Tuesday, November 07, 2006

The Power of Podcasting

I have recently been exploring various communication vehicles and, without doubt, one of the most powerful I have come across is Podcasting.

Delivering messages directly into a persons ear has to be the most intimate and direct methods of communication. I know I would rather hear someone explain something than read it in a memo or email. I would rather have something technical shown to me than read a complicated instruction manual and, I would rather take a walk through a hotel via a video podcast than wait for the highly 'staged' glossy brochure arrive through the post.

By listening to someone you can hear the emotion and the passion they have for their product or service. Having been in design for over 20 years I can certainly say that it is very difficult to portray the company owners passion on the printed page, podcasting makes it easy.

Having discovered this means of communication I have dug deeper to see what it's being used for. When you do this you quickly realize that the opportunities are limitless and I haven't found a single company in my client portfolio who couldn't take advantage of podcasting.

Here are some of the ways that organisations are using podcasts:

A certain airline company has offered free pre-loaded Mp3 players as an incentive to use their premium services. Passengers received a corporate branded MP3 player preloaded with an audio magazine about other destinations served the airline.

A luxury car manufacturer offered MP3 players to encourage customers to take test drives. The players were preloaded with an audio infomercial with customer testimonials and interviews with engineers and designers.

A financial institution gave away MP3 players to new customers as an incentive. The players were loaded with an audio magazine giving valuable advice on investment and money management strategies.

Perhaps the most significant use I have come across is the move by National Semi Conductor to issue 8500 staff with video iPods. National Semi Conductor has identified podcasting as the most effective way to communicate and train their staff.

Having been 100% convinced about the effectiveness of podcasting I have now set up a podcast production company in Glasgow, Scotland. The site http://www.podcastmatters.co.uk gives more examples of how organisations are using this exciting tool. The site also gives detailed explanations about how it all works and all the different aspects of podcasting.

Thursday, June 29, 2006

www.golfprints.net

In another guise I paint golf courses and produce open and limited edition prints of them. As part of this "hobby" I have just launched my new web site at http://www.golfprints.net

I hope some of you will take time to have a look at the site and leave your name in the visitors book (or even better, purchase a print or two).

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Welcome to my Blog



Hello there, I have just set up this Blog in order to keep my clients, suppliers, friend and family up to date with what is happening at Design Matters. You can, of course, view my business web page at http://www.designmattersgroup.com. The site is full of information about what we do, with lots of examples of our work. However, I intend to use this Blog to post news of what we are doing in a less formal manner.

I also intend to post some comments on what is going on in the world of design and, in particular, the world of internet design and marketing. I have spent a lot of time, and continue to do so, exploring the latest techniques for developing online traffic and I would like to share this information with anyone who may find it useful.

Back to Design Matters, the first piece of news I would like to post is, on Tuesday 23rd May Design Matters will celebrate its 20th birthday. We would take this opportunity to thank our clients, suppliers, employees, friends and family for the support they have given over the past 20 years.

Many things have happened over the past 20 years and maybe I'll share some of the more amusing stories with you in future posts. Believe me, there are many!

Also, if anyone has a specific question about design for print or web design and marketing, please contact me and I will be happy to try to answer it for you.

Anyway, I must go now and finish some client work, I will post again soon.

Thanks for visiting my Blog, please visit again soon.

Gordon White
Principal