GE Podcast Theater is an experimental partnership in branded podcast production between General Electric, Panoply, and the BBDO advertising agency. GE Podcast Theater has launched a new podcast called LifeAfter. It comes after the first GE Podcast Theater podcast, The Message, but is not a sequel.
LifeAfter is a 10 episode thriller. The main character is Ross, who is a low level employee at the FBI. Ross spends his days conversing online with his wife Charlie – who died eight months ago. The technology behind this digital resurrection leads Ross down a dangerous path that threatens his job, his life, and maybe even the world.
New episodes of LifeAfter will be release every Sunday. At the time I am writing this blog, there is an introductory episode and LifeAfter episode 1 available.
The Message website has a disclaimer that clarifies that the medical technologies and treatments that are in the podcast are fictional. There is a link to where people can learn more about the real technology that GE is working on in the ultrasound therapy space. In other words, The Message was, essentially, a creative form of advertisement that didn’t feel like an ad. The unexpected popularity of The Message is potentially what made LifeAfter possible.