Behind the Crime Podcast Exploring Australia’s Most Involved Investigations
The Australian Federal Police has collaborated with Host/Havas and podcast Casefile to create “Crime Interrupted”, a crime podcast series of six parts that aims to reach a new generation of recruits in the country.
The podcast takes listeners behind the scenes of Australia’s most complicated investigations and acts as an alternative strategy to creating a standard police recruitment process, to resonate with younger generations and try to particularly attract women and people from diverse backgrounds. For Host/Havas, “entertainment beats interruption”, claims Jon Austin, executive creative director. In a collaborative effort between them and the AFP, this project came to fruition in its current shape, to convey the need for progressive new talents and new skillsets.
“The six hours of content will not only intrigue and entertain, but it will show potential recruits – people who may not have previously considered a career with the AFP – what they can expect”, said Marina Simoncini, manager culture & communications branch at the AFP.
LBB’s Zoe Antonov spoke to Jon Austin about the creation of this project, the conversations behind the idea and the complex process of telling these incredible stories. You can listen to the first episode of Crime Interrupted here.
LBB> Tell us more about the idea behind the podcasts and the initial conversations around it!
Jon> We were initially engaged by the AFP to conduct market research to help identify recruitment barriers for the AFP, particularly in attracting women and people from diverse backgrounds.
Simply put, many people just didn’t realise the vast array of skillsets required to combat serious crime. It was seen as a bit of a boot-the-doors down, overtly male job when in reality, the AFP uses intelligent action and a diverse range of perspectives to stay a step ahead.
So we had a very specific task and a very specific audience. The next conversation was how to reach them.
At Host/Havas, we’re firm believers that entertainment beats interruption. It’s not a difficult position to stand by when 91% of people think ads are more interruptive than ever, and 86% of people consider entertainment as vital as food and shelter (seriously).
The more we spoke to the AFP, the more we realised just how compelling and incredible their investigations and success stories really were; how brilliantly they conveyed the need for progressive new talents and skillsets. It was gripping entertainment in the truest sense. We wanted our recruitment campaign to feel every bit as progressive and exciting and unique as a career in the AFP so, rather than just push messaging out to an unreceptive audience, we talked about using these stories within the format of entertainment to create ways of pulling them in.
LBB> Why did you decide to go with a podcast as opposed to a more standard approach to police recruitment advertising?
Jon> The latest episode of Crime Interrupted just dropped, and it’s absolutely wild. Operation Streambank involves a South Australian farmer who struck up an online relationship with the woman of his dreams. Except, when he finally went to meet her, he discovered that ‘she’ was actually a West African kidnapping ring who held him for ransom until the AFP strategised and facilitated his escape.
That story had me (and tens of thousands of other listeners so far) riveted for over an hour. That still blows my mind – that, at a time when we can’t smash the skip button fast enough to avoid a 15-second pre-roll, people are actively listening for over an hour, week after week, to learn more about the AFP. And that’s sorta the point. A story like Operation Streambank can’t be told in a 30-second TVC. The details of the investigation and the crucial roles within it are the exact point of the campaign, and the very reason people were listening and sharing it with their friends.
It was always designed to be long-form entertainment. The specific call to make it a podcast rather than a doc or series was down to research.
Our data told us that a huge portion of our exact audience were listening to podcasts. And within that, true crime was the fastest growing genre. It fit together perfectly. When we heard the first draft that the CaseFile team had assembled, we knew we’d made the right call.
LBB> What was it like working with the Australian Federal Police? Tell us more about the process.
Jon> The AFP are as sharp and brilliant as you would expect of any organisation that topples crime syndicates before lunch. They have an ambition to be seen as the world’s most progressive, elite law enforcement agency, and they’re not afraid to embrace new and unique forms of creativity to help them convey that ambition with their audience. It was always great seeing that mindset extend out of the marketing department and all the way up the ranks to Commissioner Kershaw himself. It made the process a very collaborative and exciting one.
LBB> What about the research that went into the podcast? There are some incredibly hard-hitting stories included, was it hard to compile the research and shape the podcast around it?
Jon> Even though the AFP is a treasure chest of compelling stories and cases, it was actually quite a complex process to find the right ones to tell. Yes, we needed our stories to showcase a breadth of skills required to take down serious crime, but we also had to cross reference every story to work within legal parameters of finding cases that were cleared to discuss details publicly or had completed the legal process. And, of course, most importantly of all, we had to be mindful that our stories were being told in a way that respected the victims or families involved with the investigations. It was incredibly in-depth and intensive, but we couldn’t be happier with the six stories that make up the first season.
LBB> How were the stories brought to life? Tell us more about the construction of the podcast.
Jon> I remember listening to a podcast where Nils Leonard talked about the importance of having a ‘bus driver’ – someone who knew where you were trying to go and how to get there. From the get go, we knew we needed a bus driver for Crime Interrupted. In advertising, we love to think we can do it all. I love the boldness behind that mindset, but it’s also limiting rather than liberating. We’re creative generalists, not specialists. And for this, we needed a specialist: a podcaster in the true crime space. Someone who was well versed in constructing compelling narratives, and knew what audiences wanted to hear. Getting the CaseFile team onboard was transformational. They’re so incredibly knowledgeable and precise and clinical in their investigation. We didn’t want to mess with their process, so we shared notes on each investigation, organised chats with the relevant officers and people involved, and let them do their thing. We’d then collaborate along the way to ensure certain points were being landed to strengthen the campaign.
LBB> What has the response been so far?
Jon> The response has been absolutely brilliant. Whilst it’s still too early to gauge recruitment figures, engagement with the campaign has been amazing. Seeing a branded podcast rise through the charts to become Australia’s second most listened to podcast (just below the Joe Rogan Experience); reach number nine in the UK; and number 20 in the US, and knowing that people were actively seeking out your message for over an hour every week has been a real highlight, and a reminder of the power of entertainment at a time when people shy away from traditional advertising.
