CA408 Part D
Podcasts
in the Workplace
A Research Project for Acme International, LLC
By Wallis Arundel
Introduction
- Acme International, LLC is a company that provides technological solutions for other companies.
- We have 450 employees and serve as consultants for over 10,000 companies around the world, but primarily in North America.
- We need to practice our recommendations while improving relationships within our internal employees.
- This project is a proposal to achieve that goal.
Solution: Podcasts
- Reason 1: Podcasts help us learn. We can use podcasts as professional development.
- Reason 2: Podcasts spread the word. We can use podcasts as a low-cost marketing tool that highlights our strengths as a company.
- Reason 3: Podcasts can bring departments together in the brainstorming, recording, editing, and consumption phases. This will help us improve inter-departmental collaboration.
1. Podcasts Help Us Learn
- Podcasts allow people to learn while driving, running errands, or cooking
- A 2018 study found that information from a podcast was retained more thoroughly than via lecture (Bruster et al 2014)
- Podcasts are growing in popularity: 20 million people watch Sunday Night Football; 46 million people listen to a podcast weekly (Baer, 2018)
2. Podcasts Spread the Word
- Anyone can start a podcast! All you need is an idea, a computer, and an internet connection
- Podcasts and YouTube Channels are democratic – anyone can put an idea out there, and good ideas spread
- Omaha Research Group portrays the Podcast as the “Essential Marketing Tool” of 2018 (ORG, 2018)
3. Podcasts Bring Us Together
- 47% of Americans wish they had more time to read, but believe they do have time to listen (Dahl, 2016)
- People can listen to podcasts instead of taking time to read books and still share their learning
- Podcasts can replace reading during our busy lives so that we remain informed and continue to grow as individuals
Podcasts at Acme
- Apply my research to Acme International internally
- We could produce podcasts to teach each other and foster inter-departmental relationships
- We could also use podcasts to create opportunities for professional development similar to book clubs
- Apply my research to Acme International externally
- Sharing podcasts produced through Acme teams could be spread to new clients and shared on social media
- Podcast choices could work with our Marketing Team
- Marketing via Podcast is critical for success
Podcast Examples
- The $100 MBA Show: https://100mba.net/show/
- University educators teach business concepts by using $100 ideas to build a business plan
- Footnoting History: https://www.footnotinghistory.com/
- A series of History PhDs explore tiny stories from history to explain the world as we know it today
- Criminal (In)Justice from NPR: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/512656781/criminal-in-justice
- A podcast on challenges facing the American justice system today
Conclusions
- Podcasts are a democratic institution: anyone can make a podcast and share it on the internet
- Podcasts help us pursue our company mission of serving the community and bringing our teams closer together
- Podcasts can spread the word of Acme Industries products by creating interesting ways of speaking about our missions and ideas
- Let’s use Podcasts at Acme today!
Bibliography
Bruster, M. et al (2013). Using Podcasts as an Educational Tool in Research Methods and Intro to Psychology. Georgia Southern University. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1643&context=sotlcommons
The Creative Monsters (2018 Apr 16). 4 Reasons Why Podcasting Is An Important Marketing Tool. Omaha Media Group. Retrieved from https://www.omahamediagroup.com/blog/article/4-reasons-why-podcasting-is-an-important-marketing-tool
Dahl, M. (2016 Aug 10). To Your Brain, Listening to a Book is Pretty Much the Same as Reading It. The Cut. Retrieved from https://www.thecut.com/2016/08/listening-to-a-book-instead-of-reading-isnt-cheating.html
Edison Research (2018 Apr 19). The Podcast Consumer 2018. Retrieved from https://www.edisonresearch.com/podcast-consumer-2018/
Kaplan-Winn, R. (2018 Oct 16). 2018 Podcast Stats & Facts. Podcast Insights. Retrieved from https://www.podcastinsights.com/podcast-statistics/
Supovitz, B. (2018). Nielsen Podcast Insights: A Marketer's Guide to Podcasting. Nielsen Ratings. Retrieved from https://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/reports-downloads/2018-reports/marketeres-guide-to-podcasting-march-2018.pdf