JacoBlog - Jacobs Media's Blog

The Classic Rock Community

  This week, I was honored that R&R named our creation of the Classic Rock format one of the 35 pivotal radio events in their long history.  It is moments like this where I feel a great sense of thanks to my old partner, Tom Bender, and the many programmers, managers, and owners that supported the format back in the '80s.  (There's a neat tribute to the format's 20th anniversary on our site - that is fittingly nostalgic.)

The large group of radio pros who continue to work with the format and help evolve it - and even reimagine it - reminded me of the "other community" - the listeners who have so passionately supported it for more than two decades.  As Bender always reminded me, the key to Classic Rock (and any format) is to hold up the mirror to the audience and simply reflect back their level of enthusiasm.

We see this in every focus group and L.A.B. we conduct for our clients.  A dozen people from varied backgrounds and socio-economic groups get together in a conference room to talk about the music and the station.  Ninety minutes later, there's always a group of them in the parking lot arguing about concerts, albums, and other facets of the Classic Rock genre.  The one thing they have in common is their passion for the music and what it represents in their lives.

That's why I love the Classic Rock stations that find unique - and even digital ways - to reflect that passion.  KLH's Bob Bellini developed some great Classic Rock stunts that are widely being done by hundreds of stations today.  When Buzz Knight was at ZLX, he regularly gave away those pieces of Classic Rock - cool memorabilia that music fans die for.  Scott Segelbaum's Classic Rock Art Show showcases that vibe in a clever way that allows stations to create a unique in-person experience.  KSEG's Curtiss Johnson is a master at reshuffling the deck, by creating musical stunts, special weekends, and other events that could only happen in Sacramento.  In the '90s, Dave Richards also produced a lot of those groundbreaking BIG events and specials, back in the day at KZOK (before he became the Mayor of KISW).

And today, using some of the new tools, 97Rock's John Hager continues to use his website as a gathering place for Classic Rock fans.  Just this week, listeners could leave Bob Seger birthday wishes online, or they could write reviews of the recent Police concert.  The Internet in general, and station websites specifically, afford radio programmers and their listeners a unique way to share their Classic Rock love with one another.

There's your social networking.

Reimagination

In radio meetings, we're often talking about how we're going to have to reinvent events, features, and personality shows that have been around for years or even decades.  The last thing you can do is rest on those laurels in a rapidly changing environment.

But what about having to reinvent a hot product that's only been around for a year?

That's what Apple is doing with the iPhone.  After a very nice first year (our Tech Poll shows that sales are at a very nice 3%), there are signs of a slowdown.  Very few of those who don't own an iPhone indicate they're likely to take the plunge in '08.  After all that hype, that has to be a real comedown for Apple.

And it doesn't bode well for a product that has an iPod pedigree and similar aspirations.  So that's why Apple is taking mega-steps to reinvent the iPhone to make it more compatible for the business world, as well as for the larger audience.  From a faster speed to opening the device up to corporate and business types, the iPhone will be a different device.

But, of course, the big deal is that while the iPhone started as a closed system with no way to acquire new programs and applications, it is now open to program developers.  And there are more rumors that the case and look will change, that GPS support will be built in, and all sorts of other ideas (read: more hype) are on the way that can help get the iPhone to that next level.

Apple is a brand that doesn't live on its successes.  It is always looking for new ways to reinvent and reimagine its devices and applications.  That's what it takes to win in 2008.

The Responsive Chord

Long before I read the famous Ries & Trout Positioning book, another little book from the '70s helped guide how I've approached messaging and marketing throughout my career.  Written by an ad guy named Tony Schwartz, The Responsive Chord is one of those neat guides that helps clarify the power of how a message or campaign needs to impact the entire nexus of attitudes, beliefs, and cultural touchstones that consumers carry around in their brains.

Lately, I've been doing my usual number of Listener Advisory Board groups - or L.A.B.s - a window into the souls of radio listeners from Seattle to Southfield.  And if you dig deeper than just the standard radio questions, you learn a great deal about what consumers are thinking, worrying about, and feeling.

These days, it is indeed the economy (stupid).  And if you go beyond asking them about their favorite music or the morning show they listen to most often, they'll open up about their lives, their concerns, and how their lives are being changed by the price of gas and the precariousness of their jobs.  People are hurting; they're worried about their careers, their nest eggs, and paying for the next tank of unleaded regular.

And that tells us a great deal about how to best strike their "responsive chords."  Will we do it by playing the top 350 songs from the last music test or by featuring 40 minutes of non-stop music or by giving away concert tickets?  While those are all things that stations should do to keep even or stay ahead of the ratings game, they aren't going to move the needle.

But reflecting listener lifestyles and concerns is something that radio can do - that iPods, satellite radio, and their cell phones cannot.  That's why we've dusted off and updated our gas memos for our clients.  And why we are looking for ways to help listeners make their lives easier and better in an increasingly difficult environment. 

It's not just good radio - it's a way to reach them that no one other medium or gadget can.

Story Time

How do you market a great brand in 2008?  You could use statistics or positioning statements.  But if you want to create true resonance, you tell a story.

Ask marketers like Seth Godin or Tom Asacker.  They'll tell you that a great story will trump data every time. 

The Buffalo Bills are doing that right now with their "My Bills. My story." campaign that lives on their website, and also doubles as a media campaign.  Our old friend, Vh1 Executive VP & General Manager Tom Calderone, is the focus of one of these stories.  They sell season tickets and the Bills experience better than action shots of the team or special rebates.

>CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEOS<

Ben McConnell calls this "peopletizing" - using your audience to tell your story.  Great stations have great fans that can tell great stories.   Tell 'em.

Oprah "Gets" PPM

Thanks to our Eric Holmes for bringing this to our attention.  It's all about Oprah and her keen understanding of how to keep moving her audience from show to show.  A visit to her website on April 30th showed the following:

Oprah and her team understand the importance of thinking big, drawing attention to what she has on today, but also keeping a focus on what's coming up on the show tomorrow, and later in the week. 

And of course, she doesn't just give you any tease for David Blaine's appearance ("Special guest, stuntman extraordinaire David Blaine on the next Oprah").  No, Oprah is about show biz.  That's why she provides a powerful tease (and a video to support it).

How many stations don't include information about what they're airing TODAY (tomorrow, or later in the week) on their websites?  Driving listeners to the station today, and giving them an attractive look at what's coming up is all part of the strategy of using websites as a tactical device to optimize PPM results.  (It would be pretty effective with diaries, too.)

As PPM causes stations to rethink the way they promote themselves, website content is just as important as what's on the air.  Where's the "forwarding" component on your website?  What web content stimulates site visitors to listen to your station?