THE TEACHER DOESN'T TALK DURING THE TEST

I believe it was the great Winston Churchill who said “I always enjoy learning though I don’t always like being taught”! Certainly for the past several years, businesses of all kinds have learned a valuable lesson, the status quo just won’t work anymore! Regardless of how powerful or big your business is or used to be, this subject keeps being repeated either innovate or become obsolete. This is a test!
Arbitron heard the teacher and launched the “Portable People Meters”, more affectionately known as PPM. After fielding numerous complaints from irate advertisers that their audience measurement data no longer created the desired response results.
As I remember, the two day long workshop they conducted at ABC Radio Networks, during the Philadelphia testing phase of the PPM product. Their new measurement findings, now impressed their ad clientele and that in their eyes, they finally began to mirror the true audience response. So much so that Arbitron’s new PPM could actually give you the times when a listener left your station to watch a specific television show which was almost always tied to the cultural background of the respondent. Many irate broadcasters harbor ill-feelings about PPM’s methodology however this is the new audience measurement standard. Since this is how the game will be played, what are you doing to enhance your position in the new marketplace? Remember this is a test of perseverance.
We are working in some very interesting times where to be or not to be is not only the question but the stark reality of this economic black hole. For instance here’s a common dilemma; when sales are down what is usually a retailer’s course of action? Slash radio out of the advertising budget. Your sales team will argue “you need radio to drive customers to the store”, right? Yet when sales are down in radio what is usually management’s course of action? Slash the research and promotions budget; was this subject part of the core curriculum? This is what’s called a knee jerk test, isn’t it!?!
What else should a student expect to be on the mid-term exam? Well the basics in Retail for starters. Principle number one is: Location, location, location! Where are you on the internet, mobile phone devices and texting applications? Clear Channel’s Senior VP for Digital Sales Michael Jackel says their sales product grew 28 % from last year. How audience interactive is your plan? ESPN360.com site is adding features to expand distribution of its TV sports product online? Here’s how it works, ESPN360 is a subscription website offering live video of a wide array of sports. It doesn’t require a separate fee; rather it comes bundled with the internet service from a participating provider such as Verizon Communications Inc. Distributors pay ESPN for it based on their number of subscribers, similar to the way they pay to carry ad supported cable TV networks. Did you notice that even CBS TV Late Night show host David Letterman has added web concerts immediately after his television show, Superstar Mary J. Blige performed tonight online. Could radio use this model for high school sports or podcasts?
Do you have a fan page on Facebook, Twitter account or an iphone app. Forget singing about the woes of PPM, if actor Ashton Kushner can touch a million fans with the click of his social networking mouse on Twitter, how much more can you impact your bottom line with a loyal web based audience as an added non-traditional advantage.
Principle number two the Teacher says “read between the lines”! How well do you know your audience? What products do they use? Radio is no longer just information and entertainment, it’s a lifestyle! Hip hop sells jeans, Ford F-150 trucks are country music and classic hits are inspiring you to buy office supplies and coffee. Even the Beatles along with dozens of other rock bands have already generated a billion dollars last year in sales with interactive video games. This is a lifestyle test, about your clientele.
Certainly the current budgetary constraints can present quite a few challenges but is it possible to marry line items like promotions and research into one cost center? Here’s an idea along those lines for the 18 to 34 demographic radio outlets. Make a trade or barter with one of the online music download sites like iTunes. Use your website to link them to the “barter partner” and giveaway to every listener who would like to have their favorite song downloaded for free (you can set whatever limits to make this work). The cue to download from your website link is triggered with on the air mentions and mass texting/e-mail vehicles at specific times and durations (once per computer or mobile device). Then get the list of the compiled music downloaded by your audience from your “barter partner” to upgrade the rotation playlist. Here’s the key point; the accuracy of testing will improve dramatically when you can survey without the listener knowing that their being tested.
Principle number three: “home is where the heart is”! Traffic is not engineering, programming sometimes doesn’t understand what takes place in sales, promotions has no clue about accounting except when they’re over budget and management may not be very motivational. You can’t be an expert on all things! Who can ask questions without the fear of losing their job? How much intellectual capital do you have in your office or company? The new CBS reality series where the Boss works on the frontline with the employees gave top management valuable insight on how to increase business. Your staff may know things you couldn’t possibly think of to help you become more profitable because they can see what you can’t. If your staff is not that important to you remember this “the cruelest lies are often told in silence”.
The teacher doesn’t talk during the test but the good news is it’s always an open book test!