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The Public Broadcasting Conundrum

I intentionally try to avoid steering this blog toward politics because it’s a black hole (are you listening, morning guys?).  But sometimes, the confluence of broadcasting and our legislalative process is unavoidable. 

We’re at a crossroads right now as Congress (the House, so far) has voted to take away the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s funding.  That’s $430 million out of a total of $61+ billion in cuts.  What does this mean to radio?

It would be easy to just view this action as fiscally responsible if you weren’t paying attention to the political undertones.  As Tom Taylor pointed out in his column last week, a number of Republican House members (Doug Lamborn/CO, for example) are mixing ideology with economics.  At its root, there’s an ongoing belief that public broadcasting (and often aimed at NPR) has a liberal bias.

Of course, there are numerous surveys that refute that assertion, but let’s not let logic and objectivity get in the way of the budget bulldozer.  Some commercial broadcasters I speak with have an ongoing bone to pick with public radio.  Maybe it’s because some of the public radio stations perform extremely well in key markets (San Francisco, Portland, Boston – among others).  Do these public radio winners really erode commercial radio revenues or is it more a matter of losing a rank position that is at the heart of some of this anger toward public radio?  Or is it just the idea that tax dollars help subsidize one form of broadcasting, while the other had to fend for itself in the advertising jungle.

But while all these issues are valid discussion points, what about the bigger picture of serving the public interest?

Juan Williams aside (and sadly, his exit was handled with the same lack of style and grace that commercial broadcasters have employed at times when ridding themselves of controversial personalities or those who simply seem to cause problems), NPR, PRI, and local public radio stations provide programming that other operators simply can’t or won’t develop or fund.

This is no knock against commercial radio – it’s where our company makes the bulk of its living.  But most commercial stations are about fun and entertainment.  You don’t listen to them to necessarily get smarter – you tune in to have a good time.  To a great degree, commercial radio is often analogous to TV reality shows or cop dramas – programs that will keep you company and provide a little fun in your day. They are designed to appeal to a mass audience and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Public radio has a different mission. It's not going for everyone. It doesn’t shout or scream. It's not about breaking news or supporting one idealogy over another, but providing some perspective on what's happening in our world.  When it’s on its game, it provides a forum, offering contrasting views in a civil, fair, and considerate setting.  It doesn’t accomplish that goal 100% of the time, but it comes pretty damn close.  That’s why more educated consumers listen to it.

In that context, I took a look at our Tech Surveys and went right to the education charts because they tell a story.

Our most recent commercial radio survey that includes core Rock radio listeners (who I would argue represent a large portion of the commercial audience because we track Alternative all the way through Classic Rock/Hits) looks a lot different than our companion survey that we conduct for Public Radio each year.

Below are the two educational breakdowns from the most recent Rock poll juxtaposed with our newest Public Radio survey.  Each has more than 20,000 respondents.  Eight of ten public radio listeners have a college degree (and nearly half hold post-graduate degrees), compared to only about a third of our commercial Rock radio fans.

So, public radio clearly targets a different, better educated audience.  Commercial broadcasting has essentially made the decision in most markets around the country not to target these listeners.  That’s fine.  But somewhere there has to be programming that comes out of terrestrial radio that supports a better educated, different kind of listener.

That’s why I was pleased to read that my local state broadcasting group – The Michigan Association of Broadcasters – has stepped out and taken a stand to support their “brothers” in public radio.  Led by Rich Homberg (a former commercial broadcaster from CBS Radio and now the GM of WTVS in Detroit), the MAB has produced a video supporting the balance between education and entertainment, commercial and public broadcasting.  Homberg comes at it from the public TV angle, but it’s very much a radio thing, too.

For email click here to watch the video

The loss of CPB funding is controversial on many fronts, and it is not my intention to get into a long-winded debate with you.  But when you think about how so much content is being created beyond the confines of commercial broadcasting by digital providers, it is essential that AM/FM RADIO offers a full array of entertainment, talk, music, and local programming. 

I know that some of you may feel the government should not support public broadcasting, or that these stations siphon dollars away from commercial broadcasting.  I would invite you to look at the parking lots of public radio stations anywhere – no one’s getting rich working at these places.  Most are in public broadcasting because of a love for the game.

We often talk about the need for passion at our stations.  Maybe the “P” in “public” could double for “passion.”  In the large world of AM/FM radio, we need more of that, wherever it comes from. 

 

Full disclosure: We work for a number of public radio outlets.

Young Lust 2

A fascinating, controversial video has been exploding on YouTube, and after this week’s blog about youth – “Young Lust” – I thought you should see it.

Called “We Are The Future,” it was produced by the ad agency PHD in the UK, and it has generated a ton of noise and static for all sorts of reasons.

