Before you know it, the old pigskin will be tossed around, and soon, commercial radio broadcasters will head off to Indianapolis, while public radio programmers will make the trek to Portland, Oregon. And that means that DASH 2.0 is right around the corner. As you begin to plan out Q4, take a look at what’s planned through the lens of Paul Jacobs, a guy who knows his way around the “connected car.” – FJ
Last October, close to 300 leaders from commercial and public radio companies, managers from local stations, as well as executives from the automotive industry (GM, Ford, and Toyota), advertising agencies, pure-plays (like Pandora and Slacker), car dealers, and many others gathered in Detroit for a unique event – the first DASH Conference. Along with our partners at Radio Ink and the Connected Vehicle Trade Association’s Valerie Shuman, we designed the first DASH like you would plan an important anniversary dinner – an opportunity for two old partners to reconnect and look for common ground.
It was an amazing gathering. Unlike most radio conferences, broadcasters didn’t find themselves sitting next to…other broadcasters. They were at tables with leaders from OEMs, Tier Ones, and yes, even Pandora – sharing ideas, comparing notes, brainstorming, and listening to presentations from experts and visionaries, talking about the future of audio entertainment in the car.
We conceived and organized DASH because we believe that radio’s historic dominance in the car – the industry’s number one listening location and advertising revenue category – is in jeopardy. The dashboard is no longer a simple interface with two knobs, 12 presets, and a CD player. It is a multi-media interface capable of providing virtually unlimited entertainment and information channels, as well as new ways for advertisers to connect directly to consumers.
For two years now, the “connected car” has been a hot topic in radio circles. Beginning with Eric Rhoads’ well-publicized reaction to a panel at his Convergence 2013 event, and ending with our SRO super session in cooperation with Arbitron and Strategy Analytics’ Roger Lanctot at the 2013 Radio Show in Orlando, the “connected car” has taken a center stage position on most broadcasters’ radar screens.
And then our DASH conference this past October was the first-ever automotive-meets-radio “connected car” get-together of its kind.
But one industry event was just the hors d’oeuvre. Since that maiden DASH conference, while other issues facing radio have been in the news (Sound Exchange, the decline of talk radio, tepid revenue growth, where the hell is Casey Kasem’s body?), the auto industry remains fixated on continuing to evolve the in-car audio experience. For example, since the first DASH conference, here are just a few things that have happened:
- The big boys have gotten into the game – Apple and Google have created their own in-car entertainment interfaces featuring their respective platforms, creating confusion and opportunity for the automakers, and potentially providing even more options for radio listeners to access a world of entertainment while driving.
- General Motors has launched its 4G LTE platform, turning the car into a mobile hot spot, providing full access to the Internet and all of its options for as many as seven passengers per vehicle.
- Ford’s dealer co-op announced a dictate in January requiring dealers to allocate 25% of these dollars into digital, and upped that to 50% in July.
- BMW reports they are removing AM radio from some of their electric vehicles.
- Ford is partnering with Dominos to provide the ability to order pizza directly through the car through voice activation (thus potentially eliminating the need to run advertising).
- While automotive continues to be the top revenue category for radio, it fell 2% from Q2 last year.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Thus, DASH 2.0. The auto industry continues to march along at a rapid pace, and it’s more important than ever that the relationships that were formed last year solidify, and the foundation of shared interest be built upon.
After last year’s event, we sent out a survey to DASH attendees and learned how we could improve the experience. We were told, for example, that local broadcasters need to learn how they can impact change in their markets, and there were requests for more direct interaction with OEMs. So, we have created a unique session that focuses on how radio can sell cars, and how car dealers can sell radio. We’ll focus on great radio creative, and we’ll also be looking at the new car training experience in a way you’ve never seen before. We’ve talked about it in this blog for a long time, but now you’ll see it – video of car buyers taking delivery on their vehicles and what happens when the sales person tours them through the digital dashboard. Then we’ll bring together dealers and broadcasters to discuss how they can help each other grow their respective businesses in this new environment.
There will be a session called “Open Mic,” where attendees will be able to simply fire questions at John Ellis, the Global Technologist and Head of the Developer Program with the Ford Motor Company. Here’s your chance to ask whatever you want without any filters.
We are creating an entertaining, but important session called “DASH Tank” (think of it as “Shark Tank” without the vitriol or the overt greed). We’ve put together an entertaining panel of industry leaders – the RAB’s Erica Farber, Ford’s Scott Burnell, and Alan Taylor, host of The Drive with Alan Taylor. They will take pitches from companies that have created products that intersect radio and automotive, and the subsequent discussion will unveil the opportunities and challenges new products and service might enjoy by obtaining space in the “center stack.”
There will be a lot more, including sessions on monetizing data, an amazing video view of Millennials and cars from Nielsen, and Edison’s Larry Rosin looking at the future of traffic reports on the radio. And we’ll have additional announcements about presenters in the coming weeks.
Oh, and let’s not forget our keynote speaker, the CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, Gary Shapiro, a guy who is long on vision and never short on opinions.
From Ford to Visteon, from Pandora to Slacker, from major radio groups to small market broadcasters, the ballroom at the Westin at Detroit’s beautiful Metro Airport will be filled with people you want to meet, learn from, and hang out with.
There are lots of radio and telematics conferences to choose from. They serve a vital purpose, but are limited to information specific to their industry. DASH is much more ambitious, mashing up professionals who have never met from multiple industries with a common interest.
Fred and I lamented that at the first DASH Conference, we saw some incredible networking taking place. Unfortunately, our attention was on keeping the show running on time. Our loss – your gain. There were some great meetings, introductions, and collaborations happening last year. Given this year’s registration list, that phenomenon will accelerate.
The radio industry is facing a critical fork in the road. The number one listening location and advertising category remains the same – the car. But the automotive and infotainment ecosphere is changing – quickly – and everyone has a stake in this.
The way for radio to have a “voice” in this process is to get engaged, meet the leaders of the automotive industry, learn what’s ahead, and identify the moves the industry needs to make at the local level with auto dealers, and on a more global scale as well.
For more information about DASH or to register, go to www.dashconference.com.
After a brief stint working for the William A. Robinson marketing services agency in Chicago, where he created campaigns for Philip Morris and Seagram's, Paul struck gold when he was hired as an Account Executive at WRIF-FM in Detroit. This experience launched his sales management career, and four years later, he became the General Sales Manager for KZEW-FM in Dallas, and ultimately, the General Manager for KHYI-FM, also in Dallas. He was lured home to run WDFX-FM in Detroit, before joining Jacobs Media as its General Manager in 1991.
Along with overseeing the day-to-day operations of Jacobs Media, Paul’s main contribution has been the addition of sales consulting services. As an expert in all Rock formats, Paul has made Jacobs Media clients’ untold amounts of money by aiding them in their understanding of how to sell, market, and position their formats via sales training seminars. He has conducted hundreds of client presentations on behalf of Jacobs Media clients, and has aided the Ford Motor Company and Procter & Gamble in improving their understanding of the youth market. Paul is a true "format champion" – someone who believes in the power of branding, and developing radio’s inherent assets.
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