I wrote about this trend a about five months ago and now it’s becoming truer than ever: podcasting is back.

And I say back because around 2005-2008, the medium was exploding. I know, because in the middle of the hubbub I was riding the wave with a podcast of my own that, in a lot of ways, gave me the confidence I needed for future content endeavors like SlopeFillers.

Somewhere along the way podcasts go shelved as YouTube exploded in growth and video, in all its glory, took center stage.

I’m Baaacccck
But recently – I’d say in the last 12-18 months – podcasting has surged back into the mainstream. I mentioned how Gimlet Media was building a multi-million dollar business producing their own podcasts…

…and how Spoken was quickly gaining traction as sort of an Instagram for audio…

Your Poorly Recorded Voice Sounds Perfect: https://t.co/BfRzwUVcgY

— Spoken (@withspoken) June 22, 2015

But now we’re not only seeing podcasters enter the skiing space, we’re seeing podcasters enter the skiing space and quickly gaining followings.

But before I talk more about those, let me share an important point through a quiz.

Common Trait
Okay, the quiz is simple. It’s just one question. What do all of these brands have in common:

• Squarespace
• MailChimp
• PC Does What?
• Stamps.com
• Hover

Know what the theme is?

If you thought it was something related to podcasts, you’re right.

Those are all the sponsors I could remember off the top of my head of just the last few ReplyAll episodes I’ve listened to. Not sponsors of their entire series, mind you, sponsors of individual pieces of content. I consume a lot of content, but podcasts are the only places I honestly remember the advertisers.

Turns out I only missed one – Slack – perhaps because I already use it.

Back to Skiing
So when I think about how Podcast advertising sticks and how the channel is growing like a weed…well…I’m intrigued.

And I’m intrigued when Alex Kaufman tells me about the launch of his Wintry Mix podcast and within a few episodes it’s already getting picked up by video-addicts like TGR.

How much pow can a pow-plow plow? (Answer: a TON. These guys & gals work hard!) https://t.co/ixdsz6knpn pic.twitter.com/06dHRR0kAH

— TetonGravityResearch (@TetonGravity) December 3, 2015

Or when Mark Warner’s Low Pressure Podcast enters it’s third season with a lot of buzz, a lot of shares, and longevity that suggests the model is working.

Take Note
Think of five resorts that consistently crank out some of the best marketing. Got ’em? Now, find the resort that’s sponsoring the Low Pressure Podcast.

Was that resort on your list? They were definitely on mine.

I guess what I’m trying to say here in a not so direct way is that Whistler is consistently putting out great marketing and Whistler is sponsoring one of the only ski podcasts around. It could be a coincidence…or not.

This Year
I feel like a lot of trends – the quality of podcast, the wave of interest, the quality of advertising, the lack of quality in other channels – is making podcasting a prime place to plant some marketing seeds.

If you do, you won’t be alone. Because if you could read my 2016 plans for both Ryan Solutions and my sandbox projects, you’d see references to podcasting in each.

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.