Oh, to be a marketer in the podcasting boom or "podboom," as it might be called.
Just take a look at these marketers who have hatched the International Nanocasting Alliance (INA).
In their own words, the INA is an international trade organization "dedicated to accelerating the growth of commercial Internet radio and Nanocasting (commercial podcasting) and to promoting the necessary self-regulation required for the industry to stably expand."
What it looks like is a group marketing their own organization to promote a five-city conference tour designed to train people on how to become professional podcasters or what they call nanocasters. The conference series, Moving from Podcasting to Nanocasting," is sponsored by Guerilla Marketing International and Jack Street Media, the same two companies that are founders of the INA.
Further, nanocasting is a trademarked name owned by Errol Smith, founder of Jack Street. In essence, they are forming an organization to promote their trademarked term. And they want members to support this effort.
Dig a bit more and you see the roots of the relationship between these two companies.
Jay Conrad Levinson writes the popular Guerilla Marketing books and works as a consultant. And Erroll Smith is the founder of Jack Street Media and now director of the Guerilla Marketing Radio Network. He is an Emmy award winner. No doubt, two smart marketing guys seeing a huge opportunity with the podboom.
What it looks like is two companies doing some fancy marketing to pull in people looking to make a buck out of podcasting. And in the meantime, using the organization to create a membership that they can market back their products and services. Yes, they are smart marketers. But, how does this strike you?
Two things are certain. Podcasting sure is capturing people's imagination. And marketer's are seeing gold flowing from the wallets of dreamers.
Welcome to the podboom.
Alex Williams
Matt May
Nicole Simon
Roland Tanglao
1. Tim Bourquin on May 1, 2005 9:57 PM writes...
This "association" makes about as much sense as a soup sandwich. Why would anyone pay to join an association to promote a for profit company?
Permalink to Comment2. Errol Smith on May 4, 2005 6:22 AM writes...
A healthy measure of cynicism makes for good journalism, it provokes closer examination and supports one of the media's primary functions--community "Watchdog." But your reporting and use of terms like "fancy marketing" here betrays what appears to be an anti-commercial bias and borders on a disservice to your readers. (Unless your readers are only interested in "ideas" and not profits).
Your commentary mirrors the viewpoint that many netizens held back in the mid-nineties as the Internet was transitioning from an academic research tool to an ecommerce channel. Remember the big debate about whether it was ethical to use the Internet for commercial purposes? Hard to believe this was ever and issue.
In any case, you wrote: "What It looks like is two companies doing some fancy marketing to pull in people looking to make a buck out of podcasting. And in the meantime, using the organization to create a membership that they can market back their products and services. Yes, they are smart marketers. But, how does this strike you?" You go on with, "Dig a bit more and you see the roots of the relationship between these two companies"
This all sounds as if you are uncovering a secret money trail between a non-partisan public institution and a deep pockets private contributor with a surreptitious right or left wing agenda. The implication here is that there is something amiss with organizing people with the intent of making a profit.
The International Nanocasting Alliance (INA) is a "trade group" not a non-profit or a charity. The term trade group by definition denotes businesses getting together for commercial purposes. The INA is expressly for people who are interested in moving beyond having a non-profit digital megaphone to creating a commercial venture. Last time we checked this was called free-enterprise, and at least in America, it was still legal, moral and desirable. You have essentially reported that you investigated a commercial organization and uncovered that they have intentions of making a profit.
Next you say, "What it looks like is a group marketing their own organization to promote a five-city conference tour designed to train people on how to become professional podcasters or what they call nanocasters"
Although on the entire site there is only one reference to the event, at the bottom of a page that you have to drill down to access; you found that reference and used it to characterized the entire agenda of the organization. But somehow you overlooked the mission statement which involves helping to support, promote and build and industry climate in which we may all benefit; identifying and promoting best practices and standards and encouraging self-regulation.
You also overlooked the caliber of people involved in the initiative and the significant experience and specialized knowledge that each brings. The group is comprised of some of the most respected, established and accomplished media, legal marketing and academic professionals, who collectively have over 100 years of experience dealing with the media, business and legal issues that all of us will face as we try to move from non-profit to profit ventures. How many costly mistakes might new and inexperienced podcasters be able to avoid by tapping into the experience and insights of this group of media legal, and marketing professionals. To obscure the value this group to your readers by in essence saying "they're only in it for the money" is myopic.
Finally, you mention that, "In essence, they are forming an organization to promote their trademarked term. And they want members to support this effort."
If you believe your readers are concerned about supporting trademarked terms, then perhaps you should mention that "ipod" is a trademark of Apple
http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=i74s5c.5.1 a commercial entity that is undoubtedly enjoying massive increases in profits over the term being associated with podcasting. Perhaps more important, you may want to mount a campaign to stop Shae Spencer Management, LLC.
They have applied for a trademark for the term podcasting http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=78564869&action=Request+Status based on your rationale this company must be stopped.
Like the Ronald Mc Donald House, The Ben & Jerry's Foundation and other similar types of groups that aim to do well and do good for the community, such is the agenda of the INA. The INA is currently offering charter memberships at no cost. This gives podcasters who are serious about monetizing their ventures access to expert insight for free and an opportunity to see if there is a benefit to being a member. If there is no benefit, there is no money lost. If there is, then they will get the benefit of being a charter member for life. Perhaps you should let your readers make up their own minds www.nanocasting.org
Permalink to Comment3. Tim Bourquin on May 12, 2005 1:00 PM writes...
Errol,
You may be giving away memberships for free, but please, don't insult the intelligence of the community by wanting us all to believe that the motives of the company behind INA are anything but building a business.
You want to build a mailing list - and we're all smart enough to see it.
If you want to build a for-profit club, then by all means do so. But please, promote it as such and not as "Like the Ronald Mc Donald House, The Ben & Jerry's Foundation and other similar types of groups..." It's simply not true.
Tim
Permalink to Comment4. Robert Brookens on September 8, 2005 10:37 AM writes...
You also promote www.sendtopress.com How is this affiliated with your group.
Permalink to CommentI'm skeptical of so called international groups. I host internet radio broadcasts about severe weather awareness and preparedness.
But, I would like to find a honest association, not saying yours isn't, to join to help promote my sites and internet broadcasts. Such as one that the radio broadcasters association is.
As a internet broadcaster, we're not allowed to joing this group. being it's niether AM or FM.
Internet broadcasting is in it's infancy, and I beleive the Radio Broadcasters Association should recognize this. As for Podcasting, it's just not what some of us are looking for.