At The Frontlines of Changing The Way We Communicate, Market, and Consume with Dan Granger

TMI with Kevin Ryan

Dan Granger is the CEO of Oxford Road, a Los Angeles-based ad agency that provides innovative and groundbreaking marketing campaigns for some of the best-known brands out there now including Hulu and DollarShaveClub. Dan joins the show to talk about creating real change in the way we communicate, how brands can navigate a divided marketplace, and how we can start to reward content creators and supporters for a more even and factual discourse. Dan also speaks about The Media Roundtable, and how people can get involved.

Takeaways:

[1:55] Dan discusses how LA traffic ended up being the inspiration for him to work in both FM and AM radio, and then eventually land in podcasting. In the podcasting sphere, he saw the potential to unlock a greater opportunity for different content and advertising possibilities than ever before.

[3:43] Dan talks about launching an ad agency that specialized in podcasts, and soon he was placing ads in heavy-hitting shows such as The Adam Carolla Show and The Joe Rogan Experience.

[5:19] Dan worked with companies that were early advertisers in the podcast space. He saw how they were able to be innovative and disruptive with their approach and dig even deeper into helping listeners get to know their brand story.

[7:30] As the world becomes more and more divided with our political beliefs and us-vs.-them mentality, it is tougher for marketers and brands to navigate how and where to reach their audience.

[14:28] Dan’s mission is to create opportunities for media and marketers to be rewarded for bringing people together, rather than only benefitting when we are engaged in canceling and arguing with one another. With how strong the Twitter lynch mob mentality is now along with media bias and corporate influence, we have a long way to go.

[19:27] Outrage industrial complex is a strategy that wants to keep us divided with the belief that you can make more money when people are outraged and pitted against each other.

[20:00] The purpose of the Media Roundtable is to put a higher premium on words that advance ideas and bring people together to solve those programs. They have members of the media, creators, and brands that are interested, sign a pledge to use their talent and platform to unite rather than divide.

[30:45] The Media Roundtable provides a place for thought leaders and marketers to broaden the discussion of how we can have a civil discourse and less a polarizing, monosyllabic, biased one.

[48:18] It may be a challenge, but we first could have to make it in Facebook and other corporations' interest to create a financial model where people are rewarded for balanced, fair, and nuanced conversations.

Quotes:

• “The very nature of the podcast listener is looking for different things. They are not afraid to be at the tip of the spear of a new way of doing something.”
• “News is better served when it’s even-handed.”
• “We gotta deal with each other, and we gotta keep dealing with each other.”
• “There is a market for the longer, nuanced conversation, we just have to do work and be patient that it will work out and pay off over time.”

Mentioned in This Episode:

Media Roundtable

The Divided States of Media

Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart

National Institute of Civil Discourse

Oxford Road

The Reverent Blue Line