Here’s a question for everyone in radio at the station level?
How do you define your brand?
Do you consider yourselves “The Classic Rock Station” or the station that plays “Favorites of the ‘80s, ‘90s, and Today?” Or are you “The News Authority?”
And how would your audience describe you?
The fact is that radio stations – when they’re operating well – are more than just a positioning statement or a format. They’re a lifestyle. And great brands do more for consumers than just play great songs or have good guests.
Great radio brands are an extension of their basic programming – and some brand managers understand this well. They go beyond their format boundaries and weave in lifestyle elements that bring color and emotion. We work with a company that has developed poster-looking graphics for each station. The logo is in the center, surrounded by visuals that speak to the brand characteristics that go beyond format boundaries.
So picture your logo – what goes around it? How does your brand reflect who your audience is and what they’re into?
If you’re an AC station, maybe those graphics include a mall and a stroller. If you’re a Hot AC, maybe there’s a Louis Vuitton bag and a Cosmo. If you’re a Rock station, maybe it’s a Harley and a 6-pack.
It’s a great exercise to do because it provides both programming and sales with the necessary color and details that lead to enhanced content, greater audience engagement, and additional revenue.
An interesting case in point is a new promotion on Twitter that is being sponsored by the Buick Enclave SUV. During the past few years, the brand has integrated gourmet cook-offs as part of their branding activities. And now, Buick is engaged in a Napa Valley promotion that integrates wine, film, bloggers, Twitter – and yes, the Enclave.
Buick realizes that some of these activities may be a stretch. Lots of consumers who enjoy this stuff are import car buyers. But given that nearly half of Enclave buyers come from competing brands, of which 20% are imports, it makes sense.
So it comes down to research, brand knowledge, and making the smartest calculations to either stroke existing lifestyle categories – or branch out to new ones.
Radio has some of the best brands in media – local, admired, and part of the fabric of the communities they serve. How we connect those lifestyle dots to grow our brands and provide the audience with a broader, richer experience is more than just running bus signs, sending out direct mail pieces, and engaging in robo calls.
It’s a brand thing.
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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Bravo Fred. Your note to “go beyond their format boundaries” rings so true. I interpret that as going beyond the music to connect with the lifestyle of the listener. We call that understanding the “points of passsion” of the audience. Gourmat cooking is presumably a point of passion for the Enclave heavy-deeps. Just like Bill Black noted for Starbucks — the Red Fund was a passion point for their super-regulars. As you suggest, connecting those lifestyle dots provides a much more holistic brand engagement than featuring artist images on a billboard, postcard, or tv ad for that matter. Putting the listener at the center is the first step.
Funny, Tripp, I thought about Bill Black’s talk when I wrote the post. It is about going beyond the music to reflect the listeners’ other passions and interests. Thanks for reading our blog and for contributing to the conversation.