The Jacobs Media Blog

Earlier this week, we looked into the role that design, variety, and customization are playing in our consumer lives.  Successful brands understand the potential and the power of cross-promotion, and they work hard to optimize it. On the other hand, radio programmers know the frustration of having a great personality show that is reticent to promote […]

No one studies the social space from a broadcast radio point of view more than Lori Lewis. And one of the voids that she often sees is that managers don’t monitor their station’s social activity like they do their on-air product. In today’s post, Lori walks you through why keeping tabs on your stations socially isn’t just […]

As the Apple Watch promotional juggernaut has rolled out during the past week, analysts continue to parse the comments of CEO Tim Cook, along with offering their interpretations of what Apple is trying to do with its first wearable product. In fact, some say the number of different designs, sizes, materials, and bands is very “un-Apple-like,” […]

We have been focusing several posts this week on a new way of thinking about ROI – and that different metric, ROE2 – return on experience x engagement. And there’s no better person to provide perspective on the topic than Lori Lewis. During the past four years with Jacobs Media, she’s watched the social space move from […]

Today’s guest post from Paul Jacobs is a continuation of yesterday’s discussion about the limitations of ROI, and the need for a better and more meaningful way to evaluate brand connection. This conversation was spurred by an AdAge think piece by Epsilon CEO Andy Frawley, and you can read that post here. Frawley writes about the […]

As marketers attempt to better understand how to best harness brands, as well as how to most effectively use their resources, the term ROI – Return On Investment – has skyrocketed in popularity and cliché uses. Many salivate at the prospects of being able to drill down to zip codes, neighborhoods, and individual households in order […]

It is easy for a legacy medium like broadcast radio to fall into that mindset of doing what always works. After all, habit and consistency play roles in how people use their entertainment sources, and radio has benefited from both over the decades. But you can also go to the well one too many times. […]

With all this bad weather all over the country, the good news is that Spring Training is underway, and that means that warmer temperatures and outdoor activities are right around the corner. And speaking of that, a story out of the Washington Nationals’ Spring Training camp captured my attention this week. Former Detroit Tiger and Cy Young […]

Jim Elliott is probably a bit nervous.  He’s the new chief judge for the 2015 Radio Mercury Awards, and he’s already anticipating the worst when it comes to radio ad submissions.  Sadly, he has every right to have serious trepidations about the advertising he’s about to hear. But before we get to his plight, let’s review some research about […]

These days, it seems like there’s a very line between the wisdom of “fish where the fish are” OR failing to do that and ending up “swimming with the fishes.”  Those are the increasingly hard choices facing broadcasters as the ad world redefines itself and its priorities. A recent eMarketer article points to the growing interest […]

Early last month, a post on jacoBLOG called “Pyramid Scheme” introduced the idea of an update or makeover of the original Coleman Image Pyramid. It was based on the premise that radio broadcasters are now competing in an infinitely larger media landscape. The Jacobs New Pyramid suggested a different pecking order, with unique personalities/shows at […]

Yup, today’s the day. This blog turns ten years old– an entire decade of posts, observations, opinions, and hopefully, not too much blather about the radio business and how it fits into the expanding world of media, entertainment, and information. Many of you know Tim Davis who was our director of digital during the early […]

With apologies to The Boomtown Rats, let’s get into the new week with some news – almost all of it good. Late last week, the RAB released its 2014 grand sales totals for the year, and (drum roll)…. Yes, 2014 was another flattish year for overall revenue (actually down 1% year to year, with both spot […]

With apologies to The Boomtown Rats, let’s get into the new week with some news – almost all of it good. Late last week, the RAB released its 2014 grand sales totals for the year, and (drum roll)…. Yes, 2014 was another flattish year for overall revenue (actually down 1% year to year, with both spot […]