In podcasting, sound files are posted on a company's corporate Web site for free download to a third-party computer. The end-user then transfers the file to an iPod or other MP3 player and listens to it at his or her convenience. Podcasts - which have been likened to audio blogs, only without the interactivity - enable companies to create self-syndicated radio shows on highly specialized, complex or esoteric topics that are not likely to be carried by mainstream media outlets. And, with mobile phones rapidly morphing into wireless multimedia devices, podcasting will soon be delivered straight to an end-user without first having to download audio files to a PC.
[A]ny time Paris Hilton and General Motors converge on the same thing, a significant cultural moment is under way. Recently, those two remarkably different brands
decided it was worth their time and effort to put together a podcast. On a podcast for the movie "House of Wax," Ms. Hilton talks about the onerous responsibilities of doing publicity for the film. G.M., meanwhile, used one of its recent podcasts to introduce the 2006 Buick Lucerne, which combines "high-level technology and luxury features with a spacious quiet
interior."
Source: "Big Media Wants a Piece Of Your Pod," The New York Times, July 4, 2005
Podcasts extend your ongoing branding, advertising, marketing and sales initiatives to a new medium, and synergize with existing online and hard copy programs. Like blogs, podcasts can:
- Strengthen relationships with your most loyal customers - who can share a podcast with others in their spheres of influence.
- Enable a company to highlight expertise of key practitioners or specialists by offering real-time commentary on relevant breaking news events.
- Facilitate crisis communication by enabling a company to "get ahead" of the news cycle, or to disseminate vital information to a wide variety of stakeholders quickly.
Big Blue is getting hip. Just a few months after adopting a corporate blogging policy, IBM is
latching onto another hot tech trend, podcasting. … the company posted the first podcast in a new series aimed at sharing its researchers' views about the evolution of technology in various fields. … Podcasting "is extremely portable and accessible, and can convey information in a way that's
easier to absorb than in a lengthy document," said John Bukovinsky, an IBM spokesperson. "This follows a pattern of trying to give investors insight into the company by looking at what we think is a strength, which is our ability to understand diverse industry segments." … "We'll cover a variety of subjects," Bukovinsky said. "They'll be a look ahead at where we see a convergence of business issues and
technology solutions."
Source: "IBM Podcasts to Customers," PC World, August 8, 2005
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS works with your in-house or outside marketing and public relations specialists to:
- Develop a scope of coverage and frequency of podcasts that meets the marketing objectives of clients in specific industries or providing specialized services - as well as the informational needs of their customers and other stakeholders.
- Upload audio files to corporate Web site.
- Provide editorial guidance to in-house personnel who contribute to podcasts.
- Develop a schedule with deadlines for recording and uploading audio files.
- Extend the reach of the podcast by registering it online media guides, as well as disseminating the content via RSS aggregators.
- Edit audio files, compress them for speed of download and optimal sound quality, and upload them to the corporate Web site.
- Provide multi-platform and player support (i.e., MP3, Windows Media, WinAmp, Quick Time, iTunes).
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