WNYCCO-OPTS TV Trends and Branding with Launch of #smartbinge Campaign

  

WNYCCO-OPTS TV TRENDS AND BRANDING WITH

LAUNCH OF #SMARTBINGE CAMPAIGN

 

NewDigital, Mobile and Social Media Campaign Spotlights WNYC’s Fast-Growing Digital Listenership to Build a National Brand for Enjoyment of Smart, Bingeable Content On-the-Go

 

(New York, NY – June 17, 2014) –WNYC, New York’s premier public radio station and producer of many top-rated iTunes podcasts including Radiolab and Freakonomics Radio, today launches an ambitious digital, mobile and social media-driven campaign designed to further the growth of its fast-expanding digital listenership.  Under the hashtag-driven tagline, #smartbinge, the campaign shines a light on just how “bingeable” great audio content is proving to be in the smartphone era, and at a moment when time-shifted viewing habits and streaming services like Netflix have made “bingeing” the buzzword for television.

“Our #smartbinge campaign will add fuel to a fire that has already been lit among listeners nationwide, and further the enjoyment of our content via iTunes and our WNYC app,”states Noreen O’Loughlin, WNYC’s Vice President of Integrated Marketing. “Interestingly, they are not only enjoying current episodes, but taking deep dives into the archives of their favorite shows and discovering new favorites.”

“The tagline is, of course, a cheekyreference to and point of difference from the much-buzzed- about trend of TV bingeing,” confesses O’Loughlin. “But primarily, it’s a tagline with greatutility, one that puts consumers oneclick away from a great listening experience, one comprised of thought-provoking news and cultural content from the best minds in media, experiences that they can enjoy away from the couch, and while on-the-go with their smartphones.”

WNYC was among the first mainstream media organizations to embrace podcasting, and further technological developments that have inspired listening away from the dial. Since 2004, WNYC’s originals like Radiolab and Freakonomics Radio have consistently placed in the top 5 of the iTunes Podcast charts. With the May 2014 addition of Death, Sex & Money, WNYC has held three of the top 5 positions in the iTunes Podcast charts in recent weeks.

Since the October 2013 release of its iPhone app, overall reach of WNYC’s marquee content has exploded to places far from the station’s Big Apple homebase, with downloads for shows like Radiolab and Freakonomics Radioeach scoring averaging 3.5 - 5 million monthly.  Eighty percent of this listening is from the archives of past episodes, often enjoyed marathon-style, just like much-binged TV staples such as House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black.   WNYC’s digital listenership has been furthered with the March 2014 addition of the “Discover” feature to its app, a recommendation-based, on-demand service through which listeners can create playlists built upon their favorite interests (science, news, music, etc.) and the time they have (from 20 minute up to 3 hours)and culled  from the best shows from WNYC, NPR, APM and other public radio producers, as well as third-party podcast including Slate and Tribeca Film Festival Live.  Once a” Discover” playlist is created and downloaded, it is available for listening anytime, anywhere (a great boon to NYC’s 5.5 million daily subway commuters!)

The primary focus of WNYC’s new campaign is to activate potential new listeners, nationwide, by driving them to a rich, fully-interactive #smartbinge landing page at wnyc.org.  The page features sample showsand direct links to subscribe to podcasts and to downloadthe WNYC app and partner apps featuring WNYC content (iHeartRadio, TuneIn, etc). There will also be a live feed for the companion Twitter handle, #smartbinge, where listeners, much-followed WNYC personalities and their celebrity fans will share messages about their bingeing experiences. WNYC will also herald the launch with robust messaging on its owned platforms, including on-air mentions in programming, web banners on WNYC.org and social media messaging from its personalities.

The paid advertising for the campaign will focus on digital, mobile and social media buys, geo-targeted to major metro areas and behaviors of likely listeners. This includes Facebook advertising, social discovery, hyper-targeted mobile display advertising (on affinity websites and apps), and paid search.

“The whole spirit of the campaign is smart, playful and very social,” adds O’Loughlin. “It will be about the benefits of smartbingeing, how you can take us and the right smart content wherever you go, and for however long you’re there – on the subway, on road trips, on walks with the dog, to the beach, even to keep you company while you fold the laundry.”

In July 2014, WNYC will demonstrate its playfulness and add a dose of humor and viral power to the campaign with the release of some quirky “how-to smartbinge” videos from comedian Eugene Mirman, anenthusiastic WNYC fan nationally known for his standup and acting stints on shows like Bob’s Burgers and Flight of the Conchords.  Mirman will also record some :30 promo spots to air on WNYC.

WNYC’s #smartbinge campaign was created with support from Cataldi Public Relations (social media/tagline, public relations) and Eyeball (creative execution/media).

New York Public Radio is New York’s premier public radio franchise, comprising WNYC, WQXR, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, and New Jersey Public Radio, as well as www.wnyc.org, www.wqxr.org,www.thegreenespace.organdwww.njpublicradio.org.  As America's most listened-to AM/FM news and talk public radio stations, reaching over one million listeners every week, WNYC extends New York City's cultural riches to the entire country on-air and online, and presents the best national offerings from networks NPR, Public Radio International, American Public Media, and the British Broadcasting Company. WQXR is New York City's sole 24-hour classical music station, presenting new and landmark classical recordings as well as live concerts from the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and Carnegie Hall, among other New York City venues, immersing listeners in the city's rich musical life. In addition to its audio content, WNYC and WQXR produce content for live, radio and web audiences from The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, the station's street-level multipurpose, multiplatform broadcast studio and performance space. New Jersey Public Radio extends WNYC reach and service more deeply into New Jersey. For more information about New York Public Radio, visit www.nypublicradio.org.

New York Public Radio’s digital transformation is supported by the Jerome L. Greene Foundation.

 

Media Contacts:
Sal Cataldi/Jacky Agudelo, Cataldi PR, 212.244.9797 sal@cataldipr.comjacky@cataldipr.com

Mallika Dattatreya, mdattatreya@wnyc.org