The Jacobs Media Blog

Welcome to Presidents’ Day. Radio ratings have always been impacted by external events, ranging from weather to sports to Christmas music. Now, the non-stop firehose of news stories swarming around Presidential politics is no doubt affecting radio ratings. Specifically, how can music radio stations retain their relevance during these turbulent times?

Earlier this week, Playboy announced it was reversing a decision it made in 2016, removing nudity from its pages. It’s a classic example of marketing gone wrong, and it speaks to how brands need to maintain their core essence in order to survive and thrive, even in disruptive times.

Much of radio’s angst and consternation these past few years have centered on the dashboards of “connected cars.” But disappearing radios in homes may prove to be an even bigger challenge for the industry. Thanks to the rapid rise of voice command devices like the Amazon Echo, radio may, in fact, emerge as a big winner on the home front.

You may have forgotten yesterday was World Radio Day. Or maybe like me, you had no idea it even existed. It’s a day devoted entirely to the celebration of our great medium, and it’s never too late to pay homage to radio and the millions who enjoy it every week.

Social media is changing the political landscape. And in the process, social outlets like Twitter and Facebook are changing in the process. Radio and its personalities can learn a great deal from the savvy and strategic use of social media by a growing number of influential politicos.

At the Podcast Movement conference this summer in Anaheim, Jacobs Media has struck a partnership with the PM team to produce a all-day track designed for radio broadcasters: “Broadcasters Meet Podcasters.” In today’s post, Podcast Movement co-founder, Dan Franks, and I talk about the reasons why this collaboration was a no-brainer, and the importance of bringing broadcasters and podcasters together.

Sunday’s Super Bowl was a record-setter. And many of the ads took on a different flavor or tone, too. What do they say about personality radio show humor, benchmarks, and bits as we enter a very different climate in 2017?

Last night’s Super Bowl is one of those rare must-watch-in-real-time events. So much of TV viewing is occurring on-demand on multiple screens, bolstered by streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. And that’s why the television ratings battlefield is heating up, featuring a new competitor to Nielsen, claiming to measures everything. What about radio? Is it time for the industry to rethink its ratings system, what’s being measured, and by whom?

For the millions of people in the U.S. tuned into the Super Bowl on Sunday, it’s a chance to use social media to interact with the game and with each other. For brands, it’s an opportunity to make a mark during the most-watched event of the year. But it starts with knowing the social platforms your audience prefers, and devising a smart in-game strategy. Today’s post has new data about what we know about Super Bowl “socializing.”

Disruptive times demand that brands question their business model. Right now, Ford is undergoing this process, rewriting its own playbook. Today’s post has a preview of their new Super Bowl spot – a clever new statement of purpose that shows they’ve questioned everything. Now, they’re emerging with a new vision about the future of transportation. It’s a message to every industry in a rapidly changing world of business.

Since the dawn of audience ratings, stations have been chasing after diaries and now meters, often getting right down to the neighborhood level. It turns out that many major consumers brands are actively involved in doing just that. And their hyper-local marketing efforts are taking place in local schools. Today’s blog post explores how they’re doing it.

We all enjoy hearing a great story. Now it turns out that a new research study from agency Hill Holiday came to this important conclusion: “Stories move not only people, but they also move product.” We’ve got the “story” in today’s blog post.

The passing of Mary Tyler Moore last week reminded us of how far women have come in the radio broadcasting industry. In company after company, women have attained positions of prominence and leadership. The broadcasting business has grown up since Mary Richards took that job in the WJM-TV newsroom.

We’re bombard with content, articles, and research, but given short attention spans and our frantic pace, we may miss that next big idea. This is the story is how one of those great concepts came to the surface, aided by a unique “digital first” campaign that energized a legacy brand.

After years on the shelf, the Jolly Green Giant is back, reimagined for a digital age. We list five key advantages to station mascots, a tool that can humanize a radio brand in ways that benefit both programming and sales.

Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook has tons of data on its users, but sometimes that takes a back seat to taking the time to listen to your audience.