Panasonic VP Brian Rowley: Inspire Your Podcast Listeners Through Creativity to Become Bingeable
By: Tracy Hazzard
Tags: Podcasting Tips, Podcasting, Influencer Marketing, Podcast, Tech Feature

Can you tell us a bit of your “personal backstory? What is your background and what eventually brought you to this particular career path?

I grew up just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and went on to attend Northeastern University, where I obtained my Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing. I began my career working for a variety of local telecommunications companies, including Eastern Telecom, CTC Communications and Verizon, where I learned a lot about the technology space, ultimately leading me to my current role as Vice President, Marketing at Panasonic System Solutions Company of North America.

I’m focused on driving initiatives and campaigns that support the digital transformation of our 100-year-old brand, from a hardware-focused company to a B2B solutions-based organization. At Panasonic, our ultimate focus is the customer and how we can bring value to their work day across a number of verticals — from manufacturing and food retail, to entertainment and education. It’s about listening to customer pain points, partnering with them to bring about solutions, and tailoring our campaigns to help their businesses grow and evolve.

In 2019, we launched our own podcast, which is now known as The Big REthink. Originally focused on the future of technology and what to expect as work changes, we began covering topics from 5G to deep sea exploration and have brought on guests from a variety of companies and backgrounds. As such, our conversations have shifted and grown to encompass new stories around unique topics like remote learning, facial recognition and even the impacts of technology in the ICU. This versatility is especially key this year, as so much of how we work has changed.

Can you share a story about the most interesting thing that has happened to you since you started podcasting?

One thing we definitely didn’t anticipate when we launched the podcast was a global pandemic, which forced us to rethink how we record and produce episodes remotely, and coordinate logistics and recruit guests — something we had to adapt to quite quickly to keep production rolling.

On the other hand, the pandemic has given us a unique opportunity to react in real-time to the world around us. Suddenly, we had to think about new topics brought into focus by the pandemic, and the ways in which various industries and organizations have been impacted and subsequently responded to the pandemic. Many industries, including the restaurant industry which we covered on a recent episode, have transformed their operations in response to COVID-19, and had to rethink the way they work to ensure the safety of both customers and employees, while also ensuring they remain profitable.

In this same vein, we’ve had to rethink how we at Panasonic work and how our mindset has shifted. There are so many new ideas coming to the surface that we’ve never thought of before, resulting in shifts in how we now conduct business. The pace at which our world has changed this year is staggering, and we aim to deliver content that inspires, regardless of the circumstances. We’re proud of the work we do and the conversations that are fostered on our podcast, oftentimes about topics of great importance to our listeners.

Can you share a story about the biggest or funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or takeaways you learned from that?

A surprising challenge we’ve encountered has been the way our narratives age, and how topics can change in relevance and importance over the course of time. A topic such as digital transformation or remote technology, for example, may have spurred a very different conversation in January than it would now. As the world shifts and changes, and we adapt to the next normal, our perceptions evolve in tandem. Therefore, we have become mindful of the types of narratives we are creating, and how they can be future-proofed for listeners months down the line.

How long have you been podcasting and how many shows have you aired?

In September 2019, we started our first podcast show called RUGGED RANTS, which focused on the transformation taking place in the mobility market specifically. As our goals and objectives for the show changed over subsequent months, RUGGED RANTS evolved into what is now known as The Big REthink.

As of November 2020, we’ve dropped 34 episodes. Our cadence of dropping a brand new episode every two weeks has served us well over the past year, allowing us to discuss current events and topics in a timely manner, while giving our listeners time to digest.

Since The Big REthink had such an impact on our company and our audiences externally, we actually decided to start an internal podcast solely for Panasonic employees called Culture Shock. The show incorporates both external experts and even some internal leaders at Panasonic for conversations focused on many topics including leadership approaches or coping with our current environment. Our podcast is very much aligned with our core company pillar of building a best-in-class High Performance Culture, which is why we tend to focus on conversation topics to help us “shock” the Panasonic culture and spur growth.

What are the main takeaways, lessons or messages that you want your listeners to walk away with after listening to your show?

We strive to present new voices and perspectives to our audience that challenge the status quo and introduce new ways of using technology to transform the world around us. With this, we seek to inspire our listeners to think creatively, and rethink the way work is done.

