The idea of “Theater of the mind” is one of the aspects of radio that is truly unique to the medium. In this week’s Programming To Win column, Mike Stern discusses a recent beer promotion and how it utilizes the idea of “theater of the mind”…and how it could have utilized it even better
Mike Stern
By Mike Stern
One of my earliest formative radio experiences was spending a big chunk of every summer listening to Tigers baseball games with the legendary broadcast team of Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey on WJR.
Whenever there was a foul ball hit into the stands, Harwell would say something like, “That ball is foul down the third-base line and a nice gentleman from Royal Oak will be taking it home as a souvenir.”
It wasn’t until my late teens that I realized there was no way he possibly knew where the person who caught the foul ball was from.
That’s the magic of radio. I don’t care if it sounds cliché or trite, radio is theater of the mind.
Then again, the world has changed since the days of Mark “The Bird” Fidrych, Jack Morris, and the double-play combination of Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell. A few new things like Websites, email, Facebook, Twitter YouTube and smart phones have popped up.
The more radio embraces new technology the more complex and challenging it can be to create and maintain an entertaining illusion for the audience. It can still be done but it takes more forethought and attention to detail.
One example of a program with a ton of potential that at times struggles to connect all the dots is the current Miller High Life campaign where, instead of spending money on high-priced athletes and movie stars to represent the brand, they want to sponsor normal, everyday people.
It’s a great concept and dovetails perfectly with the ads they’ve been running positioning Miller High Life as the beer of practical down-to-earth people.
While the concept is very well executed in some ways, it falls down in others providing a number of learning opportunities.
A consumer’s first interaction after hearing the commercials is at the High Life Web site where they sign up to be sponsored. The experience starts off nicely. There is a pledge to take and an “Official Sponsorship Contract” that doubles as an entry form for the program. These elements all do a nice job of continuing the illusion that started with the commercials.
During the sign-up process however, it never says how much your sponsorship contract is for. That’s unfortunate because at the bottom of the form there is an option to donate your sponsorship money to the Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America which I might have done had I known how much I was getting.
It turns out the sponsorship is one dollar which I surely would have donated but since I was still having visions of $10 or $20, I selfishly declined the donation thinking I would buy beer with my windfall.
Once you have signed up you can participate in the Wall of Fame by uploading a picture and writing a short description of how you, “live the high life.” Participation in this part of the program requires that you “like” the brand on Facebook. This is presented nicely and is a gentle, non-offensive way to collect fans; something many brands struggle to do.
On the other hand, the Web site also boasts branded “Beer of You Sponsorship Gear” for sale. Clicking on that link takes you to the Miller Extras program which requires a separate registration and log-in.
If a consumers is enjoying interacting with your brand so much that they are considering spending money don’t put up barriers, make it as easy as you possibly can.
With a multi-tiered program like this, it’s important to carry the theme throughout, not just at first contact. This is where Miller’s program really stumbles.
I signed up several months ago and never heard another word. No check, no email follow-up, nothing. Eventually I received an email that said there had been a delay in processing the sponsorship checks. That’s fine. Stuff happens all the time. At least they finally communicated with me.
Surprisingly, the email was a lame, plain-text note with no logo or other references to the program. A branding opportunity missed.
I had to wonder, where was the creativity that went into the Web site and commercials? The email could have said my contract had gotten held up by the legal department or was still in negotiation. At the very least it could have graphic elements and links back to the Web site where I could join the Wall of Fame and participate in other ways.
Finally, I received an envelope in the mail; again, no graphics, no design, no acknowledgement that I was now officially sponsored by Miller High Life. Another opportunity missed.
This could have been a beautiful direct mail piece or, at the very least, could have been in a nice envelope. Instead of reinforcing the concept, it almost got thrown away by accident because it looked like junk mail
. Inside the envelope I found a nicely printed “official sponsorship agreement,” but no check. While I certainly didn’t sign up because of the money, I was told I would be receiving a check and then got an email telling me it was on the way.
If someone has put this much effort into interacting with your brand do a good job following through on what you promise.Otherwise it may come back to haunt you when people tell their entire social media circle that you let them down.
Let’s review the lessons we can take from Miller High Life’s sponsorship promotion:
Pay Attention to Detail: The program started off strong with commercials and the Web site creating a fun program for consumers to participate in. But then came plain-text emails and dull envelopes. When you are building a program think through all the details carefully.
Keep It Simple: Your listeners are busy. If they are willing to give you their time and attention, make participating simple. It’s great that Miller extended the promotion to specially branded gear but requiring a second entire registration form to get it could deter even the most passionate fans.
Follow Through: If you promise something to your listeners, be sure it happens. The days where failing to fulfill a promise only damaged your station’s reputation with a couple of people are gone. A recent study by the loyalty-marketing company Loyalty One indicates people are much more likely to tell their social network about a bad experience with a brand than they are likely to talk about a good one.
Clever, well-executed theater of the mind is still one of the best parts of radio. Don’t let the fact that it can be a little tougher to execute stop you from taking part in the long tradition of creating unique, entertaining content.
Somewhere out there a young listener is wondering who is taking home that foul ball.
Mike Stern is a veteran radio programmer with more than 10 years of experience in markets such as Chicago, Detroit, Denver and Las Vegas. He recently opened Talent Mechanic, a coaching service for talent who want to improve their on-air performance and build their personality platform. For more information visit his Website www.talentmechanic.com or the Talent Mechanic blog; Free Estimates at http://talentmechanic.wordpress.com
