More and more these days, I think about those promotions that ingenious 1970s General Managers and Program Directors dreamed up in their attempts to dominate the car radio back in the days of Gerald Ford, the Godfather movies, and the Big Red Machine.
In the days when cars had five or six preset buttons, earning a place in that all-important radio “real estate market” was critical. Smart broadcasters knew that many consumers rarely changed a preset (save for a format or major DJ change), so if you somehow managed to become one of these exclusive groups of stations that got locked into someone’s car radio, chances are you earned a nice piece of listening from that driver…for years.
To ensure that as many cars as possible would work to your advantage, some stations worked out arrangements with auto dealers in town that allowed staffers or interns on the car lot to preset every radio on every car in the lot to their station(s). One car at a time, this little tactic made a lot of sense, especially given how many people simply never changed their presets. Looking back on it today, this guerilla activity seems quaint and very “old radio.”
Now let’s fast-forward to today’s “connected cars” and more sophisticated, but very complicated “center stacks.” On systems like Ford’s SYNC or Chrysler’s UConnect, for example, the entertainment and information choices are essentially infinite. But those initial decisions about dashboard listening choices are often made on the day when the buyer picks up their vehicle, and the salesperson pairs their phone and helps guide them through the setup process.
It’s an emotional time for the consumer. She’s a bit nervous picking up that brand new shiny car or truck, while staring at a “center stack” that looks – and truly is – complicated.
A dirty little secret that insightful automotive marketers and engineers are learning is that while the so-called ”digital dashboard” has changed, the customer hasn’t. In fact, even smart auto industry insiders admit they often use the “set it and forget it” philosophy with their own personal vehicles. They may go to some length during the initial process to get everything just so, but few make substantive changes to these settings over the months and even years they own or lease the vehicle. If your station is fortunate enough to earn a preset or placement on the first screen when the car is delivered, you have an edge. And if not….well, you may be in deeper trouble than a station might have been back in those preset days. Many consumers may have a very difficult time simply finding you.
This is why that initial handoff point between the dealer and the buyer is so critical for broadcast radio. As we discussed last year when Lori Lewis picked up her GMC Acadia, AM/FM radio isn’t naturally on the “first screen.” You have to ask about it, as she did. But how many people are going to simply blurt out, “Hey, can you show me how to get my favorite AM and FM stations to show up on the main screen when I get into the vehicle?”
Here’s a video we put together for our “Radio & The Connected Car” super session at last year’s “Radio Show” in Orlando that underscores the importance of training at the local dealership level. You can clearly see the educational challenges that dealers face – with their own salespeople and staffers, as well as the consumer – in the comments from these dealers and automotive execs on the ground.
>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO WATCH DEALER TRAINING VIDEO<
For radio, this is an opportunity, and a topic that we’re going to tackle at DASH in October. The assumption that radio is entitled to prime dashboard real estate in cars is shortsighted, dated, and even arrogant. While it varies by vehicle and by OEM, the fact is that radio is often not front and center on “digital dashboards,” and even where the medium has a level playing field with Pandora, Sirius/XM, and other options, your station is not necessarily going to become a preset.
Unless you make it happen. We are beginning the process, and we’ll keep you up-to-date with how we’re progressing and what you can do to make a difference in your local market or in your company.
More information about DASH and the “connected car” is available here.
In the meantime, buy one, lease one, rent one, or test drive one.
There is no more critical issue facing broadcast radio right now than the “connected car.”
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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