I had to laugh. When I saw the news about McDonalds adding Oatmeal to the menu...I thought: Either they're brilliant or morons when it comes to enhancing their brand. I'm just not sure if oatmeal builds my McDonalds experience.
See full article from WalletPop: http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/05/13/mcdonalds-adds-oatmeal-to-the-menu-as-breakfast-wars-heat-up/?icid=sphere_copyright
I don't know about you, but when I think of McDonalds, I think hamburgers--not chicken, not burritos, not even breakfast--let alone Oatmeal. (Though I DO love an occasional Egg McMuffin every now and then) When I think Pizza Hut, I don't think "Pasta". When I think M&Ms, I don't think "coconut". It seems as if everyone is trying to extend their brand to be and represent more than it already stands for. Problem is--brand extension rarely works as it was intended.
Sure, most music stations are playing more music in 2010 than they were in say--2005. The introduction of PPM has dramatically impacted broadcast brands all over the country in the scramble to create PPM-friendly on-air products. There are many questions regarding the long-term impact of programming changes implemented over the past couple of years (PPM influenced) and these existing station brands. Have they been enhanced or diminished? Only time will tell.
Remember, the "brand" is not just all the elements that make up the product or service, it's how it makes you feel. It's a subconscious response to the brand. Trying to explain the essentials of "branding" to someone is like trying to explain the concept of "love".
It's hard to capture its true essence in one simple statement. If you were to try, you might say that your brand is the sum of all details related to your product...it's everything. It's that complete collection of all impressions that creates an overall vibe, perception, or feeling. It's the overall experience and how you feel about it---that categorizes it and tags it as something unique and valuable to you somewhere deep in your mind.
Branding is sort of like your own internal personal reminder service. You've dog-eared the page, you've left a sticky note on your psyche, and you attach a subliminal marking on that product (or service) because you consider it important enough to remember. Mentally imprinting that information and categorizing that product will make it easier for you to remember it later.
It's a tough concept to grasp. People are still confusing your product "name", "slogan", or "location" as THE BRAND. That's not your brand. It's just your name, slogan, and location. (Dial position) It's a small part of the brand...but then again EVERYTHING you do is part of the brand. (Right or wrong)
Brand development has been critical all along. It doesn't matter if you're Campbell’s Soup, Google, Apple, BMW, Starbucks, or Wxxx/Kxxx/Cxxx. The goal has been to grow your product into a respected, ubiquitous, highly successful brand. Now, thanks to the introduction of Arbitron's PPM, many believe that we have somewhat "better" and more "accurate", actionable real-time listening measurement---and the ability to witness moment to moment radio consumer behavior. The introduction of granular data is distracting many smart broadcasters from concentrating on "big picture" brand development and focusing in on moment-by-moment minutia that has minimal impact on their overall listener perception and brand definition.
In a recent exchange with researcher-strategist Jon Coleman of ColemanInsights.com, he described the challenge of broadcasters fully grasping the concept of brand-building in a PPM world---even further:
"Unfortunately, radio is often run by people who can only think in black and white. That means song scores high = good. Low=bad. (Usually true). DJ talk drives away a few listeners = bad. No DJ’s = good. They miss that all the stuff builds an affiliation.
After looking at PPM what I have noticed is that regardless of the station, about 10% are 'music-only' listeners. They will hit the button at the first chance every time. They are the ones who make any content look bad. These listeners can't discriminate between good and bad. And, since in any minute only a small percentage of a station’s “minute audience” can possibly tune in, you cannot make up for the 10% loss in next two minutes. So, PPM deceives us unless we understand this brand concept."
Branding is the ENTIRE experience. It's not the moment. So, if you're programming simply for the moment, you may find yourself reacting (or over-reacting) to the granular minute-to-minute data. If you're looking to build a powerful brand with legs, you may choose to take a step back and attempt to create a listening experience that plays into your overall brand concept.
Remember, it's not just what you DO, it's how the person on the receiving end FEELS ABOUT WHAT YOU DO. That's what creates branding. It's like applying a cattle-brand on your brain. It leaves a near permanent mark. A bonafide "brand" is a collection of perceptions in the mind of the consumer. The "brand" is what you tell your friends about afterwards.
Think about it. When you have a great (or bad) experience with a product (your station, your website, an interaction with someone from your station, etc.), What do you tell your friends about? Do you echo the messaging from their advertising? Do you say, "You should listen to them-they're the place for today's country and your all-time favorites"?..."Hey, try them, because they had the coolest graphics on their website"?..."Check them out-they're the home of Johnson & Johnson in the morning and 10 in a row every hour all day"?
Of course not: you tell your friends what was important to you - the details about your particular experience. THAT'S the brand. Nothing more, and nothing less---than the sum total of all the customer experiences served up by the station.
Unfortunately, country radio has an innate, built-in challenge. There are many people who are just plain anti-country...with no legitimate reason behind it--other than its historical backwoods, backwards, redneck image parodied in the contemporary, too-cool-for-the-room, hip media. Country will never truly be cool-because it’s an adult-targeted format. Some people just don't want to be associated with such an un-cool musical choice-regardless of the quality and lyrical depth of music and entertainment.
While the customer experience is central to the brand, you should always look at the "prospect experience" too; which is what the person who might never use the product or service for any number of reasons--experiences. Some examples: Pampers TV ads seen by nursing home residents or college students, someone using an IPOD witnessed by an 8-year old, the same kid seeing a Jet Blue airplane on a runway, etc. These prospects, distant influencers, or whatever you call them---help build your trial rate, and even build the category, both of which are critical to your brand's success.
If your country station looks, sounds, and feels like that backwoods, backwards, redneck stereotype in the prospect's mind---that's what you are--that's the brand...that's the experience they take away...that's how you're classified in their mind. What do you think your chances of additional trial will be if that's their actual impression after initial exposure?
A radio brand is not your name, slogan, location –or- just a mix of music interspersed with voices, taglines, and commercials. It’s how your station sounds. It’s how your station looks when a listener or advertiser stops by. It’s how a listener is treated when they call the studio. It’s the experience with the receptionist. It’s your website. It’s your station vehicles. It’s your letterhead. It’s your streaming experience. It’s your station’s overall attitude. It’s your perceived role in the community. It’s your unwavering commitment to family-values. It’s your perceived relationship with the country artists. It’s your imaging, jingles, music beds. It’s the way your talent sounds, looks, acts, what he or she represents, how they make you feel. It’s your outside marketing. It’s your inside the station vibe. It’s your message, what it says, how it’s delivered AND how it’s received. It’s the person that arrives early to set up the remote equipment and hang the banners. It’s the way you do business with your vendors, partners, and advertisers. It's the quality of your signal, the processing, the way it sounds coming out of the speakers. It’s the chotchkees. It’s the promotions and giveaways. It’s the promos. It’s the live spot endorsements. It’s the targeting of commercial content and presentation. It’s your morning show, midday show, afternoon drive, nights, overnights, and weekends. It’s your information elements. It’s the entertainment elements. It’s the music. It’s everything that’s non-music. It’s what the talent says, how they say it, when they say it, where they say it, and the relevance of what they say. It's everything.
It's everything associated with your station that creates what I like to call: "The Take-away"...the WHOLE experience.
THAT’S branding. That's where you begin...
Have you added oatmeal to your station's menu?