Email recipients click here to view the video

But if you get beyond accusations of child exploitation and PHD’s apparent ham-handed approach to deleting some negative comments, there’s something here – a clarion call that all of us in media, advertising, and marketing better bring our "A" games to connect with the up and coming generation.

Hopefully, it will give you something to think about over a relaxing weekend.

Thanks to WXYZ-TV’s Stephen Clark who tweeted about this last night.

Groupon vs. Local Radio

This morning’s blog post comes from sales guy extraordinaire, Paul Jacobs, with some thoughts on the Internet couponing phenomenon.

The media has inundated us with stories about the explosive growth of Groupon and its potential to take a serious bite out of local media's revenue.  With over 50 million subscribers worldwide, and more than 600 daily deals in more than 500 markets, there's no question that Groupon has tapped into a major consumer need to get a great deal.  Combined with a simple digital platform instead of traditional sources like newspapers and Val-Pak (a company that's probably headed in the same direction as Border's), Groupon is a force to be reckoned with.

Out of curiosity, Fred and I each signed up for Groupon a few months ago.  As you might have read in the JacoBlog, his wife's personal fitness business has tried Groupon with tremendous success, so we wanted to learn more about how it worked.  We filled out the profiling questionnaire, and as you'd expect, we clicked on things that most Boomer males like (I'll spare you the details).

Every day, we began receiving offers on our iPhones and laptops.  Never being one to pass on a good deal, it was one of the first emails we would open every morning, after reading the requisite trade pubs.  And here's a sample of what we’re receiving from Groupon:

Now if you know me and Fred, you have probably figured out that we aren't looking for a great deal on a mani-pedi, we tend to have two left feet, and while we like to think of ourselves as cultured, there are many things we'd rather do than take in a good opera.

The bottom line is that Groupon hasn’t really made the effort to get to know us.  If they did, we’d be regularly getting deals for restaurants, concerts, and retail stores within 20 miles of our homes.

So, while we can’t refute Groupon's explosive growth, we don't think that local media outlets should run and hide.  Radio stations have been in the database marketing game for a decade or more, and who knows more about the local marketplace than a good radio sales staff?  Many radio stations are generating tremendous revenue from half-off deals, and we're talking with many of our jacAPPS clients about in-app local coupon programs.

Companies like Groupon and Pandora are a serious threat to local radio's grip on local revenue.  They are bright, shiny objects that have amassed huge followings, and now are apparently about to generate billions in IPOs and enter the world of Wall Street.

But at the end of the day, if Groupon can't consistently send me coupons for deals I care about, they will fail.  This is a beachfront that radio can . . . and must . . . defend.  The time is now for the industry to step up and not only beat them back, but actually do local couponing and discounts the right way to generate significant revenue growth.

And while you’re at it, better relationship marketing has to be at the root of any company’s coupon or database program.  Whether you’re offering concert presales or restaurant discounts or anything else to enhance your sales efforts, keep in mind that success will be enhanced when you deftly marry your listeners’ interests with your clients’ offerings.

It’s simple, but despite its success, Groupon isn’t there…yet.

Groupon has opened the door to a new way of discounting in the same way that MySpace opened the door to social networking.  It's up to the radio industry and other local media outlets to insure that Groupon winds up in the same place as MySpace.

Young Lust

What happens if you keep hearing a story over and over again?  Do you start believing it may be true?

Well, you should when it comes to trajectories, tendencies, and technology.  Because as we’ve been preaching for several years now, following young people’s media and gadget habits isn’t just interesting – it’s a window to what the rest of the world will be doing.

In the radio industry, however, youth is still problematic, as the majority of “buys” fall in the 25-54 zone.  Thus, there’s still an aversion to researching what’s happening with teens and 18-24 year-olds.  If we can't make money on them, why talk to them, right?

Yet, young people in high school and college hold the secrets to better understanding what adults will be doing in the near-term.

Today's supportive data comes from the recent Pew Internet & American Life Project – a wonderful source of data and knowledge that is worthy of your time.  You can read the entire report here.

Pew interviewed 3,001 adults 18 and older (imagine if they included teens) to determine which gadgets and devices each generation owns.

The results aren’t surprising, and they reinforce what you already know, especially if you have kids in their teens and early 20’s.  What they’re doing, will be doing.

And you can also get a sense for the arc of gadgets.  And again, laptops and desktops are flattening out, while mobile devices are on the move.  At the very bottom, you can see what’s happening in the exciting new space of eReaders and tablets, already beginning to have an impact.

What does this mean to you?

First, media companies should be studying youth in order to better understand device acquisition and usage.  Not that many years ago, most adults didn’t text.  Today, if you want to communicate with your kid, you’d better figure out how to communicate with your thumbs.

