Today’s “Best of JacoBLOG” post was one of my favorites of the year.
The original post published two months ago, and the reactions from you are still ringing in my ears. A number of you have referenced the post in conversations – specifically, the TikTok video above.
And for good reason. It speaks volumes about broadcast radio’s relationship and relevance to Gen Z. When the post originally ran, the comments came in fast and furious on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and in the “Comments” section below.
Please don’t rag on me for reposting it going into the end of the year because there’s a method to my madness. This post just might give you – and me – a little to think about as we head into a new year. The ball drop this weekend signifies the end and the beginning. Let’s see if our industry can step up to perhaps its biggest challenge in 2023.
HNY! – FJ
October
Your homework assignment is to play the ever-so-brief but ever-so-painful TikTok video above. It’s less than a minute long, but if you’re working in broadcast radio today, it seems much longer.
It’s from a young girl who creates a series of driving TikToks, a common format for the platform. But this one’s gone “viral,” as they say.
There are many ways to say that broadcast radio has failed to connect with teens, but this simple TikTok video communicates it better than words, charts, or graphs can.
If you work in radio, it’s brutal.
When I saw it, it was a reminder to me of the fatal mistake radio continues to make by not even making an effort to reach this generation of truly amazing young people – and voracious consumers.
They may not be as “unreachable” as many radio people imagine. The narrative is they’ve grown up without radio so why on earth would they start listening now? After all, they’re “digital natives.” But Edison data from 2019 suggest otherwise.
In their “Radio’s Roadmap to Gen Z,” they point out several fun facts about teens and radio:
- A majority (55%) of 13-24 year-olds in the U.S. are reached daily by AM/FM radio.
- But they spend 50% less of their total share of time listening to AM/FM radio than the 13+ population.
- Gen Z listens most to AM/FM when they’re in their cars – almost half the time – ahead of streaming audio and YouTube.
These facts may seem incongruous with what we’ve come to believe, but that “conventional wisdom” is flat-out wrong.
Radio is easiest to listen to in the car – at least for now. The data show that teens at least are willing to try a radio station when they first jump into the car.
Other so-called facts about Gen Z and their favorite brands fly in the face of logic. For example, Walmart is more popular among teens than Apple.
That’s according to a new Morning Consult study, “Gen Z’s Favorite Brands 2022.” Look at their top 20 – lots of mainstream brands here:
How could this possibly happen?
Did you know Walmart is making serious efforts to court teens? A new story in Marketing Dive by Peter Adams reveals Walmart’s efforts to create interactive virtual spaces before the holidays. They’ll focus on several areas, including a beauty and cosmetics section.
Wouldn’t you know it? The world largest retailer is working hard to connect with Gen Z via the launch of two Roblox experiences. That begs the question, what do they know we don’t know?
Here’s Walmart’s brand experiences and strategic partnerships director Justin Breton:
“We’re really manifesting the brand in a way that we think is going to excite the next generation of consumers and get them to think of Walmart differently.”
Changing perceptions isn’t easily done, especially for an old school brand that has largely ignored an entire generation.
But, if they can do it….
The good news is that unlike the pioneer days of radio where swashbucklers like Bill Drake, Rick Sklar, and Lee Abrams had to gut their way to success, there’s no shortage of truly great research available to programmers and marketers now.
In today’s Inside Radio, a very cool study and flip book from Horizon Media is featured. A finding that echoes Edison’s research is that while they only lightly consume traditional media like newspapers, TV, and magazines, they are heavy users of radio.
In fact, Gen Z’s over-index on radio. This data is based on Simmons indices, so a certain level of caution is encouraged. But still….the data indicates more teens listen to radio than most observers think:
Horizon has put together a nifty “Gen Z Field Guide” you can download here, conveniently broken down into five big categories, including “Entertainment.”
It’s a slick piece of work, loaded with (mostly) fun facts about teens.
But perhaps here’s the most important data point I pulled out of the study:
Gen Z makes up an estimated $360 billion in purchasing power.
At a time when the radio broadcasting industry is struggling with it traditional business and its newest ventures, who’s going to be the first to take a shot here.
The Horizon Media study reports than nine in ten 18-25 year-olds say there’s no such thing as “mainstream pop culture.” That sounds like an open door opportunity to me.
If you need encouragement, just play the TikTok video again.
When it comes to radio and Gen Z, tick tock.
A special shoutout to NPR’s Sal LoCurto, always looking around the next corner.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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I just sampled our local “Hip Hop” station and the songs playing included a lot of “F” bombs (edited out), “N” words (edited out), slappin’ booties, murder -things that in their raw form would never make it on the FCC controlled airwaves. Today’s younger generation can’t understand that. What’s everyday language to them is forbidden on public airwaves. I’m not advocating allowing this- but the fact is that if the listener can get it fully uncensored, why would they default to broadcast media? If Gen Z sees broadcasters as restricted fuddy duddies who think it’s necessary to bleep out or edit their favorite songs, how can AM/FM survive. One of the key attributes of a product is that it’s not available anywhere else. Radio has the problem of dealing with (in some cases) a BETTER product (more desirable) available online. Does Tik-Tok allow those “F” bombs or offensive words ? Is it available to all ages? Gen Z’s purchasing power is huge. Baby Boomers is much much higher. Both are ignored by broadcast radio, but you have to ask yourself (in a “Dirty Harry” style….) “Do you want boomers or Gen Z? You gotta ask yourself ‘do I feel lucky’?” ……which demo has the best chance of surviving the challenge? My head hurts after writing this.
After reading your comment, I don’t feel very lucky. And I, too, have a headache.
My suggestion, Dave? Take a couple aspirins, and let’s take this up again in 2023. Enjoy your new year, aand be safe.
The TikTok clip makes commercial radio’s principal shortcoming painfully evident: a phony voice trying to sound hip but instead demonstrating noisy, tiresome banality and sound effects before getting around (eventually) to what the listener tuned in for, ie, some music. Who needs it? Not Gen Z. Nor me (disclosure: septuagenarian).
As you point out, John, perceptions that radio content is out-of-sync with today’s vibe isn’t a generational thing. The medium has all but ignored the disruptive effects of streaming, podcasts, satellite; instead, it’s been “stay the course,” a recipe that fails among people of all ages.