The Cynic

Bill Jacobs

By Bill Jacobs, Consultant, Jacobs Media

In the play Lady Windemere’s Fan, Oscar Wilde had Lord Darlington quip that a cynic was “a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

Wilde wrote those words of wisdom back in 1892, but it’s hard to imagine things could be more cynical than they are in 2021.

It’s something that’s borne out in the new Meaningful Brands Report, recently released by the Havas Group, one of the world’s largest global communications shops.  The bi-annual study, with a global sample size of 395,000 came to these conclusions:

• 75% of brands could disappear overnight and most people wouldn’t care if they disappeared
• There’s a growing lack of trust in brands, with 71% having little faith they deliver on their promises
• Only 39% of brands are trusted in North America
• Only 34% think companies are transparent about their commitments and promises

Their findings beg the question whether broadcast radio in the U.S. has been a “co-conspirator,” thanks to hyper-tight playlists, bloated commercial loads, more out-of-town voice trackers, and poor quality streams.

Programmers spend a lot of time and brain bandwidth focusing on obvious problems like declining TSL or a lack of P1s, but do you really know where your audience is at today, especially following the weirdest 12 months of our lives – what our company calls “Radio in the Year of COVID.”

There is very little to come out of the pandemic anyone would call positive, but I believe there’s a silver lining, a halo if you will, on stations that figuratively held their listeners’ hands, that supported first responders, that helped local businesses with on-air mentions and promotions, and that raised money for good local causes.

Grab that halo, along with what looks like the beginning of an economic explosion, and the return of concerts and events, and I’d argue many stations are at an inflection point. Our most recent Techsurvey bears out the fact many listeners have never felt a stronger connection to their favorite stations:

Additionally, the concept of “local” on the radio airwaves has never been more important:

Finally, one more critical data point, this time from NuVoodoo showing nearly half of respondents believe jocks they hear are coming from another city. There are also high levels for radio’s lack of responsiveness, as well as radio’s penchant for placing its lengthy commercial stopsets at the same time as everyone else during most hours.

What better time to beat back cynicism than now, when your fans are bonding more, listening levels are coming back, local has never been more important, your corporate competitors continue to phone it in, and people are beginning to feel good about their lives again.

Stations that go on offense this summer are the ones who will reap the benefits. While it may be counterintuitive to research, market, promote, and invest, that’s exactly the kind of long-term thinking that’s crucial for the short-term success, if not long-term survival of your brand.

Wherever you live in the country, things have been opening up rapidly and the stations that are prepared for the onslaught of relief, happiness, energy, spending, long lines, and enthusiasm are the ones best postured to cash in on “the rebound.”

If you can “fire on all cylinders” now, you’ll keep your fans engaged at a high level and you’ll prove the cynics wrong:

1. Be There – And by that, I mean everywhere your audience will be this summer. There may be fewer concerts and festivals, but Americans are bursting at the seams to get out of the house. Face-time for the station and your personalities is critical. Assuming it’s safe for everyone, look to start a lot of sentences that start with “We’ll be at” and “Join us.”
2. Truly Be Local – Your metro matters and should have presence to integrate it your imaging, getting your talent to talk less “Florida man” and more “Your city.” Sound like you know all the ins and outs of what makes your market special. Make your audience proud to be “from here.”
3. Turn your at–work efforts on local workers and businesses – It’s time to hyper-localize their at-work efforts and integrate towns, intersections, potholes, downtown food trucks, local businesses, hangouts, sports venues, concert venues, construction sites, and local sounds into each piece of at-work imaging. How can on-air features showcase what it means to “live there?” And how can you use your websites and mobile apps to provide useful local information about what’s happening around town and more?
4. Focus on positive experiences – One of the recommendations from Havas is the demand for meaningful experiences. Once you believe your streaming experience is stellar, (please check), you need to market your accessibility via streaming on computer, smartphones, tablets, smart speakers, and even speaker systems like Sonos.
5. Make it a policy to be responsive – Look at that NuVoodoo chart again, and then dedicate your station to responding to questions, comments, requests, and comments on social media on every platform. Respond in a timely fashion, to not only prove you’re there, but that you care.
6. Deploy your talent – Every situation is different, but if your jocks are truly “additive” to the experience, get them out in the community this summer. They are your brand ambassadors – the faces of your radio station. Especially if you compete against “ghost stations,” you may have an opportunity to truly connect to the audience with your talent.
7. Address that commercial load – Right now, a lot of stations are playing a lot of commercials, making up for lost revenue. Clients are telling me they’re running stopsets as long as 7-8 minutes, often accepting low-dough barter spots, etc. While it’s understandable given the last 15 months, it comes with a price. Stations that get their commercial loads under control will benefit in a sales environment already becoming overheated.

The cynic in me says tells me you’ll have a hard time implementing all of the items on my list.  Prove me wrong by sending me a piece of production, a screenshot, or a talk break at billjacobs@jacobsmedia.com.

And have a great summer!