Show #8, Oct. 31, 2005: No fluff, no spin: Whirlpool's American Family podcast

In this 20-minute podcast, Donna Papacosta interviews Audrey Reed-Granger, PR director at Whirlpool. Audrey explains how she started The American Family, Whirlpool’s branded podcast. You’ll learn the strategy behind the podcast and the company’s plans for future podcasts. Here are the shownotes:
00:00 Intro and welcome
01:35 The Whirlpool approach to podcasting
02:20 How Audrey got started
02:44 A podcast with a focus on the family
03:08 Friday to Monday: a concept is born, an editorial calendar created
03:20 It didn’t take much to convince senior management
03:55 Benefits to the brand
04:47 Audrey is determined to start right away
05:00 With progressive leadership, things move fast
05:25 Integrated marketing communications at Whirlpool
06:30 Production techniques; Audrey is not a techie
07:00 How Audrey learned to podcast quickly; her technical set-up
08:40 Low cost of entry; outsourcing the post-production
09:15 Feedback from public and from people inside Whirlpool
11:40 Talk in the blogosphere; Charlene Li’s blog entry creates interest
12:30 Whirlpool in the home; the feel of the brand
13:30 Brand loyalty; the emotional connection
14:10 Plans for product podcasts and internal podcasts at Whirlpool
15:30 Great environment for experimentation
16:00 Low-key and grassroots approach; no plans to advertise the podcasts
16:50 More than 7,000 downloads in three months
18:00 Audrey’s background in TV news
18:45 Donna thanks Audrey
19:20 Audrey thanks Donna for counseling communicators
19:40 Outro; where to send comments

Links mentioned:
Whirlpool American Family podcast
Charlene Li’s blog at Forrester Research