A cheese pizza slice or a Hawaiian pizza slice? Those were my choices at Reagan National Airport. There were more options, but most of the seats at the gates were filled with passengers, so my strategy was to get something I could eat standing up. Sometimes, a bad strategy is better than no strategy.
I was returning to Nashville on a Southwest flight and failed to check in 24 hours before the flight. After making a few C-student dad jokes in line with the last boarding group, I sat in a window seat in the last row.
It was a short flight, and my body space was cramped with my seatmate. I decided to sit still, listen to music in my earbuds, and take pictures of the clouds and the setting sun as the pilots chased it across the western horizon.
Whether it’s a 5:30 a.m. or a 7:30 p.m. flight doesn’t matter. Coffee is my drink of choice. I expected a snack-mix bag with black coffee. This bag was different. Stellar Mini Pretzel Braids. The packaging was colorful, and the flavor name was unique. Maui Monk is made with Maui onion seasoning and Monk fruit.
I assumed a Maui onion was a sweet onion native to Maui, but I had to research Monk Fruit while writing this. It’s a natural sweetener native to China. Combining flavors from Maui and China and placing the explanation on a multi-patterned bag to be given out to thousands of travelers daily is a lot of effort.
The details didn’t stop there. I turned over my Southwest napkins, and there were two creative messages. No one wants crumbs in their keyboard, and In case of an emotional movie…dab eyes.
I turned my Community coffee cup around to look for a messaging hat trick, and I found it. One sip can make a world of difference was printed on the back of the paper mug. I’m not sure what the difference is, but you can go to the link printed on the cup and learn more about the charity benefit. I smiled and thought, “Good job, branding/marketing team.”
Pretzels, napkins, coffee mugs. What’s the big deal? The attempt to make the mundane more imaginative or the routine a bit unusual is the deal.
Radio’s greatest strength is its ability to offer stable, predictable entertainment and information. No matter the format, music or spoken word, play the hits, right? Those hits, music or spoken word, are available from more audio platforms as we glide into the first quarter century mark of this millennium. If our greatest strength is often our greatest weakness, the predictable needs constant review and freshening.
Here are three categories to consider as we prepare for fourth-quarter audience engagement: We’ll stick with the theme of my flying experience.
1. Pretzels: The taste resembles most pretzels I’ve tasted at 30,000 feet. However, the creative packaging and a slight seasoning change made me feel like this would be a different experience. Add the word Braid, now I’m curious.
a. Freshen our music packaging. What makes your music (the pretzel) different from the other stations and streams playing the same music? How is it presented to the consumer? If Better and Best is your strength, great. But in the age of excessive media noise and on-demand access, we need to routinely freshen the package so the listener thinks, “Hmmm. What’s a Braid?”
2. Napkins: Messaging creates emotion. I smiled when I turned over the Southwest napkin and noticed the attempt to make a cramped, tired customer feel something in the moment. Did it change the flight conditions or the acid reflux I had after eating my Hawaiian slice of pizza? No, but I felt like someone in marketing was paying attention. Talent can change the feel of the moment through the power of turning a phrase. Station imaging is a weekly and daily evolving tool to connect your brand with the consumer. Imaging: It’s not just for seasonal updates anymore.
3. Coffee: Community is a vital difference for local radio brands. We can’t say we’re local. We have to be local. Do we communicate a strategy to our talent so they know how to help the brand accomplish a stronger community image? Do we educate our staff about our brand or cluster’s local initiatives like we would introduce the big Spring promotion? If there is no strategy, take a tip from Southwest and do it one sip at a time.
Be bold and imaginative and freshen your resolve to create a better product for the audience. Now, sit back and enjoy the rest of your flight.
Ron Harrell is a columnist for Barrett Media. He founded Harrell Media Group, specializing in radio and audio brand consultation, fractional management, and talent coaching. He has worked in every role on the Programming and Branding side during his career, becoming management and executive-focused in the post-Telecom Act era. Ron has held leadership roles for media groups such as ABC/Citadel, CBS Radio, Chancellor Media, Cumulus Media, Hope Media Group, Hubbard Broadcasting, and WAY Media.
Interested parties are invited to learn more about his company Harrell Media Group and reach out by email at Ron@HarrellMediaGroup.com.
