DAN O’DAY TALKS ABOUT RADIO

Whenever I call my bank, the customer service rep asks, “And how is your business doing today?”

1. My business is none of yours.

2. You don’t care. You’re asking only because some consulting genius convinced Wells Fargo’s management it would be a good idea — pretending to care about how my business is doing.

Probably like most of your customers, I want to take care of my bank-by-phone business as quickly as possible. Being forced to engage in ridiculous and meaningless small talk wastes my time.

If indeed time is money, then this policy wastes my money and causes my business to “do” worse; I’m answering your insincere question (to which you reply, “Good, good”) instead of concentrating on my business.

Kinda like the radio stations that take 45 seconds to tell listeners they spend less time talking and more time playing music.

Kinda like the radio stations that say, “We want to know what YOU think” but never answer their studio lines or respond to emails.

You don’t prove you care by saying you care; you prove it by showing it.

I know. You were taught that you should give the client’s name as early and as often as possible.

That’s why we hear so many radio commercials that mention the advertiser in the very first sentence.

That practice is, to quote the Del Vikings:

 
Here’s the Magic Formula that tells you exactly when to give the radio advertiser’s name for the first time in the commercial:

Only after you’ve made the targeted listener want to know the name of the advertiser.

How do you make the listener want to know who the advertiser is?

By making the listener want the results that the advertiser is promising to deliver.

You’re identifying the advertiser too soon if the listener’s response is, “Who cares?”

You’re identifying the advertiser at the right time if the listener’s response is, “Thank you!”

A Loyal Reader Writes:

“The radio program I was hired to produce is a dual jock show — both DJs are male. Teaming them together was the program director’s idea. Both the host are talented and experienced, and they are polar opposites in personality.

“But they hate working with each other! One jock is now insisting that he be allowed to do a solo show. He is unhappy, hates doing the show, is always complaining. The other guy turns up late, doesn’t like to sit inside the studio for the duration of the show, and is overall indifferent.

“But weirdly enough, the show has been doing exceptionally well in the ratings for 6 months now! Our PD had pretty much decided to give in and separate these two guys, but he and I wondering if it’s a good idea to break up a winning team. And what is making it a winning team?

“I, as a producer, think the show is below average. But then, what made it Number 1? And if this combination is working, should we force two unhappy jocks to continue working together? Is there something we are missing here?”

Without having heard the show, I have no idea what’s making it a success…except for your statement that “they are polar opposites in personality.”

When I’m brought in to consult a morning radio show or, occasionally, to help build a new one, I immediately look for the personality and lifestyle differences among the various players, and I look for ways to integrate those differences into the program’s overall mix.

In the long run, it certainly does help if the radio partners like and respect each other. And, in fact, almost all longtime successful team shows are built around two key players who, at minimum, don’t dislike each other.

They might not have a lot in common as individuals. They might not socialize at all outside the radio station. But they don’t hate each other.

It’s also possible for two people who dislike each other to do a successful show. But for the program to survive, both need to feel a sense of satisfaction from and/or pride in the show itself.

You’re saying these two guys have worked together for six months, and one of them is miserable while the other is indifferent and lackadaisical. That’s very different from “two guys who disagree about everything while passionately wanting the radio program to be as good as possible.”

In the latter case — two guys who don’t get along but want the show to succeed — there can be hope. (Often my Psychology background does come in handy when working with morning shows.)

But they hate each other, hate working together, and don’t have “the show” as a common bond? It’s time to make a change.

“The More You Know The Less You’ll Grow.”

That’s the “Data Proven Truth” offered by Doug Hall in his classic book, MEANINGFUL MARKETING: 100 Data-Proven Truths And 402 Practical Ideas For Selling More With Less Effort.

(Bias Alert: I’m in that book, offering a testimonial to Doug’s marketing brilliance. I meant every word.)

Quoting from the book:

“Research has shown that the more we think we know about something, the less likely we are to learn when someone tries to teach us.

“This finding comes from three studies of the impact of prior knowledge on learning. In each study, adults were shown information on various new product concepts and then tested on what they had just been told.

“The research found that consumers with the least prior knowledge of the category gave the most accurate answers. Consumers with greater prior knowledge assumed that they already knew about the product category and thus didn’t need to focus or concentrate on learning the information presented….

“….Those who feel that they already understand sales and marketing are less likely to open their minds to learning. Instead of seeking ways to apply the truths, they…process the learning in a shallow fashion. They debate and disprove truths that don’t align with their beliefs or established ways of doing things.”

Let me quickly add that the above doesn’t apply to people who truly are expert at radio advertising; it applies to people who think they already know everything.

The most accomplished people in any field know there still is more to know.

Remember, one key difference between an amateur and a professional is the professional never stops learning.

Those know-it-all screaming-commercial car dealers (for example)? Strictly amateurs.

They could make so much more money with their advertising if only they didn’t already know everything.