Ireland’s biggest social media stars and best friends, Shanice Griffin, Brandon Caulfield, and Daniel Devlin return for Season Two of their hit series, “The Socially Awkward Podcast” after a very successful Season One.

Sponsored by RTÉ Player, the gang’s new season started on Thursday 17th of October on Spotify, Apple Podcasts with full videos each week uploaded on YouTube. With an exciting lineup of guests, the gang spill the behind-the-scenes tea on their lives, share hilarious and cringe anecdotes, while navigating the ups and downs of being successful yet awkward Irish influencers in their early 20s. 

Produced by Urban Media / Wireless Ireland, The Socially Awkward Podcast has been a hit on the Irish Podcast charts, hitting the top ten downloads on Spotify for their podcast launch earlier this year. Previous guests on the show have included Irish influencers like Nasti, Kasey Campion, The Galaxy Boys, Darragh Flood and Nia Gallagher. 

Season Two of The Socially Awkward Podcast is proudly sponsored by RTÉ Player, the home of live TV and the biggest shows from home and abroad. From hit Irish dramas to documentaries, entertainment, comedy and live sport, RTÉ Player is the go-to platform for hours of entertainment, anytime, anywhere. The Socially Awkward Podcast returned on Thursday 17th October with new episodes available every Thursday. In the meantime, all previous episodes of Season One are now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. 

Aoife Byrne, Head of RTÉ Player has said she is delighted to be a sponsor of the podcast. 

“We are thrilled to be on-board as sponsors of The Socially Awkward podcast. It is so important as a Public Service Streamer that RTÉ Player connects with young Irish audiences and sponsoring a show with such great talent as Shanice — who starred in one of our RTÉ Player Original series last year— Brandon and Daniel, is a great way of us spreading the word about what RTÉ has to offer audiences of all ages. 

We have so much great content to discover, from nearly 5k hours of on-demand catalogue featuring 100s of premium drama boxsets and doc series, to unmissable and exclusive live sport and entertainment. And, unlike global streamers, we create and curate content for Irish audiences.” 

Listen to the podcast trailer here: 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7KwQitNEBT31qotMv4Bkrp?si=5b0e8d8c408c4552 

Listen to all twelve of episodes of Series One of The Socially Awkward podcast here: 

https://open.spotify.com/show/4K0ICi9FgGTui3weOKKu1t?si=47596f35117f43ca 

https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-socially-awkward-pod/id1755175876 

What attracted you to the role of editor of TalkSPORT Ireland?

I have always been a huge fan of talkSPORT and the chance to be involved with the world’s largest sports radio station as they launch in Ireland, was an opportunity I couldn’t pass by

Why do you think sport plays such an important part in Irish lives?

Sports is an escape for many, whether it’s playing for your local team or watching your favourite team, nothing comes close to it. The fact that your weekend can be potentially ruined if your team loses the early Premier League kick off can be a thrill too.

What’s your favourite sporting moment?

Ronan O’Gara’s drop goal v Wales in 2009/ Liverpool’s comeback win over Barcelona in 2019.

What sort of content are you looking to create in the new role?

I want talkSPORT to become the new home for all sports content in Ireland. A mix of shows that can be listened to or watched, where you can get expert opinions and analysis in an entertaining manner.

With the success of the Irish Rugby Team and the recent Olympic successes is the future of Irish sport looking bright?

100%, I feel we will look back on Paris 2024 as the games that changed Team Ireland forever. Not only the men’s rugby team, but the women have just beaten the world champions, New Zealand, and with the Women’s World Cup next summer, it’s something to keep an eye on.

Who are your favourite sporting teams?

I’ve been a Liverpool fan since I was four after watching us beat AC Milan in the miracle of Istanbul. On the rugby front, it’s Leinster. Sadly for GAA, as a Wicklow man, there’s little to shout about.

Will GAA feature in TalkSPORT Ireland content?

GAA is going to play a huge role in talkSPORT Ireland content. With a host of some of our greatest ever GAA players recently retired, you can expect to hear the untold stories and secrets from them over the coming while.

Credit: SCS Software

Ever wonder if you spend too much time sitting behind a desk? A trucking company in the US asked players of the video game ‘American Truck Simulator’ the same thing when they started advertising for real Truck Driving careers inside the game.

Since video games first came on to the scene, companies have been curious about how to advertise to their customers through the expansive and ever-changing medium. Over the years there has been everything from straightforward product placement to full games made just for advertising a company/product. However, the ad we’re talking about today is a straight copy and paste of real-world advertising.