Second, even if your target is adults – or even mature adults – technology is rapidly becoming a part of their lives. Gen Xers and Boomers aren’t far behind their kids when it comes to gadgetry and media consumption.

Third, this study once again screams for the need for every brand to have a mobile strategy.  That’s a common theme in this blog, and I won’t go into a diatribe about it in this post.  But the numbers and their arc don't lie.

And finally, consider how tablets and eReaders are changing the way that people are using traditional content.  This past Christmas season, the sales of Kindles, iPads, Nooks, and similar devices exploded.  And all of a sudden, book sales and readership are rapidly rising (while brick & mortar bookstores like Border's are dying).

Is this a harbinger that in-vehicle entertainment has the ability to increase media use while driving?  While there’s more fragmentation, there’s also excitement about the many options a driver has while journeying from Point A to Point B.  May the best content win.

Check out the Pew study for yourself, and better yet, keep an eye on your college student because she offers a window into the future.

We can learn from them.

Can Two Chords Re-Energize A City?

The Chrysler/Eminem commercial masterpiece that you saw during the Super Bowl and we blogged about here continues to resonate.  I have heard from many of you during the past few weeks about its power and impact.

It’s been called a love letter from Eminem, and in the city we call The D, it has started a pride-fest that was necessary as the rebuilding continues.

While Eminem starred and the copy in the 2-minute spot was nothing short of brilliant, the soundtrack – “Lose Yourself” – has people talking, even though it’s not even close to being new.

Local Detroit producer Jeff Bass has been in the studio for many Eminem tunes, and this piece from WXYZ-TV’s Stephen Clark illustrates how inspiration can work in strange, unplanned ways.

 

>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO VIEW WXYZ STEPHEN CLARK/JEFF BASS VIDEO<

In the same way that Zeppelin’s “Rock N’ Roll” made us wake up and take note of Cadillac, or that Bob Seger's "Like A Rock" re-energized Chevy Trucks, a classic song, an iconic photo, or even a great morning show bit or celebrity interview can make magic.

That’s because when you create something powerful, it can have lasting impact.  Great content – whether it’s a picture, a painting, a commercial, a promo, a contest, or a song – can go on forever.  In this case, a decade after it was written in a venue that was totally unexpected.  And turbocharged by an 8-cylinder, high-powered social media machine that is sitting in all of our driveways.

Powerful ideas are often simple little works of art that can be morphed, modified, sampled, and repurposed by others.  And then virally spread through common tools on every PC and smartphone on the planet.

Just two chords.

There’s no stopping a great idea.

What’s yours?

MVLs

Who are your most valuable listeners?

In radio, that’s always a good question.  And most of the time, the assumption is that it’s the people who listen the most – or P1s.

Programmers and marketers in other media probably see it essentially the same way – the ones who watch the most, provide the most page views, or in terms of spending, part with the most amount of dollars.

If you ask a salesperson at a station, she’ll probably tell you that it’s the client that does the most advertising.

Fair enough.  But in a recent blog post by Seth Godin (thanks, Kneale Mann), he turns the question on its side:

“But what if you define "best customer" as the person who brings you new customers through frequent referrals, and who sticks with you through thick and thin?  That customer, I think, is worth far more than what she might pay you in any one transaction.  In fact, if you think of that customer as your best marketer instead, it might change everything.”

You can’t put a price on word-of-mouth marketing, but you know it has incredible value.  And because every brand goes through good times – and bad times – there's always that need for customers who are loyal even when you hire a bad morning show, when you play a few too many commercials in May, or when it rains at your concert festival.

That’s something to think about on a holiday Monday.

Read Seth’s entire blog post here.

Where’s Radio?

No, not Waldo.  Radio.

In the MyFord Touch video below, you’ll see a 1:50 walk-through of their Sync system – climate control, the USB port, turn-by-turn directions, etc.

   

>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO VIEW MYFORD TOUCH VIDEO<

But do you see radio anywhere in this demo?

Hint: At the :30 mark, there’s a shot of the entire screen (that resembles Bloomberg News), and on the left-hand side, you’ll briefly see the AM/FM and Sirius – along with the other array of entertainment options.  Watch quickly because it’s not on for long.

To win the consumer’s share of mind in one of these vehicles, radio is going to have to work hard to get and hold her attention.

In your first car, the entertainment “module” probably looked more like this:

Those were the days.

