12-14-14
The Westwood One press release says the new product, called BRAND, features customized and infused sound-alike intros for PDs less likely to use traditional jingles or who want to find another way to own the music in their markets. Stations can add their brand directly into the music instead of around it. TM Creative Director Ryan Drean says, ?While multiple Country stations are launching in competitive markets, a jingle package may not always be the solution. BRAND doesn?t place a station?s name around the music; it performs it in the music.? BRAND pre-launched on 99.5 WYCD in Detroit.
SOCIAL - Facebook Users WILL Rally Around Your ProductMike StilesEvery once in awhile, the breaks fall your way. And when it comes to what makes people on Facebook connect with one another and become ?friends,? radio gets a break. Turns out music is one of the things that actually influences people to come together if they share the same taste in it, at least to some degree.Three brains out of Harvard conducted a 4-year study to find out why people friend each other, especially if they are in fact not friends and have never even seen, met, or interacted with each other. When I was college, such behavior was called ?highly dangerous,? but it?s a different world now. But yes, music, along with movies, is a key indicator of whether two people are likely to be Facebook friends. This means if Maddie likes Korn, and so does Cheryl, Maddie and Cheryl might become friends because they don?t really come across that many other 14-year-old girls who are as into Korn as they are. Interestingly, books wield no such power. Sharing the same taste in books did not appear to lead to any higher likelihood that two Facebook users would be friends or connected. This tells me the passion level for books is not nearly as high as it is for music and movies, and users don?t use books to define and express themselves the same way they do with music. Now, what if Cheryl didn?t like Korn when she friended Maddie? Is she likely to start liking them because Cheryl does? No. The research shows that people are not as easily influenced as we might believe. So keep that in mind if you?re trying to win people over to your tastes in music by alerting them to everything you listen to on Spotify. However?(there?s always a however)?this does not hold true if the Facebook friends like classical or jazz. Go figure, Harvard didn?t even attempt to offer an explanation as to why jazz lovers are more influential.So there you are, a content producer whose product is?music. You may have been knocking your lights out trying to get your listeners to come together on your social streams around the tent pole of a mutual love for your radio station. The smarter play might be to bring listeners together around the music (both the music and information about the artists) and take credit for being the instrument that made the introductions. Mike Stiles is a writer/producer with the social marketing tech platform, Vitrue, and head of Sketchworks comedy theatre. Check out his monologue blog, The Stiles Files.Find him on Facebook or on Twitter @mikestilesLinksFacebook: www.facebook.comHarvard: www.harvard.eduKorn: www.korn.comSpotify: www.spotify.comVitrue: www.vitrue.com 
by Danny C FletcherAs the world turns today managers are faced with major cutbacks, of course the first to go is the promotions budget (which is contrary to what we have our sales people recommending to the clients?) Then the consultant budget, the person who has an outside perspective, has the been there done that advice, the experts who zero in and drill down on what you the manager and owner can?t see. Two important areas, if you?re asking sales folks to go sell it. I?m just saying. Of course we smaller market broadcasters have never had the luxury of either, so here?s how we all focus on our product. In order to get a real time opinion and feel from your targeted core listener you must go where they frequent and casually survey potential listeners anonymously. What you?re hoping to get is a feel for what your station?s EPIM is (Equity Position in Market Place) relative to your competition. When listeners have a ?want? for your format, do they think of you first? Do it causally, anonymously and no family or friends comments count. Seek and scout out venues where your core profile listener frequents and interact with them by asking questions. If you want to control a conversation. Ask open ended questions and listen!In your casual interviews ask: When you do decide to turn on the radio what station do you go to first? Ask that way because the majority of the answers will be I don?t listen to radio that often; although we know better. Ask, what has them listening to that particular station? When do you listen most? Where do you listen (home, car, internet?) As far as News, Talk and Sports Stations same thing only different questions. Ask: Where do the get their news, traffic reports and weather during a crisis or weather event? Where do they turn for timely accurate information?LAW?. Do not knee jerk at every negative comment. You have to be thick skinned!!Ok so you do something like this already. Is it with laser like FOCUS? See what happens when you ask my way, with questions causally. You aggressively go for input and get quality and quantity surveys. It?s about communication so seek out the specific demographic and social graphic listeners for your format then there is a good chance they listen to you or a competitor. Remember we are only information gathers, we study the responses and we question ourselves and our staff for any other verification of ?real issues? that need to be addressed. You can also send a survey out via any number of free or inexpensive platforms such as Survey Monkey to your data base. Ask your listeners and clients how your doing and how you can improve. If the same ugly negative comment keeps coming around from your super core demo, you should take a look at the issue ASAP. Some of the best broadcasters I know have forgotten that radio is all about the product you're delivering to your local market and that's all that matter.Danny Fletcher is President of Fletcher Media Performance Group Inc. and JDTV He can be reached email: Danny@dcfletcher.com or 985 991 6161