Ad Infinitum

• Industrial Musicals by Twenty Thousand Hertz

  Ever heard a Broadway ballad about bathroom fixtures? Or a devilish ditty about selling tires?From the 1950s to the 1980s, America’s biggest brands—Ford, Xerox, American Standard—commissioned full-scale, professional musicals for their employees, not the public. These “industrial musicals” were staged at sales conventions, lavish one-night-only productions designed to inspire, educate, and entertain. And they worked.In this special crossover episode, written & produced by Amelia Tait and Casey Emmerling, we hand the mic to the team at Twenty Thousand Hertz to explore this fascinating corner of audio history, led by comedy writer and collector Steve Young. You’ll hear unforgettable songs about silicones, diesel engines, bathroom bliss, and more—plus the human stories behind the people who created this unlikely art form.It’s easy to laugh at singing salespeople, but it’s harder to dismiss how powerful these productions were. People remembered them. They were moved. They sold more because of them. The question isn’t, "Why they did it?" It's, "Why did we stopped?Maybe it’s time to bring a little of that musical magic back to modern audio ads.Real Talk About MarketingAn Acxiom podcast where we discuss marketing made better, bringing you real...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showAd Infinitum is Presented by Oxford Road and Produced by Caitlyn Spring & Ezra Fox, MFA, written & hosted by Stew Redwine, and sound designed by John Mattaliano, with audio production by Zach Hahn.

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• Antoniolytics™

  In Season 3 Episode 7 of Ad Infinitum, Stew Redwine is joined by Antonio Coronado—aka Agent 004, aka Antoniolytics™—and together, they delve a critical point in the history of Audiolytics™ - the proprietary ad grading and devopment framework developed and used by OXFORd - the early days of human grading, and what happens when AI takes the wheel.As the ad industry hits an inflection point—with AI tools being mandated at major platforms like Spotify—Antonio and Stew unpack what machines can do well, what they still miss, and where the soul of a great message resides. They discuss the importance of Audiolytics™ Key Components like Setup, Positioning, Substantiation, and that elusive “unifying principle” behind emotional resonance. And, of course, Antoniolytics™ goes head-to-head with Audiolytics™, evaluating top ads from T-Mobile, BetterHelp, Toyota, and Mint Mobile to pit man against machine and find out if their grades are wildly different and who is the harsher critic, the one with or without a beating heart?This episode is a time capsule, a tribute, and a turning point in the evolution of creative optimization, marking the end of the hand-graded era and the beginning of something new.Real Talk About MarketingAn Acxiom podcast where we discuss marketing made better, bringing you real...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify The Brandon T. Adams Audio ExperienceWelcome to The Brandon T. Adams Audio Experience, hosted by entrepreneur, investor,...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showAd Infinitum is Presented by Oxford Road and Produced by Caitlyn Spring & Ezra Fox, MFA, written & hosted by Stew Redwine, and sound designed by John Mattaliano, with audio production by Zach Hahn.

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• The Funny Thing About Audio Ads

  Why does comedy work in audio ads—and why don’t more brands take the leap?In Season 3 Episode 6 of Ad Infinitum, Stew Redwine is joined by improv legends Wayne Brady and Jonathan Mangum, co-hosts of Wayne Brady's What If?! with Jonathan Mangum, to explore the strategic (and often hilarious) role of humor in audio advertising. They unpack the data, riff on Stew's obsession with the comedic potential for life insurance ads, improvise jingles, and roast real radio spots from recent top spenders Progressive, Home Depot, Discover, and ZipRecruiter. Along the way, they reveal how brands can break out of the safety zone, find their comedic voice, and stand out in an AI-driven sea of sameness.Special thanks to Headgum for hosting Ad Infinitum at their studio for this episode!Real Talk About MarketingAn Acxiom podcast where we discuss marketing made better, bringing you real...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify The Brandon T. Adams Audio ExperienceWelcome to The Brandon T. Adams Audio Experience, hosted by entrepreneur, investor,...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showAd Infinitum is Presented by Oxford Road and Produced by Caitlyn Spring & Ezra Fox, MFA, written & hosted by Stew Redwine, and sound designed by John Mattaliano, with audio production by Zach Hahn.

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• The Sound of Falling

  In this brief bonus episode of Ad Infinitum, Stew Redwine shares a short audio story created for the Twenty Thousand Hertz “Sound Off” competition.“The Sound of Falling” features original 1980s tape recordings of Stew’s grandfather, Herold Redwine, recounting his harrowing experience of being shot down in WWII, parachuting from a burning B-17, surviving as a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft VI, and enduring the brutal 68-day “Black March.” With audio production by Zach Hahn and sound design by John Mattaliano, the piece blends archival family audio and cinematic sound to capture the silence, fear, and resilience of a man who lived through the unimaginable.Stew reflects on the power of preserving family stories and encourages listeners to do the same.Support the showAd Infinitum is Presented by Oxford Road and Produced by Caitlyn Spring & Ezra Fox, MFA, written & hosted by Stew Redwine, and sound designed by John Mattaliano, with audio production by Zach Hahn.

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• A.I. Slop

  In this episode of Ad Infinitum, host Stew Redwine is joined by commercial director Jordan Brady and Amplifi Media CEO and NYU professor Steven Goldstein to confront a fast-growing threat in the world of advertising: AI Slop.Used by Steven in a blog post earlier this year, “AI Slop” refers to the dull, generic content flooding our feeds—fueled by AI tools used without intention or craft. This episode pulls back the curtain on how these tools are transforming creative work—for better and worse.With the rise of “invisible minivans” (not Lamborghinis), Stew and his guests dig into how AI is flattening creativity, the steep cost of sounding like everyone else, and what marketers need to do to protect emotional resonance and brand authenticity in audio.You’ll hear:🤖 What “AI Slop” is—and how to spot it in the wild 💸 Why boring ads are the most expensive kind to make 🎙️ How the human touch is disappearing from podcast ads 🧠 When AI is helpful—and when it becomes a creative shortcut 📉 What happens when audio loses its nuance, and how to fight backStew, Jordan, and Steven put four of the top commercial radio ads through the Ad Infinitum wringer—grading each on persuasion, production, and sonic distinctiveness:Progressive: A 10-second “riddle” spot that lacked flair and fell flat—proof that brevity doesn’t guarantee brilliance.Verizon: A $50/month deal with an attempt at a clever hook (“cheaper than your dog’s glam squad”) and zero memorability.AT&T: A 60-second travel-themed ad that waited 46 seconds to mention the brand. Result? $155K in wasted media dollars.Cricket: The surprise winner. With early branding, relatable benefits, and lively sonic branding, it scored highest across the board—an example of simple, effective, human-sounding creative.The verdict? You don’t need AI to sound robotic—humans are making boringReal Talk About MarketingAn Acxiom podcast where we discuss marketing made better, bringing you real...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Everyday AI: Your daily guide to grown with Generative AICan't keep up with AI? We've got you. Everyday AI helps you keep up and get ahead.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showAd Infinitum is Presented by Oxford Road and Produced by Caitlyn Spring & Ezra Fox, MFA, written & hosted by Stew Redwine, and sound designed by John Mattaliano, with audio production by Zach Hahn.

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