P.S. Thanks to Radio-Info for featuring us in their series. In this guest column, I talk about "best practices" for going to school on mobile. Hope you like it. You can copy and paste the link here: New Media: The Future Is Now

http://www.radio-info.com/new-media/the-future-is-now/think-mobile-first?utm_source=Subscribers&utm_campaign=5beb405027-TRI_02-18-2011&utm_medium=email

4 Social Media Tips From The Pope

With so many so-called social media "experts" out there, sometimes you don't know who's dispensing the best advice.  My recommendation is to go with the Pope.

Now you might be thinking, "What's a nice Jewish boy doing quoting the Pope...about social media?"  Well, you never know where great ideas will come from.  In this case, it’s 83 year-old Pope Benedict weighing in on the do’s and don’t’s of social media.  Acknowledging the “great opportunity” provided by social networking, the pontiff warns about abuses and damaged relationships.

That grabbed my attention.

So let’s give the Pope a pulpit to school us in some spiritual thoughts as they relate to sites like Facebook, Twitter, and the like.

Here are his best practices for social media:

Personal trumps virtual. Pope Benedict reminds us that “it is important always to remember that virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact…”  We ran a post last week where author Simon Sinek essentially said the same thing.

Don’t mistake accessibility for being present.  Being a "friend" can be defined in different ways. The Pope warns about always being available online but not really being there for people “we encounter in everyday life.” 

Don’t box yourself in to the digital world. His holiness warns that social media sites can assist in searches for personal encounters, but pitfalls include removing oneself from the real world.  As we have learned over the past few years in the digital revolution, there is no substitute for "showing up."

Get real. Social media has allowed people to misprepresent themselves in any number of ways. Pope Benedict warns that authenticity is everything, and that it is important not to construct “an artificial public profile of oneself.” 

It is noteworthy that The Pope still writes his speeches by hand, and he is assisted by aides when it comes to communicating via online sources.

The Pope has actually been well ahead of the game when it comes to determining the best platforms to reach his global constituency.  He is immerse in both social media and the mobile web.

As we have reminded our jacAPPS clients in various presentations, when it comes to news out of the Vatican, there’s an app for that.

The C-Word

I remember the first time I logged onto AOL, and saw the little guy and the key connect to the Internet – well, it was pretty amazing stuff.

At its height, America Online was the way that many of us first accessed the digital world.  It was simple, straight-forward, and it worked great on phone lines in hotel rooms.  I still maintain an AOL address to this day, even though it probably sends the world a message that a part of me is still living in the online past.

>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO VIEW 1995 AOL TV AD<

Through its struggles, AOL has made many makeover attempts along the way.  A number of years ago, it began creating content in the hope of becoming a bona fide web portal.  But as I logged onto AOL the other day to take a look at what’s current and what’s hot, I ended up looking at this:

Now, it’s a nice home page, but there sure isn’t anything “must see” about it.

And of course, that’s the problem.  When the content is run-of-the-mill and not proprietary, is anyone going to go out of their way to access AOL?  Plus, the brand doesn't exactly communicate Web 2.0. 

That’s a big reason why they’re paying north of $300 million for The Huffington Post.

It’s not about the politics or even Arianna.  For AOL, this deal is about accessing proprietary, buzz-worthy content they can use to build audience and generate revenue. (Isn't that what it's always been about?)

As AOL CEO Tim Armstrong explained it, “Our interest in buying the Huffington Post was about the social content and the future in distribution and, frankly, Arianna's TLC around the content space.”

No doubt about it – HuffPo is always a great read – there are always provocative think pieces, and it's a wonderful place on the web to spend time.  There's really nothing else like it. 

AOL has an ad/content system called Project Devil that will undoubtedly be woven into HuffPo.  And the AOL ad sales team will be turned loose, along with a new content creation – “Editions” – for tablets.  

Is the sale of HuffPo a sign of new things to come for media companies?  And is this possibly a positive omen for newspapers, magazines, and other entities that have continued to invest in digital content, despite the “but we can’t monetize it” whining?

And does it also signify the potential for certain radio companies to reassess the value of their true content – not hardware, computers, towers, or transmitters – but the unique, proprietary, buzz-worthy content that will ultimately generate big ad dollars once the dust settles?  Whether it moves the needle in PPM or not? 

Just askin’.

Portnow's Complaint

To:  Neil Portnow, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences President/CEO

From: Fred Jacobs

Re: Your comments at the Grammy Awards

Your statement:

“Now, rest assured, in the future, The Academy will continue to fight for all music makers to be compensated for their work.  We will support the new broadcast services like satellite and Internet radio that actually pay creators for their work.  And everyone can help give artists the ability to create the music you love by using any of the many easy and legal ways to enjoy music.  We will also continue to stand for the rights of free speech for artists to express themselves through their music.”

My response:

Good luck with that.

