Woolies joins world of podcasts

Called Making Friends With Money, the podcast is presented by financial behaviour change expert Dr Harry Dugmore and produced for Woolworths by radio producer and media specialist Jayne Morgan of Podcart, a South African company that specialises in producing quality podcasts for corporates. The podcast provides valuable hints and tips for saving, avoiding debt and better budgeting.

Head of Woolworths Financial Services Sam Ngumeni says that, in a time when people are feeling the pressure of rising interest rates and prices, this is a chance to provide genuine added value. “We know that our customers are struggling to make ends meet. The Woolworths brand is about making ‘the difference' and the new media space seemed a way of doing that. The podcast provides excellent advice in a way that is engaging and easy to access.”

Making Friends With Money is free and consists of eight, ten-minute episodes. These deal with such topics as conquering your fear of money, painless ways to save, avoiding debt and effective ways of getting out of it.

The podcast can be listened to online, so anyone with access to the Internet can hear it, and can be downloaded and listened to later on a desktop or transferred to any portable MP3 player. It is also possible to subscribe to the podcast, so that every time you log on to the internet, the latest episode will automatically be downloaded to your computer. Additionally, listeners may email the podcast with questions and suggestions.

Series presenter Dr Dugmore has written and produced other financial education series (such as “On the Money - the Big Five secrets of money management", a TV, radio, print and training programme for Old Mutual) but this is the first time he has used this medium.

“This has been a very interesting project for me. My motivation is to get the message out there that financial health is possible whatever your salary. Podcasting has given me a new way of doing that. I think this is only the beginning of a revolution in how corporates can provide quality content for customers that, at the same time, enhances their brand,” he says.

To hear Making Friends With Money and to find out more about the podcast, go to http://www.woolworths.co.za/caissa.asp?
Page=WFSWeb_ConText&Post=WFS-Podcasts.