Statecraftiness Podcast Production and Marketing

Statecraftiness Podcast is an international affairs themed podcast exploring what ‘influence’ means and how states leverage their tools of statecraft in the Pacific Islands. 

Professor Joanne Wallis of University of Adelaide came up with the original idea as part of a project entitled ‘Statecraftiness’ and gathered a team to bring a podcast to life and show that international diplomacy is anything but dull and dry. 

CulturalPulse was engaged to produce and implement marketing activities to raise awareness and increase listenership for the Statecraftiness podcast to the Australian and Pacific communities.

The podcast is supported by the Australian Government through a grant by the Australian Department of Defence to the University of Adelaide.

The Approach

• We produced the podcast such as quality control of the scripts and sourcing guests for the episodes.
• We distributed podcast content to reach and engage with the Australian and Pacific communities. This was done through the CulturalPulse network and media platform which amplified the content through social media targeting.

The Outcome

The campaign ran for one week following each episode’s release over the course of two years, targeting both Australian and Pacific communities.

• Over 1.9 million reach (minimum unique) in targeted community segments through CulturalPulse network distribution.
• Over 460,000 Facebook video views.
• Over 60,000 clicks to the University of Adelaide Omny Studio website of podcast publishing and information pages (minimum trackable).

Key Insights

• Organic sharing through word of mouth expanded viewership and awareness beyond target locations, being shared interstate (particularly Canberra) and internationally to diplomats, friends, and relatives.

Testimonials

“Statecraftiness made me feel like I was not going insane. The podcast helps bring out the interesting intersection between international development, diplomacy and defence, while highlighting the differences within the Australian context. What sets it apart is its ability to showcase the human element, making these complex topics relatable and engaging. The storytelling is both empathetic and humorous, which allows you to feel the human side of it all.”

– Andrew Harris, National Security Policy and Strategy Consultant

“I love the Statecraftiness podcast as it is one of the rare resources currently available that cuts through the rhetoric and public diplomacy ‘gloss’ of Australia’ engagement in the region, aiming to go beyond the jargon to try and understand what the impact of our policies and approaches actually is. I particularly like the way it ensures that voices from the region are involved and amplified – too often we assume that what makes sense in a bureaucratic document in Canberra has any meaningful resonance in Pacific Island countries.”

– Anna Gibert, Strategic Support, Vanuatu Skills Partnership, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)