Case Studies
Tips for Effective Podcasts
The following case studies, selected from past Gold Quill Award winners, demonstrate excellence in this month’s topic.
Note: All case studies are in PDF format.
CoreCast: A USGS Podcast
U.S. Geological Survey
Despite its scientific renown and highly relevant work in climate change, water quality and other global issues, The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) remained outside the sphere of public knowledge, with its jargon-heavy language and seeming irrelevance serving as barriers to general interest. CoreCast, a conversational podcast designed to feel like a discussion between a layperson and a scientist, proved to be a fresh and fun new approach to clear these hurdles and reach untapped audiences. Equipped with only a small budget and time-strapped staff, USGS produced a successful podcast that earned 130,000 site visits, syndication by OmniSound Radio, and plugs on blogs and podcast consolidation sites, among other accolades and achievements.
Antarctica Marathon Media Relations
Capella University
Sponsoring a marathon in Antarctica may not seem like the most direct way to market an online school, but it definitely worked for Capella University. Seeking to increase awareness of and affinity for Capella, as well as establish the school as a technologically advanced university with an active and ambitious student body, Capella launched a comprehensive campaign to communicate its marathon sponsorship experience to media outlets worldwide. Print publications, web sites, blogs, video packages and two podcasts, among other media, publicized Capella’s sponsorship along with the inspiring stories of its three student runners, resulting in US$215,000 worth of media mentions, 2 million impressions, and, most important, an increased awareness of Capella among the intended audience.
McDonald’s AccessMCD Global Intranet Portal
McDonald’s Corp.
AccessMCD, McDonald’s employee intranet, had flourished since its 2001 inception—both in site traffic and total content—but needed to be revamped to better meet its users’ needs. The search function didn’t work well, and there was a glut of information, according to employees’ survey responses. The intranet overhaul relied heavily on this feedback, resulting in an intuitive search function modeled after Google, streamlined and updated content, and a top navigation toolbar that allowed users to access desired information with just one click. Employees worldwide learned about AccessMCD’s changes through e-mail blasts, videos and educational podcasts, among other communication vehicles. Users, thrilled to see their feedback being used and to have easy access to the information they needed, gave the new intranet a 96 percent satisfaction rate.
Awards are scheduled to be presented to the winners of the 2010 Gold Quill Awards at IABC’s World Conference, 6-9 June in Toronto. View the 2010 winners.
The collection of all case studies from the 2009 Gold Quill Awards program, titled Best Practices in Communication Planning and Implementation 2009, is available for purchase. This softcover book features 100 case studies of the best and most innovative organizations in communication right now. Order your book.
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