As we wrap up November, in the middle of the holiday/shipping/shipping-chaos season, trying to think back on this entire truly insane year and make sense of it, while also plan for 2021… we’re all kinda busy right now.
Enter: Podcasts. As in, the ones we loved from the past month.
So sit back, or make dinner, or do the dishes, or go for a walk, and let these 12 hand ear-picked episodes work for you, fill in the gaps on so many things that are important, interesting, helpful, mind-expanding. Things that will make you a better marketer, even if they’re not necessarily about marketing.
1. Where Is Consumer Attention Going Right Now? (2:01 hours)
The GaryVee Audio Experience
VaynerX Presents: Marketing for the Now, a content series offering the moment perspectives and practical ideas to help guide marketers on how to modernize their marketing approach as we define this “new normal.” In this episode, the 12 speakers joined him for 10 minutes, rapid-fire 1:1 conversations answering the question – “Where is consumer attention going right now?”
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2. How to Succeed by Being Authentic (Hint: Carefully) (48 mins)
Freakonomics Radio
John Mackey, the C.E.O. of Whole Foods, has learned the perils of speaking his mind. But he still says what he thinks about everything from “conscious leadership” to the behavioral roots of the obesity epidemic. He also argues for a style of capitalism and politics that at this moment seems like a fantasy. What does he know that we don’t?
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3. Does Advertising Actually Work? (Part 1: TV) (38 mins)
Freakonomics Radio
Companies around the world spend more than half-a-trillion dollars each year on ads. The ad industry swears by its efficacy — but a massive new study tells a different story.
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4. Does Advertising Actually Work? (Part 2: Digital) ( 49 mins)
Freakonomics Radio
Google and Facebook are worth a combined $2 trillion, with the vast majority of their revenue coming from advertising. In our previous episode, we learned that TV advertising is much less effective than the industry says. Is digital any better? Some say yes, some say no — and some say we’re in a full-blown digital-ad bubble.
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5. While Airlines Shrink, Southwest Goes Big (14 mins)
The Journal.
While most airlines are parking planes and cutting costs, Southwest is starting flights to 10 new airports. WSJ’s Alison Sider explains why Southwest is expanding and how the company has used this strategy before.
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6. Airbnb’s IPO, Amazon breaks into the pharmacy business, and predictions on a CNN sale (74 mins)
Pivot
Kara and Scott talk about Airbnb’s S1 and public offering in a risky moment. Then they discuss Amazon’s announcement that it will now sell prescription drugs on its website and app, which may spell doom for some competitors. In listener mail, they answer the question about how young people should choose mentors. In predictions, Scott thinks CNN will be sold. Learn more about your ad choices.
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Kara and Scott talk about BuzzFeed acquiring the Huffington Post and other media consolidations as the industry shifts. They also discuss Snapchat’s new feature “Spotlight” that will function like TikTok and pay top creators. In Friend of Pivot, we hear from Joanna Coles about what and how people are shopping during the pandemic holiday season. For Kara and Scott, the Biden cabinet picks are the win of the week. Learn more about your ad choices.
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8. E-commerce is retail’s promised land (41 min)
Business Casual
For an economy that’s almost constantly buying things, we sure have a lot of struggling retailers. That’s due to a confluence of factors, not the least of which are a saturated field of competitors and a finicky consumer. Recently, though, retail has landed in something of a promised land with e-commerce. Our propensity to shop online has been the saving grace for IRL sellers put out by Covid-19 shutdowns. But can our inclination toward online shopping stick around? That’s what we’re asking this week on Business Casual in a deep dive into e-commerce: how the industry’s biggest players are innovating, why it matters for our economy as a whole, and what comes next in an uncertain holiday shopping season. Today’s guest: Etsy CEO Josh Silverman.
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9. SPECIAL EPISODE: How to Promote Your Content Using Tactics That Work Today with Brian Dean (19 mins)
Marketing School – Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips
Neil Patel with a special bonus episode – with special guest Brian Dean from Backlinko! This is a highlight from Brian’s talk at our Growth Accelerator Mastermind.
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10. How This Brand Increased Their Revenue From Abandoned Cart Emails By 6X
Ecommerce Marketing School with Ben Jabbawy
Cart abandonment skyrockets this time of year. So Lisa on our Customer Success team suggested tweaking one small thing in this brand’s abandoned cart email series. In just 30 days, it helped them save $29,000 in revenue. Over the 9 months prior, it was $41,000 total. Here’s what they did to drive such a big lift.
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11. Breaking Benford (30 mins)
Radiolab
In the days after the US Presidential election was called for Joe Biden, many supporters of Donald Trump are crying foul. Voter fraud. And a key piece of evidence? A century-old quirk of math called Benford’s Law. We at Radiolab know Benford’s Law well, and have covered it before. In this political dispatch, Latif and Soren Sherlock their way through the precinct numbers to see if these claims hold up. Spoiler: they don’t. But the reason why is more interesting than you’d expect. This episode was reported by Latif Nasser.
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12. Shipageddon DeepDive (48 mins)
Radiolab
In the days after the US Presidential election was called for Joe Biden, many supporters of Donald Trump are crying foul. Voter fraud. And a key piece of evidence? A century-old quirk of math called Benford’s Law. We at Radiolab know Benford’s Law well, and have covered it before. In this political dispatch, Latif and Soren Sherlock their way through the precinct numbers to see if these claims hold up. Spoiler: they don’t. But the reason why is more interesting than you’d expect. This episode was reported by Latif Nasser.
