As to podcasting (and videocasting), I think you’re tapping into a very powerful channel. And I was surprised to see Scotia there simply because one tends to see businesses other than large financial institutions deploying new technologies first. A very smart move on Scotia’s part, IMO.

I’ve been trying to convince friends on Bay Street for a long time that this represents a terrific opportunity to educate and enlighten. One can ‘go deep’, as it were, in a very compelling way. ScotiaTV, for want of a better phrase, with rich content helping consumers understand personal finance. And why not by your investment bankers also? Sessions on M&A, IPOs, and the like that business people can consume on the plane, treadmill or while walking the dog.

We talked about this at mesh last year and there was a lot of interest in the topic. No doubt just as much or more this year.

When we launched The Money Clip it was anything but a promo for Scotiabank. If you take a listen you’ll see that we aim to educate on personal finance and tap into expert opinions in the space and help consumers. I personally believe that we are making a difference and have adhered to the spirit of podcasting as a communications channel, not an advertising vehicle. I have my own podcast, The Client Side, and hope that my involvement in the podosphere was a part of making the Scotiabank effort ring true for listners. And having a great agency in Twist Image helped too!

All that said, I understand and respect your commentary. As we were a first mover in this space as a large corporation, I hope others follow our example and use the space properly.

Thanks for your post.

Our agency, Twist Image, helped Scotiabank create their Podcast, The Money Clip, and we continue to develop the episodes with them. At the same time, I produce my own Podcast, Six Pixels of Separation – The Twist Image Podcast. Your thoughts on independently produced content and major corporations really got me thinking.

Thank you.

Rob Hyndman is a Canadian Lawyer who is also a Blogger and one of the organizers behind the Mesh Conference (I’m a huge fan of his Blog). In a post from yesterday entitled, Podcasts: Everything Old Is New Again, Hyndman……