In 2023 the trucking industry was struggling to recruit new drivers, so one company turned to a popular but niche game, ‘American Truck Simulator’. The game simulates driving & parking a truck in excruciating detail, even penalising the player when they break any driving laws. The company, Schneider National, displayed their ads across virtual billboards on the virtual highway, calling on the virtual drivers to hit the real road.

This was an expertly crafted campaign that displays the amazing result of when user research and marketing creativity come together. Even gamers, a difficult group to please, reacted generally positively to the ad campaign, showing how well Schneider understood who they were marketing to.

Advertising is not just about the campaign itself; the medium can be just as important. When you truly understand your audience and you meet them on their terms, your ad can start to take a whole life of its own.

Sound Affects 2 – Audio Revival tells us that 41% of adults in Ireland and 67% of 18-34 year olds listen to a podcast on a weekly basis making the podcast generation an important part of the audio landscape.

We know podcasts are used to entertain and this rings through with 38% of listeners saying they’re most likely to listen to a comedy podcast. That increases for 56% in the 18-34 age group. We can also see from the popular genres such as true crime that people use them to inform them on more niche subjects.

In terms of listening moments 49% said they listen while working, with 47% saying they listened while walking and 46% during exercise so it’s definitely a complimentary listen. There’s also a connection built with 29% of listening adults saying that they consider their favourite podcast hosts as a friend.

21% of adults subscribe to a podcast which increases to 38% when we look at 18-34’s. We also see encouraging signs for a pay to listen model with 29% of the 18-34 listening demo saying they pay money to a podcaster’s patreon.

While the commercial model for podcasting is still being figured out it does feel like there’s a big opportunity for brands to get on board and create great audio content that suits their brand. In fact a recent study from WARC has suggested that podcasting is the most underinvested medium when it comes to balancing spend versus consumption.

While completing the research we tested a podcast piece in the true crime genre and reaction from that research has led to it going into full production. The Making Of A Detective tells the story of 5 of Ireland’s most notorious murder cases, told through the lens of the man who once solved them; Ex-Detective Inspector Pat Marry.

Premiering today, the series is a co-production with The Irish Sun. Hosted by urbanmedia’s Ian Doyle, episodes feature step-by-step accounts of how justice was ultimately served, with interviews from victims’ friends and family, Pat’s former colleagues in the force, and The Irish Sun’s Stephen Breen to help tell these stories one by one.

Pat’s story begins with the tragic 2004 death of Rachel Callaly by her husband Joe O’Reilly in their home in The Naul, North Co Dublin. The episode features in-depth interviews with Rachel’s brother Paul who reveals his traumatic account of the investigation and media circus that followed.

You can listen right now below, on Spotify, Apple or wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Source: Sound Affects 2 (2021)

If you’d like further information on how your brand can join the party please say hello@urbanmedia.ie.

Bringing your message to new urban audiences.

urbanmedia is now on Instagram, follow us @urbanmediairl.

It’s clear that audio builds close relationships with its listeners and that trust plays a key part in those relationships.

In the survey 60% of those interviewed said radio is a trusted source of COVID-19 information. During the presentation of the research the government COVID spend on radio was cited as a great example of the power of radio. During the period of March to August 2020 the government spent 49% of their marketing budget on radio campaigns to get the key messages out to the general public. This strategy led to Ireland being voted number one in the world when it came to effective covid communication during that period.

A key element of that trust appears to be the relationship with the presenter. A third of respondents said that they felt like radio presenters are their friends with nearly half of them saying that they would be sad if a radio presenter left a show they liked. 29% also felt like podcast presenters were their friends showing that trust also plays a big part in that genre. There’s genuine relationships built between listener and presenter with FM104 presenter Emma Nolan sharing her own story of how sad she was as a teenager when hearing about her favourite presenter leaving a show. This has helped her develop her own relationship with her own audience. 

Another interesting finding was that 68% of people say they have recommended a piece of audio they have heard to a family or friend. The most popular recommendation is a song but there were also recommendations for individual pieces of content, humorous pieces, news and current affairs pieces and podcasts. 

Commercial messages can benefit from being placed in a trusted environment with the messages from advertisers more likely to be accepted due to their surroundings. It’s another huge positive for audio with increased consumption and high levels of trust providing a myriad of marketing opportunities both digitally and on traditional FM frequencies.

Source: Sound Affects 2 (2021)

If you’d like further information on how your brand can join the party please say hello@urbanmedia.ie.

Bringing your message to new urban audiences.

urbanmedia is now on Instagram, follow us @urbanmediairl.