Gareth Cliff on... — Gareth Cliff
Gareth Cliff is known for his well-articulated and strong opinions about politics and current affairs. Hear them in his own voice here.
18
JUL
Gareth's Blog: Changing Behaviour
I remember the school run fondly. My mom would load me, my brother, and sister into the car and take us on the 30-minute drive to school. The journey had a familiar routine - passing by the same places, chatting and laughing. Someone else was always in the car though - the radio. There was a DJ cracking corny jokes at the same time every morning, making a predictable prank call, playing the number one song on the charts for that day (in 1992, it was Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’, which meant that we all had to hear that song every day for months, so that it was tattooed on the inside of our skulls and infected our dreams), and someone reading the news headlines. Those morning drives were the context for my teenage years...
24
JUN
The Power of Podcasting with Gareth Cliff, Timothy Maurice & Ernest North
Online media was in its infancy in South Africa when we made the giant leap from terrestrial radio to start CliffCentral.com. Podcasting was almost unknown in South Africa and the naysayers predicted failure. Now, five years later, podcasting is the fastest growing medium in America (70% growth year-on-year for the last three years according to Edison Research) and gathering momentum in South Africa.
We’ve been collaborating with Brain and Brand expert Timothy Maurice and actuary Ernest North to assess the qualitative and quantitative effect of podcast audiences – what makes it different, how it adds value to people’s lives and how it is becoming a powerful way to connect brands to listeners.
We’ve been collaborating with Brain and Brand expert Timothy Maurice and actuary Ernest North to assess the qualitative and quantitative effect of podcast audiences – what makes it different, how it adds value to people’s lives and how it is becoming a powerful way to connect brands to listeners.
23
MAY
Gareth’s Blog: The Importance of Imagination
There aren’t a lot of ways we can still exercise our imaginations. So much of it is done for us now… great TV series like Game Of Thrones or movies like Lord Of The Rings do most of the imagining for us. People don’t read fiction like they used to (or they just don’t have the time to).
02
MAY
Gareth’s Blog: What’s next?
CliffCentral.com turned five on May 1st, a milestone for a small start-up that is now the leading podcaster in Africa. It’s amazing how quickly we incorporate new habits into our lives...
25
APR
Gareth's Blog: Podcasting by Numbers
How do you measure podcast audiences? The existing metrics don’t make sense. Soon we'll be sharing some powerful thoughts and insights on why podcasting is different, and it won’t just be me talking - it will involve both actuarial and behavioural science. Before we go down another new road, and just ahead of CliffCentral.com's fifth birthday, I thought it might be interesting to talk about podcasting by numbers.
10
APR
Gareth's Blog: Change my Mind
Should you vote? The truth is, I don’t know. That might sound surprising coming from someone who has always been a vocal supporter of democracy - so much so that for the last four elections I carried on like an unpaid employee of the Independent Electoral Commission, on radio, TV and in person...
28
MAR
Gareth's Blog: Milestones
They used to say that all roads led to Rome, but in the ancient world, you only knew how far you’d gone down the Appian Way out of Rome by checking the milestones - and venturing very far into hostile, uncivilised or unexplored territory was for madmen and exiles only...
14
FEB
Gareth's Blog: Know Thy Audience
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: Everyone is now in the media business. Every business is now by default a content creator and every business also has an audience - clients, customers, suppliers, international partners and their competitors. The content you serve them can be specific, targeted and relevant (and it should be, to make an impact) and doesn’t need to be mainstream.
07
FEB
Gareth's Blog: Helping you to Understand Cancer
Imagine leaving your doctor after receiving the dreaded news that you have cancer. The sinking feeling, the anxiety, the loneliness of that moment. If it hasn’t happened to you, then chances are that it has happened to someone you know and love. Some people don’t have to imagine. It’s gut-wrenching, terrifying, too much to bear. But you don’t have to go through this alone.
23
JAN
Gareth's Blog: Power to Podcasting!
Facebook just launched their first ever original podcast – Three and A Half Degrees – and if there was ever a moment podcasting became totally mainstream, this is it.
02
JAN
Gareth's Blog: 2019… and Counting!
"Best wishes for 2019. Shit’s about to get weird." That’s how a good friend of mine and someone who is ahead of the curve on most things finished off an email to me in the last few days of 2018. GET weird? We’re living through changes that are taking place in ways and at speeds that would make a medieval man or woman think they were among aliens...
13
SEP
2018
Gareth's Blog: Adult Education
Nobody has time. Everyone you speak to is so busy - they’re busy at work, being parents, building their brand, changing the world and taking pictures of their food. The pressure is relentless. Most of us acknowledge that we have to eat right, do some exercise and keep up with the news, but how much time do you have to improve your mind?
