For Country Radio Holidays Are An Opportunity to Connect

A few years back A&O&B asked Arbitron what we could learn about July 4^th listening.

The company's Jenny Tsao was kind enough to dig into this for us and shared some information that is worth revisiting. 

From the data we learned that:

1 – Compared to a full week, 12+ listenership for the 30 PPM markets in the sample was notably lower on the 4^th and adjacent days.

2 – The drops were primarily due to lower levels of out-of-home listening (dark blue bars) while in-home listening (light blue) remained comparatively flat. 

3 – Isolating Country however and 25-54, the format's AQH ratings (pink bars) fluctuated far less across the week than for the market overall (green bars)

This year, Jenny and fellow Nielsen researcher Tony Hereau updated the data for us and again, while total market listening fell to weekend levels on the 4th and the days after, the top country stations maintained more of their audience.

Thinking about this week you might want to consider the following:

1 – Knowing that country’s audience is less likely to suffer a big holiday drop, how will you be staffed (especially if you’re in the southeast which looks like it will experience a tropical storm during this time)?

2 – How will you promote your station’s out-of-home consumption?

3 – How will you take advantage of “simultaneous homogeneity” – events that bring us together – that the 4^th provides and use it to demonstrate that you and your listeners are “on the same page?” 

Whether you consider it good programming or not, you can see what Pandora has planned here. 

And, for Independence Day inspiration, here are nine screen shots of both businesses and stations I grabbed two fourth of July's ago.

Imaging, content, social, promotions - the further your station goes beyond playing “God Bless the USA” and a couple of dozen patriotic-themed titles, the greater your opportunity to delight, connect, bond, and reaffirm that you’re the station that best reflects your listeners' values and lifestyle. 

Happy 4th!

How Your Station Celebrates Holidays; Or, Once You Get Past “God Bless the USA..."

Not surprisingly the most played gold titles on Country Radio yesterday (from Mediabase, July 4, 2013) were Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” and “American Soldier,” Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” and Brooks & Dunn’s “Only in America.”

While there are generally a handful of songs that can make up a limited hit category for most holidays – these are good examples – your time might be better spent creating quality, original imaging pieces to compliment these few songs rather than scouring for more musical square pegs to put into round holes.

The best holiday imaging is more localized, "personal," and "in the moment" than a library title no matter how well it may fit or how good it might (or might not) be. Imagine how different and powerful Independence Day imaging might be this year vs. years past in Oklahoma or along the New Jersey shore.

Start working on your next holiday imaging by writing how you and your community celebrate - from your market’s iconic events and places to your listeners’ voices sharing personal experiences and emotions. Localize data (like this and this).  Or create a holiday theme or spin, again with a local camera angle.

(And while you're writing fresh material please, on your website, post obviously local and not a stock photos of fireworks or whatever is the appropriate celebratory expression. And use unique shots for each station. Yes, some New York City stations should be embarrassed).

For future holidays, consider how inspired imaging  - even more than your specialty song category - can make your station stand out and engage more by reflecting the local spirit and emotions of the moment.

The A&O&B team remind you that a holiday isn't a good reason to play a bad song, but it's always an excellent opportunity to create unique, engaging, brand-boosting imaging.

How Did Your Website Celebrate the 4th?

We talk a lot about engaging our audience so I loved this idea from Starbucks.

It made me wonder what other coffee vendors might be doing so I checked three of the larger chains. While there were plugs for summer products, I didn’t see anything as 4th of July specific (let alone engaging) as this.

Later, while booking airline tickets I checked four major US carriers to see if their websites were celebrating the 4th. None of them were but Southwest was with this that played nicely off their brand.

I checked on our industry by randomly (unscientifically) visiting 25 radio station sites.

About half had nothing. That was disappointing but no worse than the coffee or airline industries -- and better than the fast food (six chains, nothing for the 4th) and auto industries (among the Big 3 plus three imports, one displayed a 4th of July sale).

For stations that did have July 4th-specific content, locations for viewing fireworks was the most common with some also listing special events.

In searching for something a little different to share, here are three sites that caught my attention.

While some stations were showcasing special programming; I thought this from Philadelphia's WMMR was locally, graphically and date-clever.

And I liked this – nearly a whole page - from Washington's WTOP which looks like the station sounds.

I thought this content on New Jersey 101.5 was varied and visual with four of their five flippers this morning devoted to the day while reflecting the station's personality.

And then this afternoon, this was added:

If your station (or business) had a great website up for the 4th I hope you'll share it.

If you're newly inspired to create something engaging, that's even better!

Hope you had a great day celebrating America!

Being In The Moment

Here's a great example of being in the moment and scooping the marketplace.