Source: Tech Survey VI, February/March 2010, 78 radio stations, 26,125 respondents

Response to the question:  New music is exposed in a variety of places.  Which of the sources listed below do you use for finding out about new music/new artists? (CHOOSE AS MANY AS APPLY)

There’s NOT An App For That

A promotional video/commercial for the Florida Keys is a reminder that with technology, your experience is limited.  While we think of the Internet, social media, and smartphones as a way to learn and discover, we often make the mistake of thinking that we’re actually experiencing something when we grab an iPad, laptop, or video game system.

But as the wizened creators of this Florida Keys spot remind us, “Real experiences are always worth more.  Unplug and reconnect.”

 

>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO VIEW FLORIDA KEYS VIDEO<

And that brings us back to Simon Sinek, ethnographer, author, and lecturer who we featured in a blog a few weeks back.

In a recent presentation at TEDxSanDiego, Simon talked about the need for human contact and experiences in our business and personal relationships.  Maybe he was thinking about the guy behind Facebook when he put together his thoughts.  But as you’ll see, it is thinking that suggests that when we do business on screens, something very important is lost.

This is an important 12:37 that will get you thinking – and rethinking – about your transactions.

 

>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO VIEW SIMON SINEK VIDEO<

Simon suggests that technology makes everything go faster.  But it’s “terrible for creating human relationships.”

When companies manage their businesses on screens, they don’t feel the impact of their decisions.  “What we need is handshake leadership, handshake conversations, handshake friends, handshake dialogue, handshake meetings.”

As he suggests, handshakes are synonymous with human interaction, which leads to trust – something that is so often missing from our relationships in business, on Facebook and Twitter, and in life.

I was speaking with a colleague in the business the other day who recently took his top-line morning show out of the station for an off-site.  It wasn’t really a brainstorm or an aircheck session.  It was more about an opportunity to get out of the station, get away from PPM weeklies, live reads, and consultant critiques.

And they just hung out for a few hours to talk about the show, talk about the market and the community, and talk about how everyone was doing and feeling in the new year.  That was a lot of talk but that’s what leads to creating meaningful relationships.

I’m not sure they generated an action plan or a specific list of to-dos.  But they opened the door to talking to each other, learning about each other’s mindset, and creating a greater sense of trust.

When you trust who you’re working with and the organization behind them, your approach to your job and your career changes.  You have a heightened sense of belief that you’re connected with people who will take the time to get to know you and who care about you.

There is no app for that.

Rate Integrity

The media world is recovering, and radio is assessing its rates, its supply, and its demand.

Apparently, so is Sirius XM, reportedly doing much better these days.

Maybe this is why:

$5 a month?

Do you get a remote with a DJ and interns with that?

Quotations From Chairman Tim

We've spent considerable time talking about Pandora in this blog, and justifiably so.  Over the past couple of years – especially accelerated by smartphones – Pandora has reached new peaks - now 80 million users.  And they’re going for more.

As we have discussed, founder Tim Westergren has made it a point to make sure that his Internet radio station is everywhere.  Many say that 2011 will be the year that Pandora goes public.  Whether or not that happens, it is impossible to ignore the impact that Pandora is having – something that we’re also continuing to track in our Tech Surveys.

Some argue that Pandora has no discernable business model, or that commercials will kill it, or that Internet radio’s TSL is low, or other rationalizations.  But however you think of Pandora, "Chairman" Westergren’s philosophy is noteworthy.  His often doesn’t look at the world like radio broadcasters do.

And I will leave that to you to decide whether we’re missing something important here, regardless of Pandora’s financial model.  Here are selected quotes from a recent Fast Company piece that focuses on Pandora, their approach to music, and pleasing their rapidly growing audience:

• “(Hiring music lovers) is the magic bullet for us.  I can’t overstate it.  It’s been the most important part of Pandora.  It defines us in so many ways.”
• “We want Pandora to feel like it’s talking to you.  We also literally talk to people.  We have a team of people who are called listener advocates.  Their job is just to respond personally to every single email, phone call, or letter we get.  The identity of Pandora is forged through these collective interactions.”

• “The big arenas for us are the car, half of all radio listening happens in the car so it’s very important, and then there’s this ecosystem of connected devices with everything from blu-ray players and flat-screen TVs  to refrigerators – Samsung just unveiled a refrigerator with Pandora.  Virtually every piece of new (consumer electronic device) is Web-enabled and if it has audio or a speaker it could deliver Pandora.  There are over 200 connected devices that can stream Pandora.”
• “The one thing that is shaking up the industry right now is personalization.  It’s becoming more of a standard for consumers.  I think that increasingly, people are expecting that they should be able to personalize their radio channels.  That combined with the increasing number of distribution points is a very powerful combination.”
• “The general scaling of the Internet means that automation is tending to increase.  As companies try to become more efficient, cut costs, do bigger things less expensively, automation is a common answer to that.  And I think we’re going to continue to cut against the grain (by relying on people)…”

That’s something to think about the next time voicetracking is offered as a cost-savings solution.  It is radio’s personality that makes its content proprietary and unique.  And let's not forget customer service and focus on the listener. 

