Creators of ‘Serial’ on modern storytelling and why podcasts are an untapped opportunity for brands
The arrival of Serial last year was a landmark moment for podcasts. To date, over 90 million people have downloaded the 12 part series – more than double the audience of a Mad Men season premiere – and 99 per cent listened to every episode.
Yet few advertisers are harnessing the power of the medium. Speaking at the Cannes Lions festival co-creator Sarah Koenig - the daughter of famed Volkswagen copywriter Julian Koenig – said there is a huge audience ready for this new kind of storytelling.
Indeed, nearly a quarter of Serial’s listeners had never listened to a podcast before, while a further 90 per cent said it completely changed their perceptions and that they would seek out other podcasts.
“Audio is the most intimate medium – it’s a cliché to say but it’s true,” explained Koenig on why she believed it gripped people so deeply. “When you’re listening to an audio story you’re creating the images in your own head; it becomes personal, it’s really being told to you, and it creates empathy faster.”
Serial tells the story of Adnan Syed who was given a life sentence in 1999 for the murder of his former high school girlfriend Hae Min Lee despite what appeared to be incomplete timeline of events and contradicting witnesses.
Details of the case were painstakingly picked apart, with call logs – a cornerstone in the conviction – scrutinised and former students contacted all in a bid to resolve some of the lingering doubts over Syed’s guilt.
Concentrating this down to just 10 hours of audio meant Keonig and fellow producers Dana Civvas and Julie Snyder were forced to challenge the way podcasts had been traditionally made.
“When people listen to Serial, it lit up the part of their brain in the same way shows like Breaking Bad or Mad Men did,” Koenig said.
This response was in large part due to the investigative nature of Serial. Koenig was reporting on the story until the last episode as people connected with the case came forward to offer more information.
As such, the length of each episode was not set, being longer or shorter depending on how detailed they needed to be.
“It was a production nightmare but was really good for the story as it made it feel like it was this living thing that was constantly changing,” said Chivvas.
This fluctuation also contributed to a tone of uncertainty, and while many journalists would be inclined to remove any personal feelings of ambiguity from a story Koenig said incorporating her own doubts ultimately gave Serial authenticity.
“There was a tonne of uncertainty. It felt like the only way to deal with it was not to hide it in some clean narrative but to be honest and say “we don’t know”,” she explained.
However, classic techniques used to captivate TV audiences were also leaned on. For example, each episode started with a “previously on Serial” summary outlining what had gone before and ended with a teasing question of what was going to happen next.
“What all of us have taken away is that the notion we should not be running away from details and moment in stories that actually reflect life the way that it’s lived,” said Snyder.
“Let’s not mimic other stories, let’s not tell them the way we think they’re supposed to be told. Don’t reduce people chariactures, or run away from ambiguity or contradictions. Reflect the word the way it is in all of its surprising, bizarre and sometimes upsetting ways that is exist.
“Telling stories this way is artistry and moves it away from being interesting to being really meaningful.”
Koenig, Chivvas and Snyder are in the midst of a creating the second series of Serial, but remained tight-lipped on how it will play out.
Meanwhile,Syed – who remains in prison – was granted an appeal to submit arguments about why he should get a new trial. The court is set to hear from a witness, Asia McClain, who claims she was with him at the time of the murder.