About This Project
Summary
At a time when public trust in higher education and scientific research is increasingly challenged, Lab Coat Optional was created to make Arizona State University research accessible, relevant and human. With long form episodes distributed across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and RSS and short form clips on social, the podcast combines conversational storytelling with platform-specific content to connect public audiences with researchers addressing health, climate, culture and technology.
Goals & Objectives
Increase public understanding and trust in university research by translating the science into engaging, accessible content that demonstrates how research benefits everyone. Growing audiences across podcast, video and social platforms with limited marketing resources.
Results & Impact
With a modest budget under $5,000, 21 episodes produced. Season 2 Spotify plays increased 81%, subscribers rose 41%, and YouTube views increased 190%. Social clips reached 55,000+ people, while a targeted $2,500 spend to date digital campaign generated 380,000 podcast channel views and 500+ clicks.