Westergren gets that.  He just doesn’t have the personalities, the DJs, the concierges, the guides - yet.  At least for now, that’s still radio’s “secret sauce.”

First In

Another sign that we’re living in a Seth Godin digital universe and not a Ries & Trout analog world occurred last week when Rupert Murdoch put up a “for sale” sign on MySpace.

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing was a guidebook for media and marketing pros everywhere back in the '90s.  And what was Rule #1?

1. It is better to be first than it is to be better.

Of course, that was the case for many brands – General Motors, Kodak, TWA.  If you got in first, you could dominate for decades.

But as we’ve learned over the past decade or so, just being first in is no guarantee of long-term success.

Yahoo! was the first search engine – not Google.

Palm's Treo was once the hot smartphone.

And now the first mega-social network, MySpace, is on the scrap heap as News Corporation looks for a new buyer.  Their explanation?

"The new MySpace has been very well received by the market and we have seen very encouraging traffic figures.  But the plan to allow MySpace to reach its full potential will be better realised under a new owner.”

Right.

The fact is that in this Wild West digital environment, being first doesn’t mean much.  That’s’ why Steve Jobs, the Google team, and Mark Zuckerberg are working themselves and their teams in hyperdrive to stay sharp, cutting edge, and innovative.

There are a lot of chips out on the table for companies that have the passion, desire, and bandwidth to be great.

For those mailing it in, “same as it ever was” is the fastest path to an obituary.

Just ask Rupert.

Imported From Detroit

Today’s blog post name is made up of words that I never thought I’d ever see strung together.  Imagine: Imported From Detroit

But in Sunday’s Super Bowl, Chrysler may have coined an iconic phrase with their 2-minute tribute to the Motor City.

Talk about nailing it.  Yes, the spot has won the Brand Bowl 2011 best in show among Twitter users.

But anecdotally, I am hearing from many friends – and many of you – who know where our company is based and what it means to us.  Thanks for those nice calls, emails, and tweets.  And thanks to Chrysler and Eminem for having the balls to say it.

 

>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO VIEW CHRYLSER 200 VIDEO<

This marketing gem may also be a signal of reinvigoration of the American car market, and perhaps the country’s historical love affair with cars. Given the automotive has historically been the top category for radio advertising, this may be a great omen. 

Maybe you also noticed that one of the other highly popular Super Bowl spots was Volkswagen’s mini-Darth Vader ad that couldn’t help but make you smile.

Perhaps there are other messages in the fact that some of the best audience reactions were for car spots, as hard as that is to believe.  And what it suggests is that a powerful marketing message can help energize just about anything.  The American automakers. Chrysler. Detroit.

Even radio.

Every Break Matters

True story.

I was sitting in a high-level client meeting not long ago.  We were discussing hiring someone for a full-time on-air position.  The station in question has been around for a long time, and rarely makes a change in its lineup.

We started throwing out some possible “suspects” for the job when the PD mentioned that a veteran jock had resurfaced at the station, holding down an occasional weekend shift.  Everyone at the table remembered the guy in question, but none of us had heard him in years.

It turned out that this station has the ability to access its on-air product dating back for some time on a hard drive.  So, the PD took us back to a recent weekend show, and hunted around for a talk break.  It took him a few minutes, but he found one on a Sunday show when PPM tells us that not many people were listening.

It turned out to be an incredible 30 seconds of radio.  It was prepared, clever, relatable, and reeked of personality.  If you were from this market, you automatically connected with what this guy was talking about, while staying well within format guidelines.

It didn’t take long for everyone in the room to nod, and come to the exact same conclusion that he should most definitely be strongly considered for this position.

And then the weight of the moment hit me.  What were the odds?  A group of execs from both the local cluster and corporate, along with the consultant and research team dialing up a weekend break from a part-timer – at random.

And it was great.

And then I remembered listening to Valerie Geller at the PRPD Conference last fall.  As many of you know, Val is the President of Geller Media and the author of great books for programmers and personalities.  Creating Powerful Radio serves as a manifesto for air talent and the managers who coach them.

Val’s philosophy: “If you had only ONE person listening – and use your mind, your heart, along with your craft, people will know ‘excellence’ when they hear it.  That’s WHY it’s important to MAKE EVERY MINUTE MATTER.  Our audience is giving us the most precious thing they have on earth – their time!  MAKE IT COUNT.”

