Gary Marince
by Gary Marince
There are a couple different topics up for discussion in this article, and we’ll begin with branding. At the various conventions I attend and as I visit with PDs, there’s a recurring perception that surfaces every time. And this perception might be getting more attention than it deserves; it’s the notion that PDs should be really tightly focused on minute-level ratings information. I get it and it makes perfect sense … as PPM ushers in a new level of granularity and accountability, the temptation to make certain every minute is better than the previous minute is hard to resist.
And if in PPM it looks like a station lost 70% of its listeners at 9:07AM, well then what was on the air at 9:07AM shouldn’t be on anymore – correct? Not necessarily. People come to and leave a station every second of the day. It would be an exercise in futility to correlate a single minute-level episode of listening to ratings.
It’s true, we should know what’s happening on our air at any given minute. But, we need first and foremost to focus on your brand! What do people want, expect and get each time they tune to your station. By focusing on the brand, we’re likely to have a better idea of how listeners use our station and how your station’s audience organically changes throughout the day.
In the PPM labs, we’re reminded on a daily basis how much of what we thought to be true for radio listening can be challenged. For example, listening behavior toward commercials is very different from what we were taught and thought through the years. Time and time again, we see audiences building through commercial stop sets. Clearly this does not mean stop sets are audience builders; this is likely to be the station’s audience coming to the station expecting to hear more of what they came for.
It’s all about anticipating what the brand promises and delivers.
Bottom line, listeners will tune to your station at their convenience. If they tune to the station in the middle of a four spot break, and they know through experience that they’re very close to hearing their favorite song, they will stay with the station through the commercial break. So it’s not the minute-by-minute analysis and programming that made the audience hang through the commercials, it is the brand and the expectations people have for the brand.
PPM has shown us that there is tremendous audience churn. At any given minute, listeners may tune away for any number of reasons, but the strength of the brand is what keeps bringing them back. There is a very high correlation between a person’s listening occasions or listening events and favorable Time Spent Listening.
Of course commercial loads, commercial placement and dayparts matter. And most certainly our on-air content and entertainment offering is paramount, but these are just elements in our brand. Rather than dwell on minute-level ratings, it may be more helpful if we understand what elements are essential to our brand’s success – and then commit every resource to deliver on the brand promise.
Our next topic is about focus. With the humongous cumes reported through PPM, stations certainly have another reason to be encouraged about radio’s importance in everyone’s daily routine. And the low Time Spent Listening among P4, P5 or P6 audience might suggest a very juicy target for growing a station’s AQH Persons number. However, it is still very much a P1 game. Actually, it’s all about the P1s … still! Yes, we can see P4+ cumes which rival our P1 cumes, but, upon further investigation, we’ll see very light “Listening Occasions Per Week” for the P4+ audience. It would easily take ten P4+ listeners to generate the kind of Time Spent and AQH Persons we get from a single P1. Yep, at least ten times the amount of work and who has time for that?
It’s widely believed that a lot of the P4+ cume is very light or incidental listening. You may have someone in your P4+ pile who spent five minutes in a cab, in an associates’ cubicle or in a store playing your music. Realistically, it’s not probable you could get more listening from that person. So, as big as the P4+ number is, it may be imprudent to chase it. You can lose a ton of your P4+ listeners and it won’t impact your ratings. No station can afford to lose a single P1 listener. Stick with the P1s.
And our final topic is about music. I often hear: “PPM loves music. I don’t even have to say my call letters any more. I just need to play the hits.” Well, it’s a little hard to argue against playing the hits, but, we may be putting the cart before the horse if we think we can grow and sustain audience over time by being a juke box. The truth is listeners love music, and they love hearing their favorite songs on their favorite station. That’s what makes the difference.
We’ll step outside of radio for a minute to explain the difference between a “juke box” and someone’s favorite music station. In this example, we’ll look at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. When Amazon.com came on to the scene, it promised great books (all the hits) at great prices (no talk). So, you could reason, if all you wanted was this week’s best seller at the best price, Amazon.com was your source. Why would we even need the brick and mortar stores like Barnes and Noble anymore – right? Well, since Amazon’s arrival, Barnes and Noble morphed into somewhat of a personality or brand based bookstore. The Barnes and Noble brand is all about the experience. The latest and greatest books, reading rooms, upscale coffee bars, informed and helpful sales clerks and a clean and inviting storefront. It is the strength of Barnes and Noble’s brand – built on the total experience as opposed to just selection and pricing – which helped its stock prices grow ten times its pre-Amazon value.
In radio, the juke box strategies seems to be the easiest to compromise . . . just play “even more” or “better songs” and there’s no other point of differentiation or station loyalty.
As far as call letters go . . . it’s true, you should never “say” the call letters. You should sell them. As part of your brand building it’s critical people understand what they’re consuming as they consume it. Remember, Starbucks makes certain every one of their cups has their name and logo – even though this costs them and you had to go to a Starbucks counter to get their coffee. And you can’t walk on any street corner in Walt Disney World without hearing about the merits of their time-sharing opportunities. They know the best time to “set the hook” for further commitment is at a time when people are consuming and/or enjoying the brand. The use of call letters as part of a station’s brand building is essential.
That’s it for this month. Here’s to your continued rating’s success.
Gary Marince is Vice President of Programming Services for Arbitron. He is available to answer your inquiries regarding the Arbitron PPM or Diary services. You can reach him at gary.marince@arbitron.com or 412-337-1118.
