(By John Shomby) With all the messages that penetrate the mind of the consumer, a product’s branding and positioning become the essential pieces in securing that consumer’s attention. Is there a difference between a station’s brand and its position?
Let’s first examine the definitions of both:
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a Brand is a public image, reputation, or identity concerned as something to be marketed or promoted. Positioning is the exercise of establishing the brand in the mind of the consumer. There you have it – one begets the other!!!
Your brand is the station’s “umbrella theme” and the positioning supports that.
If you have ever asked your listeners what the radio station means to them, what do you get back? Is it equal to what you consider the station’s brand? Have you even asked that question? I do hear some very clear messaging on some stations but are revolving around “#1 for New Country” or “The Hits of Yesterday and Today.”
Yes, your music is PART of your brand, but it is NOT your brand. THAT’s positioning. Those slogans are part of your brand but not the essence of it. We are talking about the station’s clear personality and, as we are seeing in just about every national radio research project, the talent and the emotion evoked by the station have become increasingly important to its success.
Consider asking these questions when zeroing in on your station’s brand:
What are your station’s on-air values? What does the station stand for?
- Love of country – patriotic?
- Heavily involved in the community?
- High profile personalities?
- Playing the latest hits?
- Providing an escape from the issues of the day?
What sets your station apart from others?
- Your Personalities?
- Your music?
- Your presentation/attitude?
- Your community presence?
What do your listeners tell you what they think the station stands for? What do they know about your station?
How do YOU want the listeners to perceive the station?
See the common theme in the above answers and you can determine your brand if you haven’t already. Point your positioning statements to that brand. The music may be a part of it, but you want that position to totally support your brand.
Your logo, your slogan, your air personalities, your music, your website, your socials, and your outside promotion should reflect your brand 100% – no less!! This process, of course, takes lots of time, work, collaboration, communication, and AGREEMENT.
Involve the entire staff – on-air, sales, management, promotion, digital, etc. Even if you have, what you think is, a well-defined brand, I would highly recommend going through this exercise once per year, at least. You may be missing something the listeners are getting or, worse yet, vice versa.
Just as an FYI, by the way, the latest research from the Web Tribunal states that the average American sees 4,000 to 10,000 ads daily but only NOTICES less than a hundred!!!!!! Define your station brand, be 100% sold on it, and then communicate it as often as possible in as many entertaining ways as possible to your listeners, clients, and staff. Make sure your message is clear and distinct enough to get NOTICED!!!!
Your staff should be able to articulate it as good as or better than you! NEVER waver from that brand message. Always support it and the results will come – and stay!!
Based in Nashville, TN, John Shomby is the owner and CEO of Country’s Radio Coach. He is focused on coaching and mentoring artists, radio programmers, and on-air talent to help them grow and develop inside the radio station and the industry. Reach John at [email protected] and 757-323-1460. Read John’s Radio Ink archives here.
