Halfway to History: Oxford Road's 11-Year Journey

Oxford Road’s 11th anniversary has just passed and we can’t help but feel nostalgic this week. 

On that note, this week’s Media Roundtable special edition takes a look back at our past 5 years, with all the changes that have taken place in our world and the industry at large since 2019. In this episode, we feature 3 of Oxford Road’s ‘middle children’—folks who joined us at the halfway point of our existence, who also have a BIG hand in developing our agency into who we are today. Giles Martin (EVP of Strategy and Insights), Ricardo Martinez Simental (VP of Client Services), and Melissa Altamirano (Operations Manager) hopped into the recording booth with Dan Granger (Oxford Road CEO and Founder) to reminisce on all things Oxford Road over the last half-decade, while setting their sights on the future of audio. 

“How is the world changing? How is our world changing? And what can we learn from the past that will help us prepare for the future?” 

Here are just a few highlights from our special MRT 11th Anniversary Edition:

Increased Ad Load ⚖️ - 5 years ago, the number of podcast ads were nowhere near terrestrial radio ad levels. But now, in some cases, we’re seeing almost double the ad load on podcasts. This is great in theory for brands and creators but can be risky when it comes to listener’s preferences. Keeping in mind the cautionary tale of FM radio, it matters how listeners feel about ad quality and frequency in their audio choices.

Treading Water in Unpredictability 🛟 - How could we look back at the past 5 years without talking about how we dealt with and bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic? What we remember from this experience was at first, a massive influx of canceled orders. Then came a pattern of creators adjusting to new production procedures (hello closet podcast recorders! 👋). And finally, a few brands who were able to find stability among the chaos, like online grocery, restaurant, and pharmacy delivery services. So, what did we learn? Unpredictability is a given. Oh yeah, and with proper messaging, we know how to roll with the punches. 

Growth Always, Even if it Hurts 📈 - That’s our mantra. It’s our guiding principle at Oxford Road and has delivered us through the uncertainty of the always transforming industry over the past 5 years—not to mention the 11 years we’ve been on the block. We bring this mentality into everything we do. We grow as an agency, we help the market grow, and we trust that our relationships and partnerships grow exponentially as a result. As we look to the next 5 years at Oxford Road, one thing is clear, we’re excited to keep on growing.

To understand more about the present through history’s lens, research the full episode via the link below. ⬇️ 

Bianca Gorodinsky