For awhile now, I’ve been kicking around the idea of doing a podcast for Imagination. Problem is, I’m a total podcast novice–never recorded one before and don’t subscribe to any. I did some research to see what I was getting myself into and if it would be worth the effort.
What I found is that practically anybody with a voice box and a microphone can record podcasts, and anybody with a computer can download the podcasts and listen to the recorder wax eloquent.
It seemed to me that podcasts didn’t have any real drawbacks; at the very least, they supplied brands with another way to reach their audiences. But would my eloquent waxing make any difference? I remained skeptical, until I came across the following three examples of podcasts advancing their brands:
How Stuff Works Podcasts
Last November Advertising Age credited this podcast series with increasing the humanity of intellectually charged HowStuffWorks.com, thus making the online media company more accessible to its followers. In keeping with the site’s “stuff” theme, the podcasts range in subject matter from Stuff You Missed in History Class to Stuff Mom Never Told You. Calling the podcasts “charmingly rambling,” Advertising Age revealed they draw 8 million downloads per month and have ranked in the top 10 podcasts on iTunes since their inception.
The Nerdist
The Nerdist is so-called because founder Chris Hardwick used his acute nerd abilities to dig himself out of a personal rut. He then created a blog and podcast to help others accomplish similar feats of life enrichment. Hardwick has used the popularity of The Nerdist blog and podcast to create his Nerdist Industries brand, which includes a website, recently released book and other podcast series. The Nerdist made Rolling Stone’s “The 10 Best Comedy Podcasts of the Moment” in April.
Fireside Chats
While re-watching “The King’s Speech” this Thanksgiving, I was reminded of the comfort and familiarity a voice can provide. Although plagued by a stammer since childhood, King George VI fought through his aversion to public speaking to encourage and guide his subjects via radio addresses during WWII. Franklin Roosevelt did the same for the American people throughout the Great Depression and later the war in his Fireside Chats. In essence, FDR and King George were reassuring their people that their countries’ brands were still intact. I consider these examples highly appropriate, since podcasts are simply downloadable radio programs.
So now I’ve got plenty of podcast inspiration and guidance to go on–all that remains is to figure out what I’ll be rambling on about!
