Who are you and what is your background?
I’m Alexandre Vekhoff, 42, and I’m currently in charge of the global business development of Targetspot, in Europe and in Northern America. Initially, I’m graduate engineer and I hold a Master of Sciences (Lille University) and, I have more than 15 years in media experience. I worked in different positions for media groups like Lagardere Active as Chief Digital Officer of the international radio stations, or for RTL NET, the digital branch of the French leader radio stations (RTL, RTL2 and FUNRADIO), where I was operating the business development.
How long have you been working on podcasts?
An important part of my professional background is in the radio world, and generally podcasts are not really far from radio.
Today, I’m thrilled to see how this specific media, which appeared shyly in the beginning of the 00’s, is getting a bigger place in the audio industry with its own ecosystem. For the last few years, many startups have surfaced all over the world providing new tools in tech, in content distribution or in production. New hosting talent has also appeared with fresh shows, and sometimes with critical acclaim. Content creators have experimented with shorter, more frequent episodes, that appeal to wider audiences, such as reality shows, documentaries or fiction. Podcast listenership is one of the fastest historical growth of medias. All these evolutions are taking place and it’s very exciting to live them.
What are you most looking forward to at PODCAST DAY?
First, it will be interesting to see what are the current trends and the innovations of this booming market. Then, a recent survey confirmed that the podcast industry in the US has generated an estimated $479.1 million in revenue in 2018 and is expected to produce more than $1 billion by 2021 (Source : IAB US / PWC / June 2019). I think that it will be very interesting to see what will be the place in the future for ad-supported podcasts and the place for ad-free podcasts.
What is your top tip for reaching audiences with advertising in podcasts?
Very simple tip. Podcast is an intimate format which generate engaged and loyal audiences. The ROI will be at its height for an advertiser who has understood that affinity is key and provide the right message with the good format.
Which podcasts do you listen to?
Among those I synchronize and listen to : “Global News” podcast by the BBC, “Masters of Scale” , created by the Linkedin founder Reid Hoffman, with a great line up of guests, that I recommend. Then, I really appreciate the documentary series from Arte Radio.