Focus Group of One

I've said it over and over, "There's nothing more dangerous than a focus group of one." However, in this case I am going to break my own rule.

There's so much talk about Podcasts, I had to check it out myself. But, before I tell you the results of my experiment, let me define what a Podcast is. A Podcast is an audio file, similar to a radio show, posted on the internet to which you can subscribe. Having a subscription means every time a new show or episode is released, software on your computer downloads that file automatically. Then, the next time you sync your mp3 player that file is moved onto it and you can listen anytime and anywhere you want. Think of it as Tivo for audio.

Now back to my experiment:

For the last three weeks I've been listening to some of my favorite Podcasts and I have to say it has really changed the way I use the media. I no longer have a radio in my office. I just don't need it. I want to listen to content on my time and on my terms.

The major question that remains is this: How are marketers going to use Podcasts as a marketing tool? Are they going to place commercials within the context of the Podcast or are they going to create Podcasts that are specific to driving a particular brand. In other words are we going to have the BMW Podcast where all the content is created by and about BMWs or are we going to have The Comedy Hour brought to you by BMW, where the content is created by someone other than the company and the company is merely a sponsor, picking up the model from today's radio and television industries? I'm not quite sure yet.

Here's a few Podcast resources to get you up to speed:
Odeo.com : A Podcast Directory
iTunes 4.9 download : Makes subscribing to Podcasts easy.
Podcast Tutorial : Steps to create your first Podcast.

Now here's a list of the Podcasts I'm listening to:
ABC News.com - Nightline
Engadget.com - Tech and gadgets
Indie Airplay - The west coast independent music scene
The Treatment - KCRW's independent film show
This Week in Tech - A technology show featuring some of my favs from the now cancelled show, The Screensavers.

All of these can be located either at Odeo.com or through iTunes 4.9

Have fun!

Tweens Are Changing

USA Today has a very interesting article today. Here's the link and a quote:

Childhood pastimes are increasingly moving indoors

The shift to an indoor childhood has accelerated in the past decade, with huge declines in spontaneous outdoor activities such as bike riding, swimming and touch football, according to separate studies by the National Sporting Goods Association, a trade group, and American Sports Data, a research firm. Bike riding alone is down 31% since 1995.

A child is six times more likely to play a video game on a typical day than to ride a bike, according to surveys by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the CDC. Dakota Howell says his favorite video game —Tony Hawk's Pro Skater— is more fun than actual skateboarding.

This trend means the marketer has a clear responsibility. While understanding tween trends helps us be more effective in communicating with them, it also means we must seek ways to help stem this tide and allow kids the opportunity to experience the great outdoors, whether is scheduled or spontaneous activity.

What do you all think?

Texting, It's Everywhere

When we sit in meetings, developing strategies for clients the same question seems to be posed over and over again. "Sure text messaging is cool, but how many kids are really using it?"

That's why I couldn't help but chuckle when I was taking the bus home the other day (doing my part for the environment) and found myself eaves dropping on a conversation across the aisle. Two young people were discussing the difference between forwarding a link to a ringtone download to a friend and being able to actually forward the file itself. They discussed at length how they use their internet enabled phones, the cost of their plans and what they really wanted from technology.

The conversation faded from technology to school. They both had failed the previous school year and were now attending summer school. Once it was only the geek who used phones to send messages. Once is was only the nerd that would know how to access the internet on a phone. Things have changed.

It seems like "new" technology isn't new to everyone.