A weekly 8-episode science fiction podcast called The Message. The story follows a young podcaster, Nicky Tomalin, who gets to sit in with a team of cryptologists trying to decipher a 70-year-old alien message. The Message became the most listened to branded content podcast in history, and the first of its kind to reach #1 on iTunes.

We did what no other brand has done before: create a number 1 ranking branded podcast in the open iTunes charts. The Message is a science fiction podcast that showcases GE’s new medical soundwave technology. Listeners tuned in weekly and downloaded the 8-episode podcast 4 million times on Soundcloud and iTunes, but the story didn’t end there. GE hooked listeners by creating an online world for The Message, where they brought the people and places from the podcast to life with a complex web-presence and backstory. We sprinkled the content with clues and puzzles, creating an alternate reality game that unlocked additional content.

The Message was downloaded over 4 million times, garnering over 187 million earned media impressions. It was praised by a number of major publications calling it “Radio-Age genius” and saying that it “could change podcasting forever.” In addition to the Podcast, the online paper trail and alternate reality game received 69,000+ organic page views and inspired listeners to create a Subreddit, Wikipedia entry and continue their conversation on social media. Debuting at #47, The Message became the first branded content podcast to reach #1 on iTunes.