FORUM 7: Dark Air

Over the last several weeks we have primarily looked at aesthetic aspects of podcast production. Yet, intrinsically linked with discussions of artistic direction are considerations about how the show will aggregate and maintain an audience and generate enough income to keep the show in production. This week we looked explicitly at Branding and Marketing, considering the visual identity, digital identity, and promotion of the show. One show that is currently pushing boundaries and innovating in the podcast advertising space is *Dark Air https://audioboom.com/channels/5046661. In the show, Rainn Wilson (best known for his portrayal of Dwight Schrute on *The Office) plays Terry Carnation, a washed up radio host obsessed with the supernatural and his deceased (we think?) wife. A unique aspect of the show is how fluidly it switches between story content and ad content. In is quite possible that this show may signify a new trend of native advertising and product placement in podcasts.

Listen to the first episode https://audioboom.com/posts/7833202-the-returnening (or more if you have time), and take notes on the ways the show is branded and marketed. Evaluate its visual identity and digital identity by looking at its logo, website, and social media. Most especially, analyze the way the show embeds ad content in the storyline. Including traditional ads and product placements how many total ads do you count in the first episode? Do you think this method of advertising will be more or less effective than traditional podcast ads and why? What are some of the production considerations that go into this advertising approach? What about ethical considerations?

To receive full credit you should make a meaningful comment on at least two (2) of your classmates' posts. A meaningful comment is defined as 2-3 sentences that demonstrate clearly you have 1) read their original post in its entirety, and 2) you are responding to their thoughts and ideas in a clear and respectful way.


LOGO

A podcast logo is often the very first impression that your show will make upon a potential listener. Podcast logos vary widely in design, but the technical requirements are standard. To create a podcast logo you should design an image:

Sized to 3000 x 3000 pixels
In the RGB Color Space
Compressed to a file size below 500kb

There are a few different explainer videos to choose from this week. If you do not have access to the full Adobe Creative Cloud, choose the Adobe Express option. If you do have access to the full Adobe Creative Cloud and plan to use a photograph as part of your logo, choose the Photoshop option. If your logo will be based solely on text and graphics, choose the Illustrator option.