In some ways, there’s a continuum between great, extended podcast ads, and standalone branded company podcasts. iHeart Ruby is in particular bridging the gap, as the company is already a major player on the ads side, and is increasingly also making full length branded podcasts with clients like Chase:

The Unshakeables

The show is specifically for the Chase for Business brand, and fittingly has their business unit’s CEO Ben Walters as the co-host. They also made a nice choice to pair him with lawyer and business consultant Tanya Nebo.

The show’s overall format is telling the success stories of small businesses and from the episode I listened to, they do a nice job capturing the inherent drama of the twists and turns of turning a fledgling business into an enduring one. There’s nice commentary about the business’s situation, and Tanya adds in commentary about the types of challenges faced by the wide range of small businesses she works with. The show’s first season seems to have run from January to April of this year. I hope they’ll be back for a season two!