Jeramey Jannene

GoGeddit Marketing Moves To Walker’s Point

Firm getting new name and enhanced focus on podcasts to go with new home.

By - Mar 7th, 2023 02:24 pm
Richie Burke sits in GGMM's new studio. Photo provided.

Richie Burke sits in GGMM’s new studio. Photo provided.

GoGeddit Marketing and Media (GGMM) is writing the next chapter in its story. That includes changing its name, focusing on its strongest offerings and moving to a new home.

The business started in 2011 as a daily deals website before pivoting to become a marketing agency and, ultimately, making its mark as a local leader in podcast production.

Led by Richie Burke, GGMM is relocating to Walker’s Point from St. Francis. Burke said it’s about “getting to the next level and providing a better experience for our clients.”

GoGeddit will get a new name in April, and the agency’s flagship podcast, The GoGedders Podcast, will also be rebranded. The renaming is part of a bigger move to emphasize the company’s focus on audio and video production and storytelling.

The company is ditching its warehouse-like location off S. Pennsylvania Ave. and taking over a first-floor commercial space at 215 W. Florida St. A new studio is being constructed in the rear of the 1,300-square-foot space, while large storefront windows bring natural light into the street-facing meeting spaces.

“I think it will be a nice billboard for the new brand as well,” said Burke. “I think the rebrand will give us a really strong foundation and better offerings to build from.”

The company currently has four full-time employees and regularly works with four freelancers. It was previously larger, providing a wider array of traditional marketing services.

“We did a lot of stuff, which I think is an inherent problem with a lot of agencies,” said Burke. “For a small team, we were scattered.”

The company started experimenting with podcasting in 2016. It also scaled up its video production efforts. “Podcasting was different, especially when we were first launched, and that got us a lot of attention and allowed us to get into a lot of big brands that we couldn’t before,” said Burke.

Podcasts are audio programs available for download on a usually-free subscription basis. The medium, which can also include video segments, has become increasingly popular with the proliferation of smartphones. Burke said listeners actively listen to a high percentage of each episode, which affords companies time to build relationships and tell their stories.

GGMM has produced podcasts for many organizations including Johnson Financial Group, Leinenkugel’s, Colliers International, Marquette University, Milwaukee School of Engineering and Trek, the last of which is led by Burke’s family. The agency offers studio space, production and distribution support and also helps organizations develop their content and message.

Burke said GGMM has learned a lot about what podcasts will succeed, even if they’re limited series. He said organizations need to be committed to telling their story and putting in the time to follow through on the vision. “Some problems you can’t fix,” he said. “I probably wouldn’t recommend they even do a podcast, which was different than my initial thesis that every company should do a podcast because I saw how it helped grow our business.”

The entrepreneur, now a veteran podcast host, is convinced that podcasts will remain an important medium for companies to tell their story, and a way to develop better relationships with customers. “Even if it’s a show that doesn’t get a ton of downloads and it’s a [business-to-business] company, doing it can expedite the sales process or pre-frame someone going into a meeting. That can be worth a ton of money.”

He also said companies can better communicate with videos. The business’s new studio is designed to be used for either audio or video production, and can be configured for large or small groups.

“We work with a number of companies that will never start a podcast. But they could create much better video content to tell their story better and better engage their audience,” said Burke. “It’s not just limited to podcasting.”

The agency’s new office is a bit of a homecoming. GGMM’s first office after leaving the Hudson Business Lounge coworking space in 2014 was a raw, 1,820-square-foot space a few blocks to the north at 133 W. Pittsburgh Ave., now the Artisan Lofts Apartments. After being pushed out for the building’s redevelopment, the company leased space at 2680 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., a Bay View storefront, before moving further south to St. Francis.

Its new office is located in a two-story building owned by Tameica Greene of G8 Properties. Greene acquired the property for $900,000 from developer Ryan Pattee last summer as Burke pursued his relocation to the building. Before GGMM, Luci Boutique briefly occupied the space. A large Greetings From MKE mural by Fred Kaems makes the property hard to miss. Honey Wraith Tattoo fills the other commercial space in the building. Newly-opened Hen’s Deli is located in the building to the east, while the Iron Horse Hotel anchors the western end of the street.

No new episodes of the GoGedders podcast will be published until April, when the new name launches, but listeners can listen to old episodes and subscribe to the podcast.

211-219 W. Florida St. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

211-219 W. Florida St. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

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