Radio and digital brands have an opportunity to cut through the clutter and make a momentary connection with the one thing every human on this planet shares: a birthday.
My mother and I shared a December birthday. Add Christmas and four kids to my father’s clergyman salary, and December had to be one of the most stressful months at our house. Time heals and changes reality, but we felt celebrated because our parents did what gifts and trips can never do. They loved us unconditionally.
Okay, now that we’ve checked the Holiday Happy Feelings box, let’s discuss ways to improve our connection with the audience.
Before Al Gore invented the Internet, our database’s birthday acknowledgments were unique. Wait, did we have a database prior to the Internet? Yes. Stations with focused marketing departments nurtured those databases, with names accessed through marketing companies, research respondents, and disciplined street teams. But the Internet has made data-grabbing so much easier over the last thirty years.
Too Much Celebrating
Today, we can wish someone a happy birthday on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, and the platform where we live our lives…SMS (texting). Have the multiple ways to deliver the message made the birthday greeting less special?
I celebrated a birthday recently, and the greetings that caught my eye were two email messages. One was from Copper Mountain, one of my favorite ski resorts when I lived in Colorado. I haven’t skied Copper Mountain in 20 years, but I guess I gave them my information, and I’ve never unsubscribed.
It was special because it reminded me of a great time in my journey. However, there was an immediate internal reaction: “Hey, somebody is paying attention.” Now, think about someone at a place in their life where they need some virtual recognition. Your radio station isn’t simply promoting itself with these emails. It’s connecting, recognizing, encouraging, and possibly changing someone’s day.
If that’s true, and I think it is, then maybe we should put more thought into our database birthday greetings. It’s not enough to email your database a Happy Birthday message. If that’s all you do, please don’t stop. I’m challenging us to refresh the approach.
The second email to get my attention was from Uber. Along with the birthday cupcake graphic, the message went beyond the typical “It’s your special day” accolade. Their message was unique. “There are 49,211 other drivers and couriers with the same birthday. That’s a lot of cake.”
Of course, as someone who has sat in more than a thousand weekly promo meetings through the decades, my brain immediately went to the moment someone came up with that idea in the conference room. My second reaction was the reason for writing this column. For a moment, I felt part of a group. Sure, it is a group of 49,211 people I will never know, but it is a group nonetheless.
Five Things To Consider When Freshening The Approach:
Here are a few ideas to freshen the noisy connection world of database birthday greetings, whether you have a database of 400 or 40,000.
1. It’s In The Mail!: Electronic communication has perfected our procrastination. But if you want something to be delivered to a residential mailbox and arrive in time for a person’s birthday, you have to plan and play the USPS game. Take a group photo of your airstaff celebrating a birthday. Have every staff member sign the card. Keep a stack in the Control Room or the office and have it become part of their daily routine. Oh, wait. Your midday talent is voice tracked from another market? No problem. Send a box of birthday cards with the host’s picture and make it a personal greeting from your midday jock
2. What Do I Get Out Of This: My Planet Fitness birthday message included a $30 gift from several vendors. I didn’t accept it because it meant I had to sign up for another database. However, I’m certain a lot of people take advantage of those “free” gifts. The best gift is one you can use with little or no effort. Include a Starbucks gift link in the email. If you’re sending a snail mail card, include a $10 Dairy Queen or Chick-fil-A card to get a free ice cream.
3. Will I Remember It Next Week?: The birthday greetings from Copper Mountain and Uber made an impression on me. Beyond the nice memory I got from the Copper email, they included a quote from the iconic Warren Miller: “If you don’t do it this year, you’ll be one year older when you do.” Drop the ski pole. Uber gave me a unique number to remember. I’ll likely save both of those emails and easily pull them up when I want to remember the quote or the number. It seems simple, but so far, I haven’t deleted those emails.
4. Can We Get Personal? Technology gives us a new opportunity every week. When your street team is at an event taking selfies with fans, can you take the extra step and get those fans to sign up on an iPad to have the photo enhanced and delivered to their inbox or phone? When you capture the information, maybe they’ll give you a birthday. Then, you resend the photo on their birthday as a memory.
5. What’s Your One Thing?: About 23 years ago, I gave Mark Niederhauser my birthday and anniversary. Every year, I get an email or a text celebrating those events. Mark is a promo guru with Warner Brothers Nashville. There’s a good chance you’re in his birthday database because he made it his One Thing with his clients and friends. Mark hasn’t worked me on a record in more than 20 years, but every August and December, I know I’m getting a note from him. Think about your database as individuals.
Birthdays are an opportunity to connect with our audience. Create a meeting with your thinkers and refresh the idea of celebrating someone else’s most important day.
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.
