VW Podcast and Marketing Strategy

Volkswagen has four podcasts with a common theme: Detroit at the North American Auto Show. Here's why their multi-podcasts serve as a great marketing tool...

They capture email addresses first.

You can't subscribe to the podcast feed or even listen to more than just a sample MP3 without giving them your email address first. After you do, a window opens with instructions on how to subscribe via iTunes or via a regular podcast feed. I did check my Inbox, though, and didn't find any email from them. Nevertheless, they're the first I've seen who are using their podcast to build an email database.

Their podcasts target different listeners.

They have a podcast for music lovers (all music), VW enthusiasts, those interested in the North American International Auto Show, and those interested in the thoughts of key people at VW. Most podcasts I've seen target a specific market. The VW podcasts have multiple targets.

Will this marketing strategy of using multi-podcasts to capture more listeners and build an email database help Volkswagen achieve their objective? Check out their site a few months from now and see how things go.

[ First posted on 02/01/2006 by Manuel Viloria ]