Is Your Message Consistent?
When is the
last time you went into a McDonald's and were greeted with a "Welcome to
Mickey D's...," or "Welcome to the Golden Arches, how can I help you?"
Have you ever been served a "One Fourth Pounder," or has it always
been referred to as a "Quarter Pounder"? When was the last time you
were handed your food in a plain wrapper in a plain brown bag? Probably never.
That's because McDonald's values their name and brand. They make sure that you
know the sandwich you bought was from McDonald's. Have you ever noticed that
even their straws are color-coded to match the rest of their packaging?
This brings
me to the theme of this article, "Is Your Message Consistent?" Do
you always sell your station to your listeners in the same way? Have you defined
who you are and what you do; your name and your brand? When you identify yourself,
is it always the same way, or does it vary from jock to jock? What about the
other people that work at the station: sales, promotions, office staff? How
are you known by your listeners? How would you like to be known
by your listeners?
If you haven't
done so yet, decide on how you want to be known to your listeners, clients and
within your radio market. Choose a name that best describes what you do. The
obvious ones deal with your format: Country, Lite Rock, NewsTalk, All News,
Rock, etc. If you want to be known by your frequency and call letters only,
that is acceptable as well. Once you have made this decision, remember that
it is important that everyone at the station refer to your station in that same
way. This includes everyone from the on-air staff to sales to the receptionist
and how he/she answers the phone. Post signs and notes in strategic areas, so
the station staff knows what is expected of them.
Here are five
areas to concentrate on when addressing this issue at your station.
The examples
stated in this article are fictitious, but based on real situations.
- Pick One.
I recently heard a station that used as many as seven names (or ways of identifying
themselves) on the air. For example: Country Radio 99, Country Station 99,
Country 99, 99.1 WBIF, FM 99, Country Radio WBIF, and just plain WBIF. There
are several Country formatted radio stations in the market. So, they must
decide which identifier separates them from the other stations. Decide on
one name and use it in every way that you sell the station to your listeners.
Let there be no misunderstanding as to what station they are listening to.
- Station Features.
When talking about your station features like weather, news, traffic, etc.
keep it consistent as well. If you give your features an identifier to tie
in to your station and community, remember to always sell it that way on the
air. For example, if you call your weather reports and updates, "Hometown
Weather," then always call it that. Don't stray and say "Hometown
Forecast," or "Regional Weather," or use a word or phrase that
also identifies your area, like "Valley," or "Twin Cities,"
or "Bi-State." Using those in addition to your original identifier
just creates more confusion for the listener. The same goes for news, traffic,
stock report, ski report and any other features you carry on your station.
If you have anyone doing these reports for your station outside of the station,
it is important that they, too, use the correct station identifier. Here's
an example I have heard: "Road Report" from the traffic reporter,
while the jock calls it "Traffic Report". Yes, it is a traffic report,
but your station has identified it as a road report and made that a unique
phrase. Some other examples are: "Let's go to the Traffic Center"
versus "Let's go to Traffic Control," "Newsroom" versus
"Newsdesk," etc.
- Morning Show. Often
stations will give their Morning Show a name, like "Bill and Hillary
in the Morning," or "The Crazy Morning Funhouse." Make sure
that everyone involved in that show uses the same name to identify the show
on and off air. If Hillary is sick and not working one morning or just not
part of a segment, then Bill should still call the show "Bill and Hillary
in the Morning," rather than just saying "Good Morning, Bill Smith
with ya...". Don't you think that your listeners will immediately wonder
what happened to Hillary?
- Liners, Promos and
Sweepers. Make sure your liners and promos all use the same identifier
in them. Also use standard outcues. If you are known by a certain name and
identifier in your market, then make sure when you promote a contest or any
promotion that listeners know it is your station's contest or your station's
promotion. Get and take the appropriate credit. For example, avoid always
calling your station, "Country 99" and then turn around and only
use the frequency and call letters in your promos. Instead of "WBIF 99.1
FM is giving you a chance...," make it "Country 99 is giving you
a chance...". If you are using a station voice for your promos and sweepers
(which I highly recommend), make sure that you use that voice for all your
promos and sweepers. Avoid having your on-air staff doing promos. That one
voice that represents your station is the voice that should speak for your
station when promoting and positioning it.
- Logos, TV Commercials
and Advertising. Make your logo represents the identifier (name) that you
have chosen for the station. If you are "Country 99", then that
better be a big part of your logo. Don't settle for a logo with only your
frequency and call letters (unless you only use your frequency and call letters
to identify your station). When having a TV commercial produced, make sure
that your logo appears in it and use your station voice in the commercial,
where appropriate. The same is true for any outside advertising you do. Approve
all copy and printed materials before they go to press. Make sure it is your
current logo that is being used and the message you are selling is the same
one you use on the air.
It may seem
obvious to many programmers, but I have heard small, medium and even large market
stations making all of the above mistakes. Listeners have a great deal of other
things occupying their lives. Make their listening enjoyment one bit easier,
by being consistent in how you identify yourself. Make it easy for them to find
you again. Make it simple. Consistency in your message is the key.
For more information
on selling your station to your listeners, please read the article, Memo
To Air Staff: Sell, Sell, Sell!!!
McDonald's,
Golden Arches and Quarter Pounder are trademarks of McDonald's Corporation.
Use of the McDonald's name and/or logo for this article does not constitute
or imply any affiliation with McDonald's or the endorsement of McDonald's products
or services
If you have any questions
or comments about this article, please e-mail me.
This
article was also published on
The Morning Skoop Web site (www.themorningskoop.com) in November 2002,
the FreeRadioTips e-mail newsletter and Web site (www.freeradiotips.com) in
December 2002,
and
on the All Access Music Group Web site (www.allaccess.com) in January 2003.
©
2002 - 2003 Peter J. Oleshchuk
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