Does everyone in your building truly understand your station brand and even more importantly, are they able to articulate that to clients? Have you explained your branding strategy and tactics to those on the street who speak with your customers every day? It is always disconcerting to talk with sellers whose understanding doesn’t go much beyond some format generalities and the Nielsen driven, corresponding demos. Many programmers and brand managers do not take the time necessary to offer true explanations of their strategy and tactics to sellers, nor are they aware of the challenges sellers face every day.
As one who has held virtually every position in the industry, including half my career in research I can tell you that a format is never driven by gender and/or age – they are driven by one thing and only one thing… the consumer’s tastes. We only use demographics because it allows us to quantify and categorize data. For example, if someone has always been a pop music lover, it does not suggest that once they’re 35 years old they age out of the Top 40 demo. Their music taste does not change. They will always like Pop music. Their music taste has actually, very likely only broadened.
Of course, we know that there are some assumptions we can make about what appeals to men, women, younger and older listeners. But someone’s core tastes don’t change based on how old they are. If you’re a Pop person, you will likely always be a pop music lover. You may also now appreciate the pop hits of yesteryear. If you’re a rock person, you don’t start preferring hot or soft AC as you age. No! You are a proud lover of rock. However, now you may also like the classic rock of previous years.
There is also general agreement that some clients likely target their own customers by gender and age and that some formats might serve their needs better than others. Only after conducting a Customer Needs Analysis (CNA) can your sellers understand how to best solve their most important issues and goals. Have you personally ever participated in one of your seller’s CNAs? When you as a PD or Brand Manager do this, it accomplishes several things:
- It gives you understanding of what sellers do every day.
- It lets you meet clients and shows them that you care about their needs.
- It narrows any gap which often exists between sales and programming.
- It broadens your own horizons and may help in the creative aspect of a potential sale.
- You may have terrific ideas when it comes to the creative for clients.
- You get to hear first-hand how your brand is both represented and received by others and you’re able to determine what customers (who are also listeners) think.
- Your sellers will appreciate you more and vice versa.
The main point is that we are all best served when we share our goals with one another. Believe it or not, there are some brand managers out there who just don’t feel the need to share the station’s brand strategies with sales and conversely, there are sellers who don’t find it necessary to explore the goals.
Take the time to talk about your station(s) with everyone in the building other than just programming. And be sure to talk about the differences between your product format and your brand. They are not the same.
Bob Lawrence writes weekly columns on radio leadership and business. Additionally, he serves as Market Manager for MacDonald Broadcasting in Saginaw, Michigan. He has held virtually every position in the business over his 40+ year career, from being on-air in Philadelphia, San Diego, and San Francisco to programming legendary stations including KHTR St. Louis, KITS Hot Hits and KIOI (K101) San Francisco to serving as the head of all programming for Saga Communications and working for the Radio Advertising Bureau. Before landing his current role, Bob helped lead Seven Mountains Media’s cluster in Parkersburg, WV/Marietta, OH. He can be reached by email at BGLawrence@me.com.
Bob also honed his research skills over ten years as Senior VP of Operations at Broadcast Architecture, eventually launching his own research company and serving as President/CEO of Pinnacle Media Worldwide for 15 years. Bob spent five years as VP of Programming for Saga Communications before joining New South Radio in Jackson, Mississippi as GM/Market Manager. Prior to joining Seven Mountains Media, Bob served as General Manager for the Radio Advertising Bureau, overseeing its “National Radio Talent System”.
