Caspian Studios likes to shake issues up.
Take its Homicide in HR podcast.
Many companies hearken to shopper wants after which develop a program to match. However Caspian took the other method — arising with an intriguing thought first, then pitching it to potential shoppers.
One other surprising component subverted expectations for B2B content material. As a substitute of that includes a model’s or trade’s consultants, Caspian pitched a serialized fictional audio story that includes A-list actors’ voices that capitalizes on the true-crime podcast pattern.
That surprising technique propelled Caspian’s Homicide in HR podcast to win Finest Podcast/Audio Collection within the Content Marketing Awards. It additionally earned Caspian Studios CEO Ian Faison a nomination as a 2024 Content material Marketer of the Yr finalist.
Right here’s the story of the twists and turns concerned in bringing this unconventional B2B advertising technique to life.
Fiction for B2B podcasts? Actually?
Sure. And Murder in HR, which debuted in 2023 with 12 episodes, wasn’t even Caspian’s first B2B fiction sequence.
The studio additionally created The Hacker Chronicles, a story of a girl who turned to the darkish net and hacked into an enormous meals conglomerate (that includes the voices of well-known actors Michael C. Corridor and Chloe Taylor). Tenable, a cybersecurity agency, revealed 22 podcast episodes in 2022 and 2023.
“I actually consider on this thought of fiction for B2B,” Ian says. “No person’s doing it, and the reason being as a result of it’s actually onerous.”
However the effort can repay. Homicide in HR debuted its second season on the finish of September. Work is already underway for seasons 3 and 4.
The true-crime-style story facilities on a superb 30-year-old lady who’s give up each job she’s ever had but finally ends up dealing with HR at a tech firm.
When a homicide occurs, she tries to unravel it. Alongside the best way, she discovers that the corporate is a entrance for an murderer enterprise and he or she shall be killed if she leaves. That element explains her dedication to the job and secures Caspian’s capability to inform the story via a number of seasons.
“It’s an attention-grabbing story that has this actually loopy twist,” Ian says.
Voiced by A-list actors Kate Mara and Brett Gelman, the podcast’s first season was revealed by Gympass (now Wellhub). Season 2 was revealed by Wellhub and Bamboo HR.
Caspian’s third B2B serialized fiction podcast, Scam Hunters, debuted this fall. The “enterprise thriller” incorporates a disgraced chief data safety officer (voiced by Greg Kinnear) who will get a name from a Miami journalist (voiced by Erin Moriarty) who wants assist investigating scams focusing on terminally in poor health sufferers. Thoropass, an data safety compliance platform, publishes that podcast.
Creating a shocking B2B content material thought
The Caspian Studios staff begins with the thought, not the shopper. The concept, Ian explains, is, “Let’s make one thing superb. Let’s make one thing consumer-grade that individuals may hearken to.”
The Caspian staff brainstorms possibilities, then whittles a listing of about 50 concepts right into a handful. From there, it shares the ideas with potential companions. With Homicide in HR, the ask went to chief advertising officers and different advertising leaders within the HR area.
The pitch learn one thing like, “Hey, we’re contemplating doing this podcast — a fictional homicide thriller set in an HR division.”
Caspian obtained a number of responses that learn one thing like, “You might be loopy. Good luck with that kind of stuff.”
Nevertheless, Ryan Bonnici, former CMO of Wellhub, had the other response. “The staff at Wellhub beloved the thought for the story and the loopy twist,” Ian says.
Ryan favored the thought of this “very large factor” focusing on the viewers that buys Wellhub merchandise.
Wellhub is a model all about staff’ well-being, and Homicide in HR is ready in probably the most poisonous firm potential. Thankfully, the story’s hero is an HR skilled who turns it right into a unhazardous surroundings.
The story additionally displays how the fictional characters use Gympass providers, resembling its entry to the Calm app and health courses.
Chief individuals officers reviewed the scripts for accuracy. “It’s the similar stuff that HR offers with in actual life — nicely, hopefully not the murderer half,” Ian explains.
Delivering large advertising outcomes
About 20 Caspian staff members labored on Homicide in HR with about 10 individuals from the Wellhub facet.
The fictional podcast sequence proved remarkably profitable. Although Caspian and Wellhub focused solely 50,000 listeners in its advertising marketing campaign, the primary season garnered over 1.1 million downloads within the first six months.
Homicide in HR ranked No. 1 for fiction in Apple Podcasts for one week, earned No. 1 within the new and noteworthy class, and No. 39 on Apple Podcasts. It elevated consciousness of Wellhub among the many viewers and highlighted the corporate’s versatile and versatile platform.
Wellhub can swap new advertisements and messaging into the episodes to maintain the messages related. Wellhub additionally promoted the story in numerous spheres, from advertising and media to webinars and gross sales conversations.
What did listeners assume? “We obtained suggestions in droves from people who mentioned, ‘We love this. This can be a very cool story.’ We even had a gaggle attain out to say they needed to do an occasion for the Season 2 premiere,” Ian says.
Telling tales that executives will purchase
A fictional story as a podcast could look like a threat within the B2B area, the place entrepreneurs and executives often desire to showcase their experience to coach their viewers.
The enterprise case for Homicide in HR is making a success present for and about an viewers that has historically been the butt of office jokes (assume Toby from the TV present The Workplace.) And it tells tales about issues these professionals can’t speak about publicly.
To Ian, that type of storytelling isn’t dangerous. “Model threat is speaking about politics on LinkedIn – the thought of alienating individuals,” he says. “Telling a whodunit story that’s meant to be humorous and attention-grabbing is fairly low threat.”
Caspian plans to take the idea to the following stage. The studio is working to create what Ian calls the “Murderverse,” an interconnected set of tales that would appeal to many brand partners. The codecs could possibly be something from podcasts to function movies.
“Now we have all kinds of loopy concepts,” Ian says.
B2B audiences are individuals, too
Some executives assume these fictionalized tales enchantment to the plenty and received’t work for area of interest audiences focused by their model.
Nevertheless, Ian argues {that a} podcast with shopper enchantment can work. For one factor, it speaks to the focused demographic with insider jokes and Easter eggs. And it really works for broader audiences, too.
One chief individuals officer informed him, “I listened to it with my daughter on a street journey, and it was so enjoyable. We have been attempting to determine who the killer was collectively, and I talked to my daughter about work.”
And that’s the purpose, Ian says. Most B2B content material doesn’t require the listener to concentrate to a whole episode, not to mention end the complete season. “The entire premise of Homicide in HR was to attempt to change that.”
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Cowl picture by Joseph Kalinowski/Content material Advertising Institute
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