An escape pod

I have blogged a bit about podcasts in the past. That they embody many of the skills, benefits and attributes of radio for example, and that just having podcast isn’t enough- you have to have a reason to start talking. I’ve also posted about a few podcasts that I listen to with some regularity and why that is the case.

The reasons for those choices boils down to the consistent approach, staying on point and not being tempted to move the point of the podcast’s existence in light of a new entrant or excitement at something new and shiny.

I have a presentation which I have done many times which features the litigation resulting from Tesco deciding to sell Levi jeans in their stores a few decades ago. This was a long time ago now, but the nub of the argument was that Tesco wanted to sell the jeans at a reduced rate, and alongside consumers daily shop (at the time they were expanding outside of the food and drink and supermarkets were extending into clothing and other ‘non-food’ items- something which is now commonplace). Levi used their brand protection argument as well as price issues- that it damaged their brand to have their jeans sold alongside fruit and veg and ultimately won the four year battle. My presentation discussed the danger for Levi wasn’t totally someone else making a pair of jeans, a competitor in their market, or even all about price but confusion about what their brand stood for.

Confusion is far more dangerous than competition.

Growing and maintaining a podcast audience is hard. There is a vast sea of podcasts and getting heard is difficult. Confusion about what you are, what you do and what you stand for is far more dangerous than another podcast covering the same genre. Chances are, there are many that already do. The best examples stick to their central core reason to exist without wobbling or being distracted by the lure of doing something new for a change. I have spoken before about doing the basics and the benefits of doing the boring day to day really well. “We thought we would do something different for a change” is a metaphor for “we got bored and distracted by the shiny new thing”. Its not that change in itself is bad, its just that when in a complex and busy marketplace, its important that you stand for something clearly, because if you don’t then you don’t stand for anything and are immediately forgotten.