Congratulations to all involved for being in sync with listeners' mindsets on the Friday before the 4th of July weekend!

As Max Media Norfolk Market Manager Dave Paulus says, "Everything matters."

Celebrating the Fourth: How Listening Changes During the 4th of July Week

The Mill Pond “river walk” gets a makeover around Halloween for fright walks. Santa can be counted on to ride through every street in the borough on a fire truck just before Christmas. And there’s a town-wide garage sale each spring.

But the 4^th of July in Milltown is something else altogether with no less than eight events this year: a fishing derby, two runs, a near two-hour parade, free music and food plus kids' rides at Borough Park, Best Apple Pie and Most Patriotic House contests, and finally some pretty impressive fireworks to end the day.

If Milltown had a radio station, they’d be challenged to keep up with the borough.

Hopefully your station is not only keeping up with but playing a strong role in listeners’ lives this weekend.

Arbitron’s analysis of 30 PPM markets last year shows that the total radio listening (all formats) for July 4^th and 5^th dips below the year’s daily average while listening on July 1, 2, 6 and 7 exceeds that average. 

The primary trigger of the drop is away from home listening that declines on the 3^rd through the 5^th while the amount of listening at home remains flat across the week.

However looking just at country, specifically among 25-54s in 5 randomly selected markets, holiday listening to the format is significantly more consistent across the week, staying relatively flat while the market's total listening drops.

How will you take advantage of a competitor who lays in an extra day of voice tracking, plays a syndicated special and calls it good?

Have a great (and proud) 4^th!

Special thanks to Arbitron’s Jenny Tsao for providing the data and graphs.

Faces of the Fourth

We were first attracted to Milltown, NJ as much by what wasn’t here as what was. And what’s still missing remains one of the appeals.

There wasn’t/isn’t much crime or chains or traffic or industry or high-rises. To date our borough of about 7000 still doesn’t have a Wal-Mart, a movie theater, a McDonald's, or a high school. You can find all these within a few miles of course, but they're not here in Milltown.

What we do have is a barber shop, a hardware store, a taxidermist, and a place to buy an ice cream cone on a summer night. There are streets with sidewalks, several good sized parks and paved path which winds along the lake/river that cuts through the middle of town.

But Milltown is at its Norman Rockwell best on the 4th of July. There’s a fishing derby, a fun run, and a parade featuring Veterans’ groups from Milltown and neighboring towns, local boy and girl scouts troops, antique cars, and what must be every fire truck and emergency vehicle within a 20 mile radius that has a working siren.

Post-parade, the colors are presented at Borough Park and an afternoon of entertainment, kids’ rides and free hot dogs and birch beer continues until the fireworks start at 9:30.

This year, I captured a lot of the day in pictures. Not surprisingly, the most interesting photos were of people.

I took one shot of what might have been a middle-aged woman and her 20-something daughter, laughing hysterically while riding on a spinning carnival ride clearly intended for kids. I imagined one dared the other with some back and forth dialogue like, “Remember how much fun this was when we were kids?" and "I don’t care if someone laughs, they won’t be laughing harder than you and me!”

There’s one of a guy juggling while riding a five foot unicycle and trading barbs with onlookers. What possessed him to want to do this? How do you practice to be good at this? His legs must be tired; there are hills on the parade route! And he’s cracking jokes, too!

I took some shots of the Mummers that marched, wondering how much their elaborate costumes must weigh (and cost) and how hard they must be to care for.

And then there are my two favorite pictures – one of a pair of long-retied firemen, in full dress uniform, sitting in the shade outside the Main Street Firehouse, talking quietly amidst the activities swirling around them. Perhaps they were recalling past moments of bravery or fellow firefighters now long gone.

But my favorite picture was of a Milltown Vet/Legionnaire, returned from marching at the head of the parade, now sitting and taking in the rest of the procession with his kids and what I assume were his grandkids that was my favorite. There was enough in his face and eyes to fill a book – or a several incredible breaks on a show the Monday after the 4th.

I tried to be extra observant yesterday because knew I wanted to blog today about my 4th of July (that's also what I would have done if I was going to be on the air tomorrow). I wanted to have some interesting stories to tell when people ask, as they will, “How was your 4th?”

I wanted to be ready to participate in what is going to be the number one talk about for many. I wanted to be prepared to share some stories to share about my town, its people, and the way we celebrate Independence Day. I wanted to think about how to frame them so that you'll readily recognize YOUR town and YOUR experiences in my stories - you versions of memorable people and their stories because I'm certain that there are a lot of interesting citizens and stories in your town that I too would find interesting and relatable.

Reports are about facts; stories are about feelings. What interesting stories will you have prepared to share with your friends and listeners about your 4th?