SAY WHO YOU ARE, BE WHO YOU SAY

In the world of product branding, a narrow focus equals a broader success. Ries and Trout talk about it in all of their books; you can’t be everything to all people. If your station represents a brand, it needs to creatively and systematically scream what you do.

When you hear a commercial for Mc Donald’s, the slogan is LOVIN IT’. The golden arches doesn’t use LOVIN IT” and FEELING GOOD ABOUT IT. Branding your product is the most important part of your job as a program director. If you don’t know how to do it, better ask. Country music isn’t going to attract people to the station alone; it will take a compendium of focused areas to build your listening community.

I know a head of programming for a company that told me: “I hate all that Cat Country jargon and growls”. Wow! – What if Ford said you know, that F-150 Truck is pretty stupid, let’s not market it as America’s Best Selling Mid-size pick-up. Representing a product is putting the handle and slogan in the listener’s ears, creatively and effectively. Create a glossary of terms, centered on the name of the station. For Wolves, PAW’S FOR THE CAUSE for charity events, for Cat’s, Broadcattin’ live for remotes and make sure they are fun and easy to image. Google the handle of the station and see what pop’s up. I bought a Cat Fancy magazine in Allentown to write imaging for Cat Country 96. I’m not a feline breeder, but I can write.

If you are programming a radio station called THE WOLF or THE BULL and you don’t use cinematic and theatric imaging to conjure up mental pictures of the station, go home. I have heard these stations presented like normal 10 in a-row Country stations with no impact around the brand. Don’t believe this is true: Ask Scott Lindy in Atlanta, when they started marketing and imaging around the character THE BULL – The station’s ratings went up.