Programming To Win: Brand Extension

By Bob Quick, Quick Radio Consulting

Bob Quick

“When we win a Golden Globe, it helps us sell more shoes.” – Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder & CEO

Who would have thought a guy who sold books out of his garage would be disrupting the TV and movie industries in 2018? Bezos did, he had the vision….Amazon Prime Video. By adding value to their brand with seemingly unrelated things, Amazon had expanded their brand and can then sell more stuff to their “audience.”

As we evolve in the eyes of our clients from a radio station into a conduit providing a number of marketing channels, so must the creativity and vision we bring to the table evolve as well.

Sure there’s value in banner ads and inserted local spots on our live streams. But advertisers are demanding more from a digital or social media strategy.

Video pre-roll…OK.

On demand podcasts…sure.

Increasingly advertisers have been asking, “What else ya got?”

I always thought my job as a PD or air talent was to create great ideas that the sales team could then go out and sell. It was better than letting them come up with ideas, or God forbid, letting the client’s ideas on the air.

This entrepreneurial spirit should also expand to our web and social presence.

Here’s some food for thought:

What if a political talk show host did a Facebook Watch show interviewing non-political celebrities at a restaurant?

How about letting listeners host a live Periscope show behind the scenes at concerts for sound check?

Maybe do your big event live remotes in their entirety on Facebook Live to give those not at the event the inside scoop of being there? Have your talent take the camera with them and explore…

By tying in sponsors (the restaurant, concert promoter, or a big multi-day festival) you are creating content and adding value to the sale.

Every iPhone comes with an HD video camera and iMovie for editing. Most other smartphones have high quality, video capable cameras that could be edited with Windows’ own free Movie Maker program on your computer. You can even connect a professional microphone to a smartphone with this gizmo I found on Amazon for $11.99!

What’s stopping you from producing branded content for your clients beyond what is heard on the air?

The possibilities are only limited by our imagination.

This is an exciting time to be in the radio business because you are no longer limited to one form of media. You can reach your, and build your, audience using multiple platforms, with the ability to engage them 24/7.

I leave you with an example of branded extension born from a show you may be running on your sister station. Seton O’Connor from the Dan Patrick Show has a video series called Off the Seton Path, sponsored by the lifestyle brand Huckberry. It is very professionally shot and edited, and is a great example of brand extension and the branded content that I know you could duplicate as well.