Podcasting is barely one year old and now we find the giant General Motors organisation embracing it as part of their pre launch marketing strategy for the new Chevrolet HHR and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06. This story at detnews.com reports on how GM is cleverly using podcasting to generate buzz in advance of the launch since it helps them effectively and efficiently get to a specific marketplace. The GM early adoption of podcasting legitimises the technology and will lead other corporations to play.
This link will take you to the GM podcasts.
So, not only are news reports and stories disconnecting from aggregated delivery mechanisms – newspapers, magazines, radio shows, tv shows – advertisers, if they take the GM lead, will disconnect as well. Of course once many of GM’s ilk play the same game the channel becomes cluttered and other innovative approaches to consumers will need to be found.
In the meantime, GM has further legitimised podcasting and added to the concerns being felt in media companies across the globe. Aggregators, publishers, producers and broadcasters will be looking for ways to leverage their brand into strategies such as those embraced by GM.
The GM move is further shrinkage of the supply chain between manufacturer and consumer.
Businesses selling aggregator product (newspapers and magazines) need to understand these changes and plan accordingly.