Firestone offers teens a safety podcast but needs a marketing lesson itself

What is the quickest way to a student's brain? Through an iPod, of course. Students, no matter if iPods are allowed in school, are furtively listening whenever they can. Now a tire company that produces safe driving tips for teens is taking the opportunity to teach students safe driving tips via a podcast, according to an opinion piece in the The News-Leader Bridgestone/Firestone's podcast discusses information on various aspects of safe driving, such as seatbelts, tire safety, road hazards, driving in bad weather and emergency situations, drunk driving. All a student has to do is go to the Bridgestone website and download it for free.

What does Bridgestone/Firestone get out of this besides brand name recognition? Konrad Huges, the author of the essay thinks that Bridgestone/Firestone is missing a major marketing opportunity. After all, can you imagine any hotrod-driving kid who wouldn't jump at the chance to listen to a safety lecture from his tire company?

"Step one is to use TV promotions and ad campaigns in schools across the country to advertise Bridgestone's podcast to the teenage population. However, no teen would want to download a free Podcast about safe driving if there wasn't some kind of reward, right?

So, step two would be to offer something that would get their attention. I suggest working in conjunction with Apple, the creators of iPod, to allow all teens who register and watch or listen to the podcast receive two free music downloads and have the opportunity to win several more free music downloads by taking an internet quiz over the information covered in the Podcast. The teens simply watch or listen to the podcast, go to a website with a name like www.iDriveSafe.com, enter some information, and take a short, 5- or 10-question quiz." says Hughes.