In recent months, we’ve covered a wide variety of topics, such as the role of technology in healthcare, the processes and technologies involved in remote learning, and the impacts of signature verification software on mail-in voting. With these conversations, we’ve encapsulated current events that are important to our audience and to our brand, while taking steps to share new information with our listeners and encourage them to consider alternative viewpoints. We pride ourselves in doing so and this mindset will carry us forward as we continue producing The Big REthink.

In your opinion what makes your podcast binge-listenable? What do you think makes your podcast unique from the others in your category? What do you think is special about you as a host, your guests, or your content?

Our podcast is unique in that we feature an expansive set of guests, topics and viewpoints. We always strive to present our audience with the best of both worlds, covering topics that inform business decisions and strategy, while also covering topics that have an impact on their everyday lives. With this varied content, we’re able to keep our audience on their toes, while drawing in new listeners.

This variety is also what separates us from podcasts in our “category” — we don’t pigeonhole ourselves into one topic, industry or narrative. We expand and grow with the world around us; this year has been the perfect example. Our flexibility and openness has allowed us to take on timely topics such as remote work, digital transformation and hybrid learning. With this, we’ve broken out of a “category” altogether — which is something that we’re very proud of.

Doing something on a consistent basis is not easy. Podcasting every work-day, or even every week can be monotonous. What would you recommend to others about how to maintain discipline and consistency? What would you recommend to others about how to avoid burnout?

In order to produce a podcast on a consistent basis, I’d recommend creating a content calendar. This document helps to keep the team organized, and our content fresh. Maintaining a steady cadence of episodes also requires dedication and motivation to meet desired end goals.

As for avoiding burnout, the answer is simple: keep things interesting. We strive to reinvent ourselves, within reason, when we start to work on each episode. We bring on new guests to discuss topics that challenge us and our audience, to push us to think outside the box. We also have a few hosts to choose from, to keep things fresh and reinvent the voices on each episode.

With this, I would argue that creating a podcast — and the consistent work that goes into production — is hardly monotonous. The Big REthink gives us the opportunity to spark new and interesting conversations about topics we care about, and to share these narratives with our audience.

What resources do you get your inspiration for materials from?

We draw inspiration from many sources, from industry experts on current events and trends to members of our own network whom have stories to share. As we’ve learned over the past year, part of creating a successful podcast is being flexible, thinking creatively and being timely with the stories we tell. To do so, we focus on aligning with a specific topic, as opposed to inviting guests onto the show and determining their topic thereafter. We can then deliver on our goals in providing quality content that’s useful, but also inspires.

Is there someone in the podcasting world who you think is a great model for how to run a really fantastic podcast?

As podcasts continue to gain popularity as a storytelling medium, more and more individuals and brands are stepping into the ring to take their shot. When we started our podcast, we were drawing loosely on some we enjoyed ourselves, including The Daily and NPR’s Planet Money. While we didn’t “model” our show after any one in particular, we drew lessons from those we found enjoyable and those that were experiencing success.

Within our network, we have been lucky enough to have a number of podcast experts, most notably, John Palumbo, in our corner to learn from. John is the founder of the BigHeads Network, an organization that develops and produces internal podcasts for corporations to foster learning and development. For the development of both the internal and external podcasts we’ve created, John’s expertise has shown us the importance of targeted messaging and diverse perspectives to help drive business success.

As the space continues to grow, it’s exciting to see how this medium is being used to share new insights, start important conversations and build brands — both professional and personal. We continue to evolve and shift alongside others in the space.

What are the ingredients that make that podcast so successful? If you could break that down into a blueprint, what would that blueprint look like?

The success of a podcast depends on a number of factors, some standard and others more complex: interesting guests, engaging hosts and the right equipment.

Ensuring that all guests that come on your podcast have something of value to offer the audience and that the stories they plan to tell are in line with the brand, goals and value proposition of the podcast, is the first key to ensuring success. With this, you have control over the storytelling and quality of the show you produce. Engaging hosts will add character and consistency to the show, as their voices will become the voice of the podcast itself. Their charisma, tone and experience will echo throughout each and every episode as they lead conversations. Lastly, the right equipment is an important aspect of creating a successful podcast. Ensuring you have the right microphones, headphones, and even audio editing software can make or break the content.

Though, ultimately for my team, consistency and providing a steady cadence of content is the key to success — with the stories we tell, how we tell them, and the process by which we build and publish episodes on our show.

Can you share with our readers what things you need to know to create an extremely successful podcast?

