I have always loved the NCAA Basketball tournament. Ever since Jim Valvano’s Cardiac Kids from NC State pulled off their big March Madness upset, I’ve been absolutely hooked. Even with the advent of NIL money and the transfer portal, the first day of the tournament (writing this on Friday morning) was filled with drama and several upsets.
Beyond NCAA Basketball, it seems like everything else is getting more ridiculous by the day as well. No matter what side of the aisle you tend to identify with politically, or how you feel about pop culture today, there’s a lot of madness for people to digest every day.
That’s the thesis of an article by Felix Mathieu about what he calls an “Absurdgasm,” which refers to the relief consumers feel when brands stop pretending things are normal and fully embrace “a refreshingly creative chaos.” That means stepping away from a perfectly rational roadmap “to take risks, to propose something that doesn’t neatly fit a business case.” As examples, Mathieu cites Krispy Kreme’s Crocs tie-in, Sonic’s Picklerita Slush, and Dunkin’ Donuts scented deodorant.
While those examples may be on a level most Classic Rock/Hits stations can’t really attempt, a similar article titled “Forget KPIs: Vibes, Community and Culture Are How to Build a Brand in 2026” by Bruno Solari and Allison Ellsworth suggests that marketers should “understand the data but don’t rely on it.” They suggest that knowing what it is going to take to make someone “buy with their heart, not their heads” should be the goal.
All of this begs the question: when was the last time your station did something absurd? I’m sure you have a well-researched playlist, surgically constructed clocks, and production that perfectly illustrates your positioner. But when was the last time you threw that all aside for even a single quarter hour?
As always, let me include the necessary disclaimer — this is not an invitation to flush your format and go hog wild with songs and content that don’t fit your listeners’ expectations. But after seeing several articles from marketing experts like the two quoted above, I’ve started to think that perfect playlists aren’t enough to build love for your brand these days.
Maybe start with something simple: play two songs in a row from an artist when it isn’t Tuesday. Play the best side of a classic album on the anniversary of its release. Do a theme block tied to an event or a story in the news. Don’t announce these things ahead of time — just do them with some regularity and the audience will come to expect the unexpected.
Then let’s move on to the air talent. Start by being honest with yourself about whether they have the opportunity, within your carefully designed clocks, to go beyond conveying station business and truly shine as a personality. Then consider whether you have communicated that mission and encouraged them to take risks and talk about unique, interesting content, or if you have stressed the importance of reading the liner cards. Until your talent starts to talk about things that make a listener stop and take notice, they just aren’t going to have much impact or help build your brand.
Finally, look at what your marketing is saying about your station. Many of you are running contests, but is there anything about your station’s giveaway that makes it more memorable than what another station is doing?
And I know when I say marketing we’re not talking about TV spots and billboards, but you do have email newsletters, social media channels, a website, and an app. Is your best and weirdest content getting reinforced to your P1 listeners via these channels, or are they being inundated with boring promos for the same dull contests?
Classic Rock/Hits radio stations are arguably ahead of many other brands because we already know what the consumers want from us — big hit records and music passion mixed with enough interesting moments to keep them engaged. It’s just up to you to deliver.
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Mike Stern is a Classic Rock columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. He has been with Jacobs Media consulting stations in the Classic Rock, Rock, Alternative and AAA world for more than a decade. Prior to that he programmed stations in Chicago, Detroit, Denver Las Vegas and other markets. He also worked as News/Talk Editor for Radio and Records, wrote about Top 40 Radio for Billboard Magazine and had his own radio talent coaching business called Talent Mechanic.