On this particular day, this jock did exactly that.  And it begs the question, “Why, then, wouldn’t you do that level break every time you opened the mic?

That’s because every break counts.

Every break matters.

Whether it’s some guy in his garage working on his car, and you’re keeping him company.

Or the housewife who’s depressed about her family finances and is tuning in for a little companionship?

Or the teen who still gets a sense of surprise from the radio, and you just never know when you might inspire her with some interesting information about an artist or song.

Or the older guy who grew up with radio, and listens with a sense of nostalgia.

Or the guy with a PPM 360 attached to his belt buckle on his way to work in frustrating traffic, looking for a good laugh and a great song.

Or the family that cannot pay its heating bills this winter, hoping that the station doing a “radiothon” raises enough funds to lend them a hand.

Or a bunch of station execs, the consultant, and the researchers looking for a new DJ.

Every break matters.

Reverse Engineering

As many of us mature adults grapple with new toys, new gadgets, new websites, and emerging technology, there can be those days where it just gets a little confusing.

But this may have less to do with our advancing age, and perhaps more to do with the notion that new technology of any kind can be challenging.

Case in point: the video below showing a group of French children taking their best shot at “new” technology – in the form of old gadgets they’d never seen before.

It will make you feel better about your own struggles as you watch them try to master an 8-track player, a rotary dial phone, and yes, a turntable.

 

>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO VIEW CHILDREN & TECHNOLOGY VIDEO<

Gone Mobile 2

No sooner did I post last week’s blog about smartphone sales surpassing PC/laptop revenues in 2011 than this Eric Schmidt story showed up on my ever-growing Tweetdeck dashboard.

At the Digital Life Design conference that took place last week in Munich, the new Chairman at Google delivered his view of where his company – and technology – is moving in the next decade.

This is like free consulting from a guy who has an amazing vantage point.  I’m including his entire presentation (37 minutes) in this post, and would recommend you spend some time just listening to Eric Schmidt’s view.

 

>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO VIEW ERIC SCHMIDT'S VIDEO<

Below are a few nuggets that stood out for me:

• “Everything’s changing again.”
• “Technology is going to serve US.”
• “If you have a child, your child is either asleep or online.”
• “The mobile web is growing eight times faster than the equivalent PC/desktop web at the same point in its history.”
• “The majority of humans will go online with a mobile device, not a PC.”
• “The smartphone is THE device of our time.”
• “Devices that are not connected to the Internet are not interesting anymore.”
• “Every day there’s a surprise.”
• “YouTube is taking 35 hours of video uploads every minute.”
• “When you look at innovation and you look at innovation historically, it’s pretty clear that the Internet is the greatest disruptor of all time.”
• “(The Internet) has replaced the economics of scarcity with the economics of abundance.”
• “Imagine a future where the following things are true…you don’t forget anything…you cannot get lost…you can have all the information of the world at your fingertips…you’re never lonely because there’s always someone to talk to online…you’re never bored…you’re never out of ideas…and this is not a vision for the elites…this is a vision that is accessible to every single person on the planet.”

And he reminds us, that future isn’t far away.

Schmidt is a big believer in crowd sourcing – something that should make the folks at Jelli and Listener Driven Radio happy.

As he says, it can help us understand “what’s really going on – not what we think is going on.”

One of his key pieces of advice, however, hit home for us:

“Whatever you’re doing, do mobile first.”

 Schmidt calls this approach “Mobile First.”

I’m taking this advice to heart.

The Best PD…in Hockey!

Who says jocks don’t make great programmers?

For a great real-life example, let’s look at Brendan Shanahan, formerly an iconic player who is morphing into an even better programmer… and marketer now that he’s an NHL executive.

The NHL All-Star Game played last weekend is a case in point.  Of all the all-star games, this one’s a turd.  (OK, the Pro Bowl isn’t much better.)

But instead of blowing up the concept, Shanny’s prescription was to fix it and make it better.  And he did that by tying into the jock/fan emotion and trying something potentially risky.

In every other all-star contest, the divisions essentially create the teams.  If you play in the West, those are the colors you wear.  And the coach simply looks down his bench to a team that is essentially picked by fans and/or the league.

But this time around, Shanahan went right back to the schoolyard.  We’ve all been there.  Two captains are appointed, and they pick the teams – or choose up sides.

All of those emotions that we all remember on the playing field are being shared by millionaire hockey stars, waiting to find out about their all-star pecking order.

As he explained it, “It was just, if a player could get his hands on (the all-star game), what would he do?  And this was my best guess.”

And he adds, “It’s something that all of us, especially in hockey grew up doing.  Stand back and the captains will pick teams.”  In this case, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nick Lidstrom, and Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric Staal.

