Diggnation, the popular podcast featuring Digg.com founder, Kevin Rose, and his “sidekick,” Alex Albrecht—both arguably two of the most influential names in social media—distributed their 200th weekly episode on April 29th via their podcast RSS feed from Revision3.com. The milestone isn’t anything remarkable, but it does, in fact, solidify the podcast medium as a viable means for exclusive distribution of a popular show.
Robert Scoble, popular blogger in the tech world, writes in a post that is over 2 years old, “Actually, the fact that Diggnation is bringing in the ad dollars means I’m aiming too high. What a brilliant idea. Get together on a couch. Drink some beer. Tell people what you think. And collect cash.” Note that he mentions how over 200,000 people watch the weekly show, and that number is even higher today.
Diggnation has had ongoing sponsorships from Netflix and GoDaddy.com and often pulls in a third or fourth sponsor on a show by show basis. This week Michelob Brewing Company sponsored the show and supplied the beer—that may sound odd if you’re not familiar with the show’s format. Rose and Albrecht “review” beer, sometimes other beverages, along with “some of the hottest user-submitted stories from the social news website digg.com.” So what was the first topic of discussion that these brands were associating themselves with? Jock itch. Yep, you heard right. The first thing that they talked about was jock itch. Brand nightmare, right? Not really.
Diggnation is a perfect example of catering to a particular audience. The people who religiously watch the show LOVE the format, which is more casual than any professionally produced TV show (keep in mind that these guys shoot in HD and edit their shows on high-end Final Cut Pro systems so they are not production slouches, but they choose to deliver their show in a format that screams authenticity). The fans have an appreciation for how off-the-cuff and downright “real” the hosts come across, so the feeling toward the sponsors is even more appreciative.
Why is Diggnation relevant to marketing? For one, when Kevin and Alex mention a product or website it is near guaranteed conversion because their audience trusts them. They have built a relationship with the viewers that is personal, yet authoritative, giving them a thought leadership position in the industry that is more influential than any commercial or even celebrity endorsement. That kind of evangelical following is something that marketers drool over and, though crude, Diggnation has set an excellent model to follow.
So do you want your brand to sponsor Diggnation if there’s a chance that they will talk about jock itch immediately after thanking you for sponsoring the episode? If you’re thinking of saying “no,” then you are probably not ready for the social media world. Remember, this is about highly authentic content. These guys are not actors, nor do they do this as their primary job. They are two guys sitting on a couch, talking about interesting things people find online…and jock itch. Funny how hundreds of thousands of viewers watch each week – maybe you should be one of them?
Tags: Advertising, Production & Post, Social Media
I couldn’t aggree more with this posting. I think Diggnation is an excellent example of how effective, yet accessible social media can be. While the key to Diggnation’s success has a lot to do with Kevin and Alex themselves, there is an element of simplicity that speaks to a lot of people.