The vacation rental industry’s most recognizable brand Casiola, is certainly no stranger when it comes to outside-of-the-box projects. This year, it’s partnered with the team from the no BS short-term rental podcast and become the “starring sponsor” of a first-of-its-kind fictional mystery podcast called “Derailed”. The episodic story launched earlier this March, and already has listeners at the edge of their seats.
Co-hosts, Mateo Bradford-Vazquez and John Stokinger have already built a reputation for being industry mavericks, as showcased by their unfiltered (yet extremely insightful) show, the no BS short-term rental podcast. In late 2022, the duo felt the urge to stir the pot even more with a fictional podcast – something that has never been done in the industry before.
Vazquez and Stokinger joined forces with Neely Khan, a UK-based writer, with a unique niche in short-term rentals and fictional storytelling – and together, the team of three founded and launched Derailed.
Derailed tells the grappling story of a troubled writer named “Jase Nolan” who is trying to make sense of a horrific murder investigation and the suspicious events that are unfolding around him, all while battling his own personal demons. Vazquez and Stokinger have sought a number of industry-leading sponsors who’ve been effortlessly weaved into the fictional story, thanks to Khan’s script writing. However, the team knew from the very beginning that they would need a real stand-out brand to take the starring role in this never-been-told-before tale.
Founder and CEO of Casiola Vacation Homes, Dennis Goedheid was taken aback by the concept of Derailed, as soon as the opportunity to be involved was presented to him. Although the podcast is a genuine industry-first, Godheid feels that it’s brilliantly aligned with Casiola’s brand – which is loved by thousands of guests for being fresh and forward-thinking:
We are proud and thrilled to be the Starring sponsor for the Derailed podcast. It’s an exciting, fresh, innovative and new method of marketing, which is precisely what we are striving to do in the vacation rental sector. I can’t wait for the next episode. Dennis Goedheid – CEO & Founder at Casiola.
As the show’s official Starring Sponsor, Casiola will play an immense role in Derailed’s story. The team has worked closely with Khan, who has highlighted some of the brand’s most striking rental properties across Miami, Orlando, and Aruba throughout the plot. Not only this, but listeners will notice the show’s fictional characters making reference to Casiola’s iconic pink trucks, engaging marketing campaigns, and additional services. The beauty of this is that they’ll be naturally entwined into the story – giving listeners a subliminal nod towards Casiola’s brand.
As an industry leader in innovative new and creative Brand Marketing Casiola was a perfect fit for Derailed, they instantly got our vision, we could not have asked for a better starring role sponsor and partner.
Casiola steps in as a major plot contributor from episode three onwards; and Khan has already teased that the brand will help listeners uncover an unbelievable clue in the mystery, towards the final scenes. As far as innovative story-led marketing goes, Casiola will definitely remain full-steam ahead (within and outside the industry) because of its partnership with Derailed.
This bold and admirable move from Casiola is an incredible example of how brands should now be leaning towards more fresh marketing ideas to really stand out from the crowd. No doubt, this will be yet another memorable moment in Casiola’s growing portfolio of wins.
Derailed is a no BS production on the Amplified Audio network of podcasts. Executive produced by Mateo Bradford-Vazquez, John Stokinger, and Neely Khan, produced and edited by Mike C, and written and directed by Neely Khan.
You can catch up with the latest episodes and hear Casiola take centre stage by visiting www.derailedpodcast.com. The fictional mystery is also available to listen to on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Podcasts.
