Part 3: A Media-First Experience: When Streaming Becomes Strategy
Michael Wright - VP of Sales at uStudio | Blog, Customer Spotlight, Industry Trends, Podcasting
This is Part 3 of our series, Delivering a True Media Experience in the Enterprise. In Part 1, we explored why enterprise tools often fail users. In Part 2, we looked at what consumer media platforms get right. Now, we focus on a real-world example of how an enterprise media platform solved an engagement challenge.
Southern Glazer’s, the largest wine and spirits distributor in the U.S., had an engagement problem. They were producing important, high-value internal video content to support change management—executive updates, training, and cultural moments—and distributing them through their corporate intranet. But after the initial email send, engagement dropped fast.
Viewership declined. Content wasn’t revisited. The return on their communication effort was short-lived.
The Problem: Traditional Delivery Was Falling Short
Southern Glazer’s saw all the classic signs of a poor media engagement experience inside their corporate intranet:
- A temporary spike in views right after launch
- A rapid drop-off after the initial email or announcement
- A lack of long-term engagement or repeat plays
— Jordan Franklin, VP of Change Management & Communication, Southern Glazer’s
It wasn’t a content problem. It was a delivery experience problem.
The Solution: A Media-First Streaming Experience
Southern Glazer’s partnered with uStudio to launch a leadership podcast series called Straight Up using uStudio’s enterprise media streaming platform. It wasn’t just a new format—it was a completely different experience.
- 3.83x more plays
- 70.2x more minutes consumed than the 30-episode intranet video series
That’s because Straight Up lived on a platform designed to stream—not just store—media. Employees could hit play and be carried into the next episode automatically. Content was surfaced through metadata, not buried behind menus. Engagement became effortless.
Streaming vs. Static Delivery: What the Data Shows
The graph below shows the difference clearly: while intranet video sees a short-lived spike after an email blast, engagement on uStudio’s platform builds over time. Each new episode acts like a catalyst, creating a “waterfall” effect that drives plays of older content.
When you solve for behavior, not just compliance, you unlock lasting impact.
A Platform Built for Behavior
With uStudio, content didn’t disappear after a single email send. It gained momentum over time—each new episode reactivating interest in older ones. That binge-style behavior turned passive viewers into repeat listeners. Streaming wasn’t just a better format—it was a better experience.
Real ROI: More Than Engagement
Because employees could easily stream content on their own time—including in transit or off-hours—Southern Glazer’s was able to capture what Franklin refers to as "found time."
The result:
- $1.1 million in productivity gains from content consumed during those windows
Michael Wright is a seasoned sales and customer success leader with over 15 years of experience in sales, account management, and client success. He has held progressive leadership roles at companies such as SpareFoot (2011–2017) and Rollick (2017–2022), where he served as VP and Director of Sales and Account Management. Currently, he is the VP of Sales and Customer Success at uStudio and an Executive Member at Pavilion.
Michael began his career as a Surgical Attendant at St. Mary’s Hospital and later transitioned into sales and account management roles at IT Convergence, Precision Tune Auto Care, and others. He holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia and completed a Post Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program at UC Berkeley Extension.
