Think with Google Podcast Series Explores Where Marketing Today Could Use a Rethink

​It’s no secret the world today looks a little different – we’re in our homes more than ever, watching different things in different ways, and looking for inspiration in uncertain times (not to mention baking more bread!). To help explore what some of these changes mean for marketers and how they can rethink what they do, media personality and The Project guest Rachel Corbett has embarked on a new seven part conversation series featuring some of Australia’s savviest makers, marketers and media creatives.

Created by Google in collaboration with agency partner The Hallway and Eardrum, the podcast investigates the biggest issues facing marketers today, from navigating new consumer buying behaviour and customer journeys, to reevaluating creative messaging and optimising media mix. Google experts also offer insights and models to further support marketers as they ‘rethink’ their strategy and tactics in 2020 and beyond.

The first podcast episode kicks off with YouTube’s APAC head of trends Ash Chang, who says people are looking for something different from content: “We would typically think of content consumption as a way to be entertained. But I think for a lot of people during isolation, we actually use content as a form of utility.” He pointed to the utility of ‘With Me’ videos – which offer practical tips and life skills for things like exercise, cooking and learning.

While the popularity of ‘With Me’ videos has grown through Covid-19, former Masterchef contestant and YouTube creator Marion Grasby said this had always been key for her audience: “For me, YouTube has always been about ‘With Me’. People watch YouTube for that company. Someone cooking a recipe of mine has me in their kitchen, on their phone or on their laptop – we’re literally cooking together.”

Emotive founder Simon Joyce also joins Rachel to explain how brands can create engaging content by landing narrative tension and connecting with people’s emotions: “Narrative tension will trump talent, it’ll trump cinematography, it’ll trump music. So a dramatic narrative tension can absolutely unlock a bit of view time.”

Fortnightly episodes will feature insights from a range of guests such as Marion Grasby, YouTube creator; Simon Joyce, founder of Emotive; Mike Daniels, founder of The Behavioural Architects, Paul Sinkinson, managing director, Analytic Partners, Andrea Darling, marketing director, Klarna and Laura Nice, managing director of OMD Sydney.

Says Rachel: “It’s been awesome working with Google and picking the brains of the savviest makers, marketers and media creatives in the business. These are people who are rethinking how they do things every day so it was great to get their insights into how brands can adapt and innovate in the current environment. When so much of what we know is changing there’s never been a better time to ‘rethink’ so it’s been really exciting to explore that through this podcast.”

Rethink is part of Think with Google, a source of insights, trends and inspiration in digital media and marketing. It also marks the first time Google has launched a podcast in Australia and New Zealand.

Says Mark Wheeler, head of YouTube and large customer ads marketing, Google Australia & New Zealand: “There’s no doubt we’ve all had to do a bit of ‘rethinking’, especially when it comes to how, why and where we show up as brands. So to be helpful, we’re bringing timely and relevant trends and insights to the market in a snackable format that we hope inspires innovative ideas and action.”

Says Simon Lee, executive creative director at The Hallway: “Bringing the iconic Google brand to life in the audiosphere for the first time has been an exciting challenge. The crux was not just defining the brand’s audio voice but also creating a format that successfully treads the fine line between entertainment, information and brand messaging. Through a great collaborative process with the Google and Eardrum teams, I’m confident that we’ve achieved this, and that our audience will get a lot of value from listening to Rethink.

The first three episodes will cover:

• Rachel talks to Ashley Chang, Simon Joyce and Marion Grasby about how changing behaviours and disrupted routines mean we need to rethink how we connect with our audiences.
• Rachel talks to Rachael Powell, Paul Sinkinson, Ian Czencz and Laura Nice about how changing media consumption habits tell us something different about the most effective way to reach and engage consumers.
• Rachel talks to Rhys Williams, Mike Daniels and Gemma Bevan about how brands can show up in the right place, at the right time and say the right thing for their consumers.

The first episode went live Rethink is now live and is available across Google Podcasts, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to your favourite shows.