansTo generate the creative Grand Army looked to outside artists putting out calls on TikTok and social platforms for illustrators photographers graphic designers and videographers to submit ideas for the illustrations The resulting work is imaginative and diverse and entirely creatordriven Hume saidWould Consumers Like ItWhen it came time to test ideas with focus groups NPR marketing executives prepared two concepts The first was Grand Army39s quotMore Voices All Earsquot The second was a more traditional message centered on NPR as a trusted source for news and information much like The New York Times or The Washington Post39s marketing messagesHume said she expected the group to react positively to the more journalismfirst approach However younger consumers preferred the quotMore Voices All Earsquot concept saying it was curiositydriven and inclusiveThey were put off by the other approach quotIt felt a little condescending to themquot Hume noted That ran counter to the campaign39s goal quotto make podcasts available in a cool and unique wayquot she addedRedesigning the GatewayOnce they have listeners39 attention NPR wanted to make it easier for them to access and browse the content and generate a little buzz It recently redesigned the podcast landing page on its website NPRorg with a topicdriven approach Previously Hume said the website looked like quotlogo soupquot with all the podcasts39 graphics cluttering the pageNow the website is clean and wellorganized she explainedamp160The new branding is prominently displayed at the top of the landing page and shows are organized into six genres news and politics business society and culture entertainment science and techamp160and music Underneath graphics and links lead to new episodes from NPR39s podcastsquotYou can see the topics that we are covering through the story stream and you can click and listen to the latest episodes immediately of all of our showsquot she saidquotAs we39re building a following and getting people to understand and get excited about NPR podcasts we want to give them places to goquot Hume concluded quotThis is more than just a marketing campaign We39re really seeing this as amassing a communityquotClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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With Fresh Marketing Push, NPR Is "All Ears"

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