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. And for Rock Radio (and its sub-formats), in particular, that well may be running dry.
Heineken just announced its new media battle plan, and traditional broadcast TV and radio aren’t sounding like the go-to platforms they once were. AdAge takes us behind the scenes to better understand the new thinking about digital versus traditional media, right from the source – Beer Business Daily. And they report this might be the first major supplier gathering where digital trumped TV, radio, and outdoor advertising.
And to punctuate the new emphasis, when asked about the necessity of television advertising for his brand, Heineken CMO Nuno Teles responded, “I strongly believe that you probably don’t necessarily need it.”
Strongly believe.
Of course, that belief is essentially a repudiation of radio as well. And Heineken’s new commitment now translates to experimenting with different ways of engaging and marketing. To whit, Heineken is now leaning on a Major League Soccer partnership, reinforced by web content that is focused on reaching millennials and the Hispanic market.
The bottom line? Teles says that it’s now about “a combination of different media channels (as) the best (solution).”
For radio, this isn’t a good harbinger for future bargaining and strategic promotional presentations. And perhaps it’s also a blunt reminder that the same-old, tried-and-true tactics aren’t going to easily fly in a dynamic marketing environment that emphasizes a mix of options that includes “what’s new?”
So bar and club nights – the old standard for how to move lager – have to be on the lowest tier of a beer presentation, if at all. And instead, web promotions, tastings, event title sponsorships, and maybe even some online beer pong competitions ought to be part of the creative array that makes up new digital and traditional packaging.
The same old solutions, predictable tactics, and promotions that are never-changing are all part of the marketing formula that brands like Heineken are pushing back against.
So it’s time to stop thinking old school, and clearly the moment to start innovating digitally, because that’s where the dollars are shifting. Many radio stations have the tools – web sites, databases, social media, and mobile. So it’s a matter of thinking about how these platforms can be deployed creatively as a way to engage beer drinkers in a new and different ways.
KISW has created a “Beer Finder” for their own brand of beer – “Mens Room Red” right on their app where it can be easily put to use while consumers are out and about. Other ideas might include a mobile Bar Guide that lists all area watering holes, along with trivia games on “Testing Your Beer IQ,” all of which can be sponsored by beer brands.
Or add a digital component to an on-premise event. Earlier this year, we saw an RFP from a beer company where the goal was to generate activity on the brand’s Twitter hashtag. That leads to ideas like creating a competition, like a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, and encourage participants and their fans to use Twitter to talk about it.
In this new media/marketing environment, hitting (or even coming in below) a cost-per-point goal isn’t going to save revenue that’s moving out of spot radio. The only way to retain – much less grow – dollars is by investing in digital platforms, leveraging great radio brands, working toward creative solutions, and then using that mix to not only capture revenue, but actually engage the drinking masses.
I’ve got the next round.
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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Another home run!….Fred, you’re right on the money, I’ve been working very hard to come up to speed in marketing, advertising and promotions which includes a class at my local community college on this very subject, and the trend now is to use ICM Integrated Marketing Communications and the metrics are taken very seriously, looking at CPP and CPM. Advertisers/Ad Agency’s are so sophisticated now that media companies that don’t have their finger on the pulse, will be left behind, I’ve read a lot of sad stories coming from the broadcasting area….but to get back to the subject, companies can now break everything down to demographics geographics geodemographics sociographics, and they know their target audience’s behavior….Millenials are the new baby boomers, kids are all going to streaming, even with TV……I’m sorry, but Clearchannel, Cumulus all media should be putting you in the boardroom, this is the way the wind is blowing!
The worlds of advertising and marketing are moving quickly, Billy, as you point out. It is difficult for many traditional media companies to try to fix the plane while it’s flying at 35,000 feet. It’ often easier doing a startup than a legacy brand. Thanks for offering up the comment and for reading our blog.