Advertising industry veteran Dan Demaria has one of those alliterative names that you’d expect an advertising agency exec to have.
It’s a bit like Don Draper, the similarly-named and very charismatic lead character in the 1960s period TV drama, Mad Men, which was set in a Manhattan-based advertising agency. Known for his liberal application of brylcreem, snappy suits, scotch-drinking and womanising, the Don Draper character (played by actor Jon Hamm) is erratic and mysterious, but widely regarded throughout the advertising world as a genius.
Having spent 33 years working for some of Australia’s leading ad agencies in Sydney and Hong Kong, including Leo Burnett, DDB and Young and Rubicam, it’s likely that Dan Demaria has come across a few Don Drapers in his time. Maybe he was even a Draper himself. But the heady days of agency life are behind him now and he’s now forging his own path as a brand consultant and podcast host in hometown Adelaide.
Dan Demaria’s two fortnightly podcasts are growing in popularity in Adelaide and beyond. He hosts and produces ‘The Pub Test’ Podcast with former Adelaide Crows captain Mark Bickley, and ‘The Work’ Podcast with fellow ad industry stalwart and regular ABC Radio film reviewer, Sputnik.
‘Sputnik and I both worked in the ad industry and we’ve both been fired from more agencies that we can remember. He’s been blogging for years and I’ve always followed his work, even when I was in Sydney. He’s very spontaneous, doesn’t pull any punches and loves dropping the F‑bomb, which I love about him.’
They’re yin and yang and it’s a formula that appears to be working well.
‘We’d been wanting to do something together for a while, so we decided to do a podcast about ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ of the local advertising industry here in Adelaide. It’s entirely unscripted — just two blokes bantering about advertising. Whilst it’s a fairly niche topic, it’s got a great following and we get plenty of engagement from our peers in the industry — but Adelaide’s a small place, so we have to be careful sometimes!’
Whilst ‘The Work’ is specific to the advertising industry, ‘The Pub Test’ is pitched at a wider audience and covers more generalist themes.
‘The Pub Test is all about applying that standard Aussie test of social acceptability — the ‘pub test’ — to issues that are in the news. I’ve known Bicks for a long time and our kids go to school together. He’s a polished broadcaster and he brings a conversational ‘voice of reason’ to our podcast. And it’s not just about football — last week we discussed the outcome of the Federal Election. We don’t claim to be experts on any of the stuff we discuss, but we’ve both got opinions.’
Dan is taking his podcasting seriously and has rigged up a podcast studio in his fourth bedroom at home (after convincing his wife of its merits). During COVID-19, the recording routine for ‘The Pub Test’ was to set up an open-air ‘studio’ on Bicks’ back deck (see photo above).
‘It’s not that expensive to kit yourself out — my set up is under $800. I’ve got a couple of RODE table-top microphones, a Rodecaster that allows me to adjust the sound levels, and a good laptop running Audacity software. Audacity is great — it’s free to use and has the full range of editing features I need to prepare the final podcast track.’
‘Once I’ve done all the editing and packaged it up as an audio file, I use Buzzsprout to host the podcast and distribute it to all the major subscription services — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts.’
Dan explained that his podcasting production work isn’t a major imposition on his weekly work routine.
‘The great thing about podcasting is that you can knock an episode over in a couple of hours. Record for an hour, edit for 2 hours, and you’ve got a 45-minute package of audio content that’s ready for distribution.’
Although podcasts had a tentative start as a mainstream medium (they’ve been around since the early 2000s), there has been an explosion of new podcast content in recent years and growing popularity in society.
‘I think the power of podcasting is in its intimacy and immersive nature — it’s a ‘lean back’ medium. People listen to podcasts whilst commuting in the car, or through their headphones on public transport, or running on a treadmill. It’s a very personal experience, particularly if the content is unscripted, conversational and authentic. Unlike the randomness of radio, the consumer has made a conscious choice to tune in to the content, and they’re typically highly engaged.’
Therein lies the secret to good podcasting and a lesson for businesses intending to dip their toe into this new world of audio content creation.
‘Podcasts are not a direct selling medium. You don’t create a podcast to sell stuff to people — people won’t tune in if you’re just going to flog your wares. It’s about demonstrating your capabilities, building trust, establishing a relationship, capturing mindshare. By doing so, you’ll be front of mind when they’re in-market for your product or service. They’ll seek you out if they like what you do.’
Dan’s podcast audiences have grown organically without advertising and he puts that down to the authenticity of the content.
‘We must be doing something right because Carlton and United Breweries have come on as a sponsor for ‘The Pub Test’ — so we never go thirsty while we’re recording.’
Why not judge for yourself? You can tune in to ‘The Pub Test’ here and ‘The Work’ here, or search using your favourite podcast app.
If you’re interested in publishing your own podcast, but don’t want to set up your own studio, then Dan’s business Brand Nexus can help. The business also provides a variety of other brand and marketing services that draw upon his vast agency experience. You can read more about Brand Nexus at https://www.brandnexus.com.au/
Dan Demaria will be presenting a the South Australian Business Chamber Digital Series workshop, ‘Podcasting for Business’, on Tuesday 16 August. Further details will be released soon.
