Chart of the Week

There’s no shortage of discussion around the decline of sharing on social media. But it’s not that users are sharing less, they’re sharing differently. They’re now more likely to be sharing content on dark social channels - like private messaging apps, SMS or emails - than in open forums, and making recommendations to peers is a top factor driving the trend.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

With this in mind, the true reach of any digital campaign will likely be underreported. This is bad and good news for brands. Bad: many website visitors will be coming from untraceable sources. Good: you’re likely to have more brand advocates than you think. Understanding why consumers are choosing to share on dark social gives brands the opportunity to harness these private, but potentially profitable, conversations.

The use of podcasts has been consistently trending upwards over the last few years, reaching almost 4 in 10 monthly listeners in Q4 2018. As with any trend, the novelty and availability of this media will be central to its growth, but the flexible and binge-worthy nature of podcasts is what makes them highly valued to consumers.

For brands, they offer an advertising sweetspot. The environment is more intimate than other channels - offering the opportunity to build a more personal relationship with listeners - and the content demands more of consumers’ attention to absorb information, aiding recall of information down the line. Importantly, podcast listeners are also 30% more likely to say they tend to buy from brands they hear advertised.