Resources: To create a podcast, you must adequately assess the resources you have available to you, before beginning. With this, I do not mean that you need an excess of funding, time or a large team to make a podcast, but that you need to be honest about what you can put into the show before committing to its creation.

Essentially, this comes down to prioritization. Why are you making this podcast? What will the podcast give to your brand and your audience? And are you committed to the creativity that a podcast requires? With this, you must determine if beginning a podcast is the right choice and/or medium for you and your brand. As with any brand-led content, creating a new content platform should be a smart, well thought out business decision.

Goals: As mentioned throughout, our understanding of and commitment to the goals we determined at the outset of The Big REthink have not only kept us organized, but have ensured the success of the podcast since its inception. Ensuring that you outline specific goals and follow through on the measurement of such goals to track progress is a tangible way to achieve success in the podcast space.

Voice: We attribute much of our success on The Big REthink to adhering to a consistent voice. Keep your hosts, guests and framework around how stories are presented as consistent as possible, while ensuring you’re flexible enough to evolve the context of the discussion to relate back to current events and timely conversations. Ultimately, this principle guides how we create content, while keeping things interesting enough to gain new followers and change the narrative.

Value: With every new episode we create, our goal is to offer our audience something of value. To guide us to this goal, we often ask ourselves what our audience will learn from a particular guest, what new recommendations, insights or perspectives will they hear and how will this exposure challenge them to think differently? While this changes with each new episode, we always keep this top of mind when planning out content or inviting guests, asking ourselves what our listeners will get in return for listening to our podcast.

Brian Rowley of The Big REThink Podcast shares the best ways to:

1) Book Great Guests. You need to be able to identify the goal of the podcast. For The Big REthink, we strive to target millennials and share narratives that inspire listeners to rethink how work gets done. Each time we identify a potential guest, we think back to this goal and ask ourselves, “how will this guest’s story help us inspire our target audience?” 2) Increase Listeners. We focus on producing engaging, relevant content that continues to draw in listeners and reach them where they are, through social media, earned media and targeted marketing tactics. Creating engaging content is key, and is the first step to accruing listeners over time; though, promotion, whether on social media platforms, in top tier publications, or via marketing channels, helps spread the word about the podcast, and bring in new listeners. We also encourage our hosts and guests to promote their own episodes on personal social channels to share with their own networks, ultimately expanding our reach. By sharing drafted social copy with the involved parties, we make social promotion simple, easy and timely. 3) Produce in a Professional Way. We try to use the best equipment possible and plan ahead. With each episode we record, we rely on the same process: hosting input calls, developing talk tracks, and having a team lead that oversees the recording sessions. 4) Encourage Engagement. Engagement to us is primarily measured by episode downloads and listens. Our main goal is to continue to expand how many people are choosing to tune into our show to learn something new or be inspired. Engagement is also measured by shares, comments and likes across social. As mentioned above, we ensure every episode is shared across our marketing channels, but also by our hosts and guests. 5) Monetize. We don’t use The Big REthink as a monetization strategy. Our goal instead is to spark meaningful and rewarding conversations about how work is changing. We strive to create great content that engages listeners. Though, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention we are also focused on brand awareness. As a channel managed by the marketing team, we use the podcast and the content to reach today’s buyers — especially the millennial audience. We focus on producing episodes that we think will be interesting, but also will help them do their jobs better and more efficiently.

For someone looking to start their own podcast, which equipment would you recommend that they start with?

The best part of podcasting is that it requires little investment, aside from a few important tools. Every great podcast begins with a reliable pair of headphones, a quality microphone and a quiet room — items that level the playing field in terms of audio quality and professional production. However, the most important “equipment” that is needed to start a podcast is the content. Without creativity, curiosity and inquisitive minds, a podcast cannot be created nor exist.

If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

In many ways, I feel like we have lost sight of the importance of talking to each other, and instead talk at each other. If I could inspire a movement, it would be focused on the importance of listening to each other more. Podcasts provide a platform where people can actually have a conversation again, and where ideas and visions from that exchange can be shared with others.

Podcasts expose us to different points of view and show us what we can learn from alternative perspectives. This doesn’t necessarily mean that we agree with these ideas, but that we have listened and have accepted other opinions. We need to get back to that. I would love for our society to get to a point where we can have differences in an opinion but still have great conversations.

How can our readers follow you online?

Twitter: @BrianSRowley

LinkedIn: Brian S. Rowley

The Big REthink website