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Clueless Marketing Rolls On
from the now-in-podcast-form dept
While the less hip companies out there are trying to join the cool crowd by selling music downloads, the real trendsetters have moved on to podcasts. The Stalwart highlights a bank in Kansas City that's started podcasting so their younger clients can "learn how best to manage their money at their convenience". Clearly what's fuelling all the iPod sales this Christmas is young peoples' desire to listen to some bank exec talk about 401k management whenever they want. It's lovely that these companies are embracing technology, even if it's in slightly misguided ways. But to imagine that adding podcasts is suddenly going to make you the coolest bank in the eyes of all the kids is pretty silly. Why not improve your products, rather than jumping on the latest marketing bandwagon?
Reader Comments
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I like podcasts
My job doesn't always require a lot of concentration, so I listen to all sorts of non-fictional podcasts about subjects I'm interested in. I've listended to several by Fidelity Investments on 401K and other topics.
But then I'm not all that young, so I'm probably not in their target audience...
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Kids don't want to save their money
Banks have tried this for hours... I remember my first "buck bagg savings account" when I was in grade school. You got freebies when you got certain balances in your account.
It's of course idiotic. Kids aren't interested in their retirement - I started contributing to my fund when I was 23, and I think that's pretty early for most people.
The only purpose in saving when you're younger is solely to get enough money to buy something you *really* want. If there's nothing, you squander your money on things that make you happy in the moment.
Leave the kids alone, bank nerds. You probably don't even fully grasp the concept of podcasting.
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Re: Kids don't want to save their money
What a moment of genius.. Banks have indeed tried this for hours, but years might have been the word.
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No Subject Given
Given that having a retirement plan beyond "win the lottery" is a good idea what's the big deal about a bank putting this info online as an audio file?
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No Subject Given
"Why not improve your products, rather than jumping on the latest marketing bandwagon? "
ummmmm because it's marketing! Companies are using podcasts as an educational and information tool. It's not so much as being aimed at kids, like you say. There ARE adults using podcasts too, you know.
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No Subject Given
why you dissin' the suits? if i was in KC i'd have my benjies all up in this bank. nobody else dishin out mad finance scoop to my peeps.
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I think you guys are a little off base on this one
I've recently graduated from college and am just getting to the point where I can afford to start saving, investing, etc. This subject like most others can be very confusing when you don't know much but you know you want to know more. I haven't actually listened to this podcast, yet, but anything that helps to alleviate my confusion is definitely welcome.
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No Subject Given
To explain further, I make educational videos and short news videos which are available on the web with new content every day. This is from a financial exchange.
We get 5,000 views/day. Five thousand.
You tryin to tell me that there isn't a podcast market for this?
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UMB isn't that cool
I work in their IT department and they took away my dual G4 mac (pronounced 'decommissioning') and forced me to join the ranks of java drones that use the IBM RAD tool. Not cool at all.
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Re: UMB isn't that cool
Nothing rad about that. Sluts.
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techdirt always complains...
Man, if you aren't bitching about the RIAA not 'catching' up with these techs, you're bitching because someone has caught up but aren't doing it well in your eyes.
Personally, I think this is a great way to feed information and ideas to your clients.
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Re: techdirt always complains...
Perhaps I should clarify. Sure, it's nice that the banks is doing podcasts -- whatever works for them and their clients. It's the press release pitching this as a surefire way to attract the youth market that's shortsighted, simply assuming that because it's a podcast, young people will care, listen and give the bank their business.
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Why be so cynical?
The way I look at it is that a bank offering podcasts to its customers is just adding value to the services they provide. If the info will reach people who previously were not getting the info, who cares if the bank is jumping on the technology bandwagon?
What would have happened if all those companies stayed off of the internet bandwagon? The internet might have stayed a fad, an amusement, instead of the unmeasurably huge resource that it is.
Leave the bank alone; they're doing a good thing.
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Christmas mood...
Now, normaly everybody is wholeheartedly in agreement with everything TD puts out, but being as its Christmas, I think people are a little more charitable...
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Podcasting
Podcasting is a good thing. I've got a professor who, after I already took the class and all the damned notes by hand, wants me to help him record his lectures and Podcast them. For his future subjects, that'll be a great help.
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