For as long as I can remember in this radio business, the target demographic has been central to almost every programming conversation. After reading about what Lego is doing, I’m wondering how often we let that demographic become the whole conversation.
A target demographic tells you who you want. A passion gives that person a reason to want you.
Lego has expanded beyond its traditional young audience by creating products around interests that cross age and gender boundaries. Think Formula 1 cars, bonsai trees, and Olivia Rodrigo.
As a recent Wall Street Journal report explains, the company is building products and marketing around people’s passions. Someone who hasn’t thought about Lego in years suddenly has a reason to look again. That got me thinking: We spend considerable time defining the listener, but how much time understanding what that listener gets excited about?
Adults 25–54 are a key demographic for buyers, but it gives an air personality very little to build a relationship around. What do those listeners follow? What do they spend money on? What will they drive three hours to experience? What do they text their friends about before getting out of bed? That’s where this becomes useful for radio.
The format is the starting point for connection. Two people can love the same song and have very different reasons for loving it. One follows the songwriter. Another connects with the story. Another remembers hearing it live with a son or daughter. Those are opportunities for personalities to find something more meaningful to talk about than the song’s chart position, title, and artist.
Some ideas for a few practical applications:
- Ask questions that go beyond listening habits. “What could you talk about for twenty minutes without preparing?” “What do you make time for, no matter how busy you are?” Use listener conversations, social responses, and events to look for recurring interests. Then build something around what you learn.
- A station with some passionate runners could create a listener running group, a personality’s first-race journey, or a local race partnership. Give people something to participate in.
- A host’s enthusiasm for cooking, rescue dogs, high school football, or gardening can open a relationship that a standard station promotion never will. Let the personalities share their interests.
- A prize gets more meaningful when the station understands why someone wants it. Access, recognition, and belonging can be part of the payoff. Make promotions reflect what people care about. Something they would share on socials, etc.
There’s an important limit to the analogy: this doesn’t mean chasing every interest or turning a focused station into a grab bag. Choose passions that fit the audience and that your people can serve credibly. Lego still gives people bricks. It keeps discovering new reasons people want to build. Radio can keep its musical identity while discovering more reasons people want to listen.
At your next programming meeting, ask everyone to name three things your listeners are passionate about besides the music. Then ask how they know.
What could your station do with that knowledge this week?
