Why No Podcasting at the WOMMA Summit?
I’ve just returned home from Washington, DC where I was speaking at the Word of Mouth Marketing Association’s (WOMMA) Summit 2006.
I’ll be very honest that I’ve always question the need for an organization like WOMMA because I think the concept of word of mouth is something that every good campaign should leverage. But, when I walked into the room and saw how many people were there and the passion level of everyone I was convinced that an organization maybe wasn’t a bad thing. Plus I like all the work they are doing around ethical practices.
What blew me away more then anything though is that I did not hear the word “podcast” one single time in all the sessions I went to. People do realize that this is word of MOUTH that we are talking about right? I heard tons about reaching out to bloggers, but never podcasters. This makes no sense to me.
Why in the world if you were going to engage in this type of campaign wouldn’t you also reach out to podcasters who might be into what you are doing? Why wouldn’t you get them to talk about it? Plus most podcasters write very good show notes so it’s double the fun as the campaign also gets the blog angle.
I’m going to write to the organizers and mention that they really should add a panel on podcasting next year. I talked to many people about my concerns for the lack of podcasting and many didn’t seem to know what it was or why it was a natural fit. This scares me even more.
I hope people realize I’m not slamming the event at all. It was a great event full of great people. But, they seem to be missing a HUGE area of opportunity for them. Podcasters have voices. They have listeners. They’ve got the ear of their fans and why wouldn’t marketing companies and brands want to tap into this?
Podcasting IS word of mouth marketing.
December 13th, 2006 at 4:41 pm |
Podcasting is word of mouth 2.0
December 14th, 2006 at 4:40 am |
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December 14th, 2006 at 9:03 am |
Great insight into a missed opportunity! Podcasting costs (as is word of mouth) are minimal compared to some other marketing and advertising efforts, and for a conference that’s supposed to be all about word of mouth, the easiest way to keep the buzz spreading is to record the sessions and make them available for free via a podcast feed! I know you weren’t exactly saying that they should make the content available for free, but the underlying principle is that everyday people will carry your company/organization’s message for you if you make it easy (and free) for them to do that!
December 14th, 2006 at 10:06 am |
I just had this same experience in NYC at the Sports Video Group meeting- all of the Sports Leagues, Media types, manufactrers of equipment for broadcast trucks, HD, etc. all in one room. Some are starting to understand community and the power of the internet, but many more do not get it at all- they have a single focus on their old model. It will be to their detriment long term.
Whitney
December 14th, 2006 at 12:34 pm |
Funny you should mention that. Podcasting and WOM are in that file I sent you
December 15th, 2006 at 1:55 am |
As I gave a few friends a ride back from the airport tonight the obligatory question came up “what have you been up to?”
They were returning from an event in Europe which was all about marketing and communications. I said I was working on my podcasts and told them how I attended case camp in second life and excited about our new office in second life.
Their response was I can’t believe all this techy stuff on the internet.
They then got a call on there phone on a new initiative about building a buzz for a new product. They chattered on about the same ole stuff.
I had to laugh because this was coming from a very seasoned marketing/communications executive. Maybe too seasoned.