Growing His Subaru Chain With Radio

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Thanks to Community Broadcasters co-founder Bruce Mittman for introducing us to Ernie Boch Jr. Boch does the marketing for 12 retail auto dealerships, all in New England, and for Subaru of New England — 64 dealers in six states. Here’s our special interview with Ernie Boch, which will appear in Radio Ink’s 40 Most Powerful People in Radio issue, out this week.

Boch and Mittman forged a relationship back in 1991, when Mittman was running the FMs for Entercom in Boston. Boch was a big fan of WAAF — both its passionate audience and the crazy events the station pulled off. Boch often attended WAAF events and experienced firsthand the enthusiasm of the listeners.

Ernie’s dad was the voice and face of Boch Automotive, and he was known throughout the country as an innovator in using media and promotions in automotive marketing. So Ernie Jr. already believed strongly in the power of personality radio.

When Ernie Boch, Sr. died, Ernie Jr. became the chairman of Boch Enterprises.
Mittman tells Radio Ink that was back in 2003, when he had just launched his agency, Mittcom.

“Ernie called me one afternoon and told me he was interested in doing radio
sponsorships,” he says. “He asked for my opinion. I told him what he already knew — that he had huge shoes to fill. Because his dad had made such an impact, we needed to find an equally unique and memorable way to introduce Ernie Jr. to the marketplace to build on his father’s success and continue to make an impact.

“Together, we came up with the idea of on-air integration coupled with an aggressive spot schedule. A key part of our strategy involved using Ernie as the exclusive spokesperson for the brand. Our version of integration meant truly making Ernie a key part of the fabric of the programming. To that end, Ernie became part of the morning and afternoon shows — with much more to offer than automotive expertise.

“As a Berklee College of Music grad, Ernie created a band that toured nationally. He was also a major philanthropist and a unique personality around Boston. Listeners tuned in regularly to hear him talk about music, events he attended, causes he supported, and the scoop on market personalities in his circle of friends.

“Just as we’d envisioned when we first spoke in 2003, Ernie developed an on-air personality without ever talking about selling cars.

“Just about everyone in the market knows Ernie Jr. They’re aware of what he does for the community, and aware of his unique approach to marketing which I’ve enjoyed being part of. When you hear that Boch had become the number one Honda dealer in the USA, you can bet that Ernie’s on-air mileage has played a huge role.”

Radio Ink: Why is your relationship with Bruce special? What makes it work so
well?
Boch: When I first met Bruce, he was running a station that was second banana to a legendary Rock station, WBCN. At first WBCN was so dominating that nobody could come close, but Bruce at WAAF was nipping at the heels of WBCN. Ultimately Bruce beat WBCN. Once WBCN acknowledged WAAF, they were done for.

Bruce proved himself in the market. He was very good. Then he got a high-profile
firing. The year he got fired, he was the GM of the Year and WAAF was Radio Station of the Year. The station had never billed more money and he won Rock Station of the Year, and he got fired that year.

When he got fired I was in the process of buying radio time on WAAF and I said to
myself, “Who better to tell me what is going on at WAAF than the guy they just fired?”

So I hired Bruce to do that buying, and it spread, so he is now buying for the retail
stores and Subaru of New England. BCN is not around anymore, and WAAF is the king of rock in Boston. Books have been written about that story. I love radio.

Radio Ink: What is your niche?
Boch: I think people like to do business with people that they know. There are so
many people begrudgingly doing business with giant faceless companies, a la Walmart and Target. There’s nothing wrong with the big box stores, they do a good job with what they have, but being from New England and marketing exclusively to New England, I think the old New England way people want to do
business is with people they know and like.

The three-dimensionalization of a person is extremely important. Did you ever meet a big celebrity? Do you know what the best comment is you can make about that celebrity? It’s not “His last movie did $100 million” or “He’s the best actor,” but the comment I hear is the most flattering to these giant celebrities is, “Wow, he’s just a regular guy.” That’s one of the biggest compliments a high-profile person can get.

When that comment happens, you have connected to those people. You have three-dimensionalized yourself with those people. You are a whole person, not this one-sided, one-way, two-dimensional cardboard person. People want to do business with people they know and like.

Radio Ink: What role does radio play in what you do?
Boch: Radio is an integral part of life and an integral part of the market. There are
millions of schools of thought with advertising, but I would rather advertise to a million people a bunch of different times than 10 million people once. Frequency trumps all. Frequency beats everything. Frequency and consistency.

A base buy is so important. In my business, the auto business, it’s not unlike a lot of industries, but what people tend to do is buy quarterly or have a good month and then back off the next month, or have a really crappy month and then advertise more. Consistency isn’t there, and what Bruce and I bring to the market is consistency and frequency.

Radio Ink: So you never bought into that idea that radio is 100 years old and
doesn’t work?
Boch: No, never. I have been buying radio in this market for over 20 years and I’ve never once looked at ratings, ever. I don’t care. I’m in this market. I know if people listen to the stations or not.

I have a friend who has the morning show on the number one Rock station in Boston, and he’s had it for over 25 years, same guy, same slot. He’s always number one, or in the top five.

When he’s number one and the ratings are through the roof, that’s a good thing, but when all of a sudden he’s number five and the ratings are not that good, it’s not because the show went bad. The show is the show. You buy the concept of the show or you don’t. It doesn’t matter what the ratings are.

Boston is such a small market. For example, I am diabetic, and I don’t use the mathematical formula I used to use to when I was first diagnosed. I look at the number on the meter, and I do the appropriate amount of insulin. I don’t do the math. I see the number and I know what to do. It’s like muscle memory.

It’s the same with radio. I know the stations that are popular, what the demos are and where I want to be and how I want to position myself, and we go from there.

Radio Ink: How do you gauge results from radio?
Boch: I have proprietary software that I’ve developed since the mid-’90s that tracks my customers. In everything there is a leap of faith. I preach radio and tell people they should advertise on radio. I have had some people say, “Oh, I tried it nothing happened.”

Radio is a slow burn. If you are going into radio for the first time, you have to give it 90 days before you even decide if it’s working. Sticking with it and being there all the time, it’s guaranteed. You can’t tell me that a media that has 600,000 listeners in the morning throughout the show is not going to work for you. If does not work for you, then you have the wrong ad. Radio works!

Radio Ink: What would you like to see radio improve on?
Boch: I think they do a good job. I think they realize they are under attack. Consolidation really changed the landscape of radio. I used to go in and talk to reps about sales. On a lot of stations in Boston, I’m the oldest, most consistent advertiser.

If I were to give them some advice, it would be to be persistent. Whoever you talk
to, make sure that it’s the decision-maker. If you get to the decision-maker and you have a passionate argument and a good product and the person on the other end is willing to advertise on radio, there’s no reason they shouldn’t.

Radio Ink: If you were to tell other advertisers why it’s important to use radio, what would say to them?
Boch: Radio is an integral part of marketing. You have to be on radio. If you’re going to truly penetrate the market, you have to be on radio. Do TV and digital too, it’s a whole package. It’s not like the old days, where it’s TV and radio, or TV or radio, pick one. The market is so sliced and diced and specialized and laser-pointed that you have to have a nice balanced portfolio of advertising.

Radio Ink: What’s the best schedule to run?
Boch: Mornings are essential. They are usually the top-rated program for the station. Also surrounding the news, sponsorship of the news. People may not listen to a lot of things, but they listen to the news.

1 COMMENT

  1. That was a good read. Boch has been a great radio supporter for years. And NOBODY loves Ernie Boch, Jr. more than Ernie Boch, Jr.! Well, maybe Bruce Mittman!

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