And what are the outgrowths of this change in format?

1. Fans are involved in the strategy. The Internet has been loaded with all kinds of tips, opinions, and tactics that fans and hockey pundits are bandying about for Lidstrom and Staal.  With the old format, the fan was essentially out of the game, passively sitting in the arena.
2. The players are engaged. Imagine how the last guys picked on both sides feel?  Believe me, they haven’t felt that way in 20 years.
3. It’s a cume-builder. The NHL is challenged to grow its fan base.  This unique change in format is just the thing to bring new people into the game.
4. It’s a ratings booster. The numbers are out and the NHL is saying that Versus ratings were up 33% over the last televised all-star game back in 2009.  
5. It’s relatable.  This format brings an all-star game right down to fan level.  And as consumers have a stronger desire for transparency and going backstage, this glimpse into a different side of the NHL is brilliant.  Does it make for a better game?  Who cares?

An NHL fan tweeted, the #NHL all star draft was pretty cool, enjoyed watching superstars sweating it out.

And the draft itself had no shortage of drama… and as it turned out, humor.  One of the unintended consequences was that not only did the choosing of sides aspect of the game take the players back to their youths, but the fans got all the wisecracking that came with it.  And it made for an entertaining show.

And unlike past years where nothing essentially happens leading up to the game, all of these questions started flying around bars, chat boards, and forums:

Who would be the first player chosen? (Eric Staal’s teammate, Cam Ward)

Who would be the last player picked? (Toronto’s Phil Kessel)

And would the Sedin brothers who have always played together finally end up on separate teams?  (They were.)

The game itself was a typical blowout – 11-10 in favor of Team Lidstrom.  But there were some surprises (a penalty shot in the NHL All-Star Game), not to mention that both Sedins survived being in different uniforms.

A great deal of credit goes to “PD” Shanahan for his vision and trusting his gut.  It made for something very innovative for a league that sorely needs it - especially from an event that universally dull.

And as in radio where programmers know a good idea when they hear one, wonder if Shanahan's brainchild will end up shaping the future direction of some of these other "all-sstar" games? 

Let's hope so.

Clutter

By now, I think it’s pretty clear to most of us in media that if you want to know what adults will be doing and thinking in a couple of years, follow a high school or college student around.

That was the premise behind “The Bedroom Project” four years ago, and its outcomes foretold many of the mega-trends that we now know to be true.  The rise of the cellphone, the ubiquity of social media, disappearing radios, and the competition for entertainment in the car were all key takeaways from our ethnographic collaboration with Arbitron.

Now, a new study from the research firm Nielsen Norman Group called “College Students on the Web” suggests that continuing to follow the attitudes and opinions of young people about digital media isn’t just important – it is critical in understanding how marketers will connect their brands with the consuming public.

The notion is that college students see the world of social media sites like Facebook as a place to connect and hang out with one another – not a place to be spammed with advertisements.

But as the CEO of Trendline Interactive, Morgan Stewart (pictured), recently wrote in MediaPost, marketers often make the mistake of assuming that because there is a mass audience on Facebook (or MySpace or YouTube), this is a community that is ripe and open to their advertising messages.  Just because they are “there” doesn’t necessarily mean they wish to connect to us.

We got a glimpse of this in last year’s Tech Survey VI when we asked those using social media sites (80% of the overall sample) whether they are fans, friends, and/or followers of the station that sent them the survey.

In radio (and among these respondents who are already members of station email databases), there may be more openness to the idea of connecting.

Overall for marketers and brand managers, the realities of the college student mentality are worth some strategizing.  As the study suggests, young people value the feedback from their friends about products and events.  But perhaps instead of simply using the cold “Share this” technique, Stewart offers something more relatable:

Another point that Stewart highlights is the notion that young consumers make distinctions between companies they perceive as honest and those that try to trick them.  This puts pressure on social media usage by any brand that truly wants to carve out a solid, meaningful relationship with consumer communities.  They “get” that advertising is part of the price as long as the differences between content and commerce are clear.

Finally, there’s the clutter piece.  Young people have become experts at the quick search – whether it’s a song, a restaurant or anything else.  If the first place they look is a black hole or filled with ads, they will quickly move to a site where they can get the answers and resources they need.

Creating an environment where content and answers are clear, and where clutter and ads are minimized or made more user-friendly is a key to keeping young people engaged.  Radio is fighting this battle with its clusters of commercials, while Pandora and other pure-play Internet outlets are trying to find just the right balance.

We will continue to research this space in our upcoming Tech Survey VII later this quarter.  The marriage of social media, brands, and consumers is an exciting new opportunity for media.  How we handle and grow that relationship could be an important piece of the revenue and entertainment pie.