Yes, we’re headed into another incredible season where radio’s involvement with the holidays will be… the same as it ever was.
Many stations have already gone wall-to-wall Christmas (or holiday) music. Some will be involved in community fundraisers, while still others will give away any numbers of prizes, mall shopping sprees, or the “__ Days Of Christmas.”
And there’s nothing wrong with any of this – these are tried and true promotions and they often work very well.
But they also speak to radio’s lack of imagination and fear of trying new and different holiday giveaways – especially in the merchandizing department.
Those of you who have read this blog these last few years know that this is around the time I start sounding like Scrooge, and lament the fact that it’s virtually impossible to even purchase station logoware and other branded goodies, despite the fact that many brands are powerful enough to sell this stuff.
The problem is, most stations no longer have the time, staff, resources, or bandwidth to even put together rudimentary merch programs, online stores, and the other basics necessary to cash in on their powerful brands.
Yet, it seems like every other media and pop culture brand makes this happen – and in fact, some of these for-sale items are becoming more personalized and customized.
Case in point: Major League Baseball. Last weekend, I received an email offering “egraphs” – customized gifts from popular players from every team.
Here’s the link to learn how they’re doing it, but for as little as $25, recipients pick an available player, write him a note, receive a handwritten response along with a recorded personalized message, and the photo of the player of your choice. Here’s an example of New York Met pitcher R.A. Dickey’s egraph for a fan:
How hard is this to do?
Can’t you imagine those great Classic Rock and Oldies stations doing something similar with their iconic personalities by autographing a favorite old vinyl album or 45 for fans with a personalized message? Same thing for other formats from Country to Christian to Talk to Sports.
Why is it that so many other industries and great products leverage the power of their personalities, stars, teams, and brands, while radio consistently misses the opportunity every year to create memorable, personalized, and customized stocking stuffers?
Or if that’s too hard, can’t we just sell a few thousand T-shirts, hats, and hoodies?
Bah! Humbug!
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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