Beyond the Billboard podcast hits the 6-month mark!

Livia Brown and Kirsty Carlson co-host episodes and include VIP guests and experts, where they delve deep into some of the most critical and relevant topics, challenge status quo’s and share knowledge and insights. Episodes also include senior guests who inspire listeners by sharing their stories and experiences of entering the media industry and their career journeys. They also discuss exciting OOH campaigns, both old and new.

There are 14 episodes published over the past six months on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Episode topics have ranged from OOH advertising trends to programmatic DOOH, navigating the OOH jungle and fragmentation, clients' point of view on OOH, township OOH and more. The full episode list can be found on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can also review this article which has summary write-ups and highlights from the episodes: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/beyond-billboard-podcast-episodes-recap-beyond-the-billboard-gknjf/?trackingId=Pl4q4UXwhF59pFOf%2FURfLg%3D%3D

In the six months since launch, Beyond the Billboard is proud to share that selected key episodes were picked up by The World Out of Home Association and shared in their global newsletter.

Podcast listenership in South Africa is growing according to Edison & Neilsen reports. South Africa consumption has grown 50% YOY. South Africa tracks trends in the United States and the United Kingdom, two of the biggest markets for online audio listening. 69% of those surveyed in the USA listen online, with 75% for the UK compared to SA’s 61%.

The Beyond the Billboard podcast listenership continues to grow steadily. Through the Beyond the Billboard Podcast LinkedIn we can see that we are reaching 53% media owners, 30% media agencies and remaining 17% of our followers are a combination of clients, creative agencies and marketing agencies. The podcast has majority South African listeners however has also gained some international listeners too, from countries such as Nigeria, United Kingdom, and Australia to name a few.

Launch sponsor Nalesa Media, a 100% Black female-owned OOH media company, who remains a sponsor to the Beyond the Billboard podcast into this next phase, shares their thoughts on partnering with Beyond the Billboard podcast: “Nalesa Media is honoured to have been a part of Beyond the Billboard. It has given us as a company great industry exposure and further to that it has provided a learning platform where we can all draw from each other’s inspirational stories. It is a great privilege to have this opportunity and Nalesa Media will continue with the commitment to see the podcast grow beyond.” Palesa Mabuse (managing director) and Patrick Ndlovu (sales and marketing manager) also feature as guests in an episode of the podcast called 'A media suppliers journey to ownership'.

An exciting announcement is the additional newly onboarded sponsor for phase two of the podcast, Epic Outdoor. Epic has shown incredible support of the podcast from the launch in March 2024, sharing their appreciation by providing media space for Beyond the Billboard on their digital screen network to drive increased reach and listenership. The commercial director, Darren McKinon, has also been an expert guest on an episode on the podcast called 'Perspective on both sides'.

Darren McKinon shares his thoughts on joining as a sponsor: “Beyond the Billboard has created an informative, dynamic, and fast-growing platform in a short time. It is led by two industry heavyweights Kirsty and Livia, and they are seen as a natural fit for us. The hosts are at the forefront of the OOH market and its evolution, a position Epic Outdoor strives to be. The platform is the perfect medium to break down barriers and tackle crucial industry topics that are heard by key industry stakeholders, many of which are our clients and fellow OOH media owners alike. Through this collaboration, we are dedicated to raising awareness of important topics that collectively can make the OOH industry truly Epic.”

Image courtesy of Epic Outdoor

Kirsty Carlson, co-founder and co-host: “It has been an exciting journey, and we have enjoyed every episode with every guest. Each guest brings their unique personalities, perspectives and knowledge to the episodes. We have steadily seen the growth in listenership over the past six months. The response from the industry has been welcoming and supportive, in addition we have received immense support from media owners, some of which who have provided Beyond the Billboard podcast free exposure on their digital networks which we have been so grateful for. We have enjoyed the feedback we have received and welcome and encourage the industry to engage with us via our LinkedIn page. We are excited to announce that for phase two, we will be introducing an open 'hotline' form for the podcast. This will allow listeners to submit their questions. Livia and I will then select the most applicable questions to answer ourselves or pose them to our guests. We believe that this will be an excellent addition to the podcast going forward."

Livia Brown, co-founder and co-host shares: “I could not be prouder of the work that we are doing with our podcast, this is what the OOH industry has needed in South Africa! A central place for real conversation about real OOH topics that are engaging and thought provoking, and that bring to light the truly wonderful world of OOH. It is through radical collaboration and a commitment to real conversations that we will see the growth we all aspire to in the OOH channel. Coming soon you can expect the introduction of an additional series of shorter format episodes that 'Go Beyond' and are discussion between Kirsty and myself on hot OOH topics that are centred around sharing our views and opinions on day-to-day OOH challenges and opportunities.”

For the next six months there is expected to be even more exciting episodes with expert guests from clients, media agencies and media owners, on topics such as digital media and OOH working together, iconic and large formats, OOH Innovation, creative best practice, OOH in Africa, sustainability and faux OOH to name but a few.

To all advertising and media industry professionals, you are invited to follow and subscribe to the Beyond the Billboard podcast on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This will help you stay up to date on all episode releases and content. For more information, please check out the LinkedIn page. Open Hotline Form can be found on the Linkedin page.

Newly launched Open Hotline: https://forms.office.com/r/7Mm8LMiQgd.

The esteemed guests for the previous six month period have been Celia Collins, VP Publicis Media Group, Merissa Himraj, CEO Wavemaker SSA, Simon Wall, Group CEO Tractor Media Holdings, Terri Johnson, FNB Media and Marketing lead, Erik Warburg, director of Outdoor Auditors, Palesa Mabuse and Patrick Ndolvo Nalesa Media, Remi Du Preez, MD Polygon, Darren McKinon, COO Epic Outdoor, Brian Muguto, MD PHD JHB, Kabelo Kale, The Township Specialist, Christo Van Der Bergh, head of OOH Mediology, Sally Stewart, head of GroupM OOH, Shazia Rajah, media lead Mondelez, and Wandisile Nkabinde, media manager KFC SA.

Beyond the Billboard podcast is proudly sponsored by Epic Outdoor and Nalesa Media.

About co-hosts and the podcast

Kirsty Carlson and Livia Brown are experts in the field of out of home (OOH) advertising, with over 12 years of experience. They have successfully led OOH departments in large media agency groups in South Africa, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the OOH landscape, its complexities, challenges, and benefits. They have also developed key relationships with partners in this ever-evolving space. To share their insights and knowledge, they have created a podcast where they invite industry experts to discuss insightful and topical OOH discussions. The objective of the podcast is to inform, educate, inspire, and guide the industry in South Africa and the rest of Africa on all things OOH.

Livia Brown, owner: What3things

Kirsty Carlson