• by Fern Siegel , October 2, 2024

The popularity of podcasts is clear. But Caspian Studios claims to be the first Podcast-as-a-Service (PaaS) provider.

Its mission is to help B2B marketers build podcasts to improve people’s careers. Company founder Ian Faison spent five years in the U.S. Army's HR division, initially deployed to Afghanistan. The lessons learned are applicable in the Webby-winning "Murder in HR" podcast.

By using her HR skills and introducing wellness practices, Jemma solved the crime and the problems confronting her employer in season one. "Murder in HR" got 1.2 million downloads and a No. 1 spot on the fiction podcast charts.

Falson says that made Wellhub a perfect partner for the show, which dramatizes how complex workplace toxicity can be. Working with the Wellhub team, the writers incorporated wellness into the story — and the various forms it can take.

Season 2 takes Jemma to Brazil to solve a new murder to save her company from financial ruin, with Ben Schwartz  ("Parks and Recreation") and Adam Devine ("Pitch Perfect") joining the cast.

The display advertising campaign runs across a variety of relevant sites that align with the "HR" target audience. The company also employs immersive experiences, organic social media and even stages surprise crime scenes in offices to surprise listeners.

Caspian Studios handled all aspects of creative and marketing — from crafting the podcast to designing and executing digital ad campaigns.

"Our podcast is anything but conventional. It breaks the mold with a bold approach that takes listeners through a murder to highlight key workplace wellness issues, including toxic culture, power dynamics, and more," Chris Dean, vice president, content marketing, Wellhub, told Agency Daily.

"Instead of data and sales pitches, we're fostering genuine engagement through entertainment and humor, sparking fun conversations. We're building relationships, not just generating leads," Dean added. "It's an unexpected way to connect with our audience, stepping outside the predictable B2B playbook."

Other Caspian podcasts include "Often Imitated," "Pipeline Visionaries," "The Hacker Chronicles" and "Data Radicals."