And Now, A Podcast From Our Sponsor

Over July 4 weekend, Audrey Reed-Granger, a Whirlpool marketing exec from
Stevensville, Mich., came home to find her husband listening to National Public
Radio. A report on podcasting caught her attention, and she asked him to explain
it. After he described how podcasts were basically radio shows that people
download from the Internet and listen to whenever they want, she had an
epiphany. "We should do that," she said. "You and I?" he
asked. "No, Whirlpool," she said.

That Tuesday, Reed-Granger went to her boss with a proposal. Whirlpool should
do podcasts, she argued, but the shows shouldn't push washers and dryers.
Instead, they should feature interviews with real people -moms balancing work
and family, dads staying home to raise kids. "There was a pause," says
Reed-Granger, director, Consumer Insight at Whirlpool. "I said: 'Think
about who uses our products. It's families.' We're all about helping them
in their lives. This is about connecting." She got the green light that
afternoon. Reed-Granger now puts out the show twice a week, producing it at home
after her toddler goes to bed.

A growing number of companies that are turning to podcasting
to connect with customers, investors, and employees. As befits a medium only a
year old, there's loads of experimentation. Some podcasts are straightforward
marketing. Others are more entertainment, with only passing references to their
corporate creators. In June pet food purveyor Purina decided to convert a
call-in radio show it sponsors with vets in St Louis into a podcast. "Our
attitude was: It's early days," says Michael Moore, director, Interactive
Marketing, Purina. "It may be successful or it may not be, but let's not
wait around and end up being surprised."

There's little downside to such efforts. Any audio clip can
be turned into a downloadable podcast with software available on the Web for
free. That's one reason companies such as insurer Aflac can create podcasts of
their quarterly earnings calls, even if only a few people listen.

Popularity requires a bit more than reciting gross margins,
though. Audiences are gravitating to the things that make compelling radio-good
entertainment and useful discussions about family or work issues.
"Issue-oriented marketing will have a lot more success," says Charlene
Li, an analyst at Forrester Research "I don't know if I want to listen on
a regular basis to what a company has to say about its products."

Podcasting also companies feed consumers' appetite for
information whenever and wherever they want it. Virgin Atlantic Airways is
creating travel guides for 20 destinations it flies to. Why? Simple, says Breda
Bubear, head of advertising and communications at Virgin Atlantic: "We like
to be a pioneer."

By Heather Green in New York