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Why Radio Stations Are Like Toy Stores

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Tuesdays With Coleman

Back in March of this year, I wrote a blog post called Why Toys “R” Us is closing.

In it, I argued that while market forces and new competition played a role in its business decline, it was lack of brand depth that did in Toys “R” Us, a company that had complete domination of the image for “toy store.”

The last Toys “R” Us closed its doors on June 29.

I suggested in the post that Toys “R” Us had become a commodity. The store was simply a brick-and-mortar space for transactional exchanges.

The problem with that, aside from the fact that there was no real reason to buy toys there as opposed to Wal-Mart or Amazon, for example, was that Toys “R” Us forgot that the very experience of children and toys is a magical one. The retail toy buying experience, I said back in March, must be an experiential one.

It’s why those of us old enough to remember still sing the Toys “R” Us jingle.

It’s why we cried at the end of Toy Story 3.

It’s why Tom Hanks danced on the piano in FAO Schwarz in the movie Big, which was released 30 years ago this summer.

And speaking of FAO Schwarz…

Did you ever visit the flagship Manhattan store when you were a kid? I thought it was the greatest place on Earth. There were giant toy soldiers, flashing lights, larger than life teddy bears and ABC blocks and toys to play with everywhere you looked.

There was staff everywhere with smiles on their faces to help you find that magical toy to make a kid’s day, and consequently the parent’s day.

And yes, there was the piano you could dance on.

Toys “R” Us bought FAO Schwarz in 2009.

They closed all its locations, ending with the shuttering of the flagship New York store, in July 2015. Budget cuts, they said.

That year, the global toy market generated 85 billion dollars of revenue.

This past week, the new owners of FAO Schwarz announced that the iconic brand will reopen at Rockefeller Center in New York this November. As part of the product launch, according to the new owners, the store plans to hire “product demonstrators, magicians…and men and women playing various costumed roles, including toy soldiers.”

FAO Schwarz is holding auditions for people to dance on the piano. And get paid for it.

“We’re looking for people who can deliver that sense of theater,” said the chief executive of ThreeSixty Brands, the store’s new owner.

Sounds experiential. Sounds magical. Sounds like what a toy store should be.

This morning, the New York Times revealed that some old-school retailers are experiencing their strongest sales growth in years. That is, the ones that have experientially adapted.

Here’s the takeaway for radio stations regarding the Toys “R” Us closing and FAO Schwarz re-opening:

Radio, like toys, is, at its core, best when it is experiential.

Radio, like toys, is a form of theater.

Radio, like toys, can be magical.

Radio, like toys, is meant to be fun and memorable.

When toys are treated like a commodity, the business that treats it that way will suffer.

Same goes for radio.

Press Releases

Coleman Insights to Present Webinar on Podcast Listening Behavior

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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, August 28, 2018 – Coleman Insights will offer a webinar for the broadcast and podcast industry detailing the results of an actual mediaEKG® Deep Dive study on two popular iHeartRadio podcasts. The insights will cover “The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast,” featuring former stars of ABC’s “The Bachelor” franchise, and “Business Unusual with Barbara Corcoran,” hosted by the real estate mogul, bestselling author and “Shark Tank” star.

By the end of the session, attendees will grasp the “Three Ts of Content Execution” and how each can play a role in content development. You’ll gain an understanding of how audiences feel about the content and why they feel that way. This session is designed to help podcasters and broadcasters create better, more focused content that produces more engagement and increases listening.

Coleman Insights Executive Vice President John Boyne says, “We’re thrilled to offer this presentation to those who didn’t get the chance to see it at Podcast Movement. Podcasters and broadcasters should find the insights useful for understanding in-the-moment podcast listener behavior for two shows with very different content.”

iHeartRadio SVP/Podcasting Chris Peterson said of the original presentation, “Let’s learn what listeners really think rather than a download, which tells you nothing.”

Boyne and fellow Executive Vice President Sam Milkman will present “The Three Ts of Content Execution: A Second-By-Second Look at Podcast Listening Behavior” Wednesday, September 5 from 2p-2:45 PM EDT via webinar.

Registration is now open for the webinar here.

 

Press Releases

Coleman Insights to Present “Outside Thinking” to Christian Music Broadcasters

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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, August 23, 2018 – Christian Music Broadcasters (CMB) has announced Coleman Insights Executive Vice President Sam Milkman has been added as a featured speaker at Momentum 2018, the organization’s annual conference that attracts more than 700 radio and record industry professionals in Christian music formats.

In this rapid-fire session, Milkman will demonstrate how Christian music programmers can better understand the habits, needs and perceptions of their listeners to build powerful, clearly defined brands that motivate listeners to tune in time and time again.

CMB Executive Director Michelle Younkman says, “We are looking forward to having Sam join us at Momentum 2018, Christian Music Broadcasters’ premier event. His expertise and insights will help CMB accomplish our mission to encourage, engage and equip our attendees to reach more people.”

Milkman will present “Outside Thinking: Flip the Script on How You Think About Your Radio Station” Thursday, September 6 at 10:15am at Momentum 2018 at Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando.

Find details of Coleman Insights’ presentation here. For information on Momentum 2018, click here.

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Preparing Your Radio Station for U2

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Tuesdays With Coleman

On Friday, October 2, 2009, I was programming 96rock in Raleigh, NC and preparing the station for a major live broadcast the next day. U2 was set to play nearby Carter-Finley Stadium as part of its 360 Tour, and there were a number of last-minute logistics to run through. That’s when the phone rang.

It was the regional rep for Interscope, U2’s record label.

“Jay, I have a few questions for you.”

I was intensely focused on what I was doing, but, “Sure, what’s up?”

Interscope rep: “How long does it take to get from the venue to your radio station?”

Me: “15 minutes.”

Interscope rep: “How long does it take to get from the airport to your radio station?”

Me: “25 minutes.”

Interscope rep: “How long does it take to get from the airport to the venue?”

Me: “10 minutes.”

Interscope rep: “Ok, thanks.”

Click.

My mind started racing and I was freaking out, and here’s why:

I knew on the day before U2 kicked off the North American leg of their 360 Tour in Chicago, they had conducted radio station interviews and visits at several stations, including 93.1XRT and Q101, and had donated a VIP concert experience to 101.9 The Mix for its fundraiser.

A week later, the band popped into the studios of 102.1 The Edge in Toronto with just a few hours’ notice.

Now, my Interscope rep had left me a cryptic message and I’m certain U2 is going to come by the studio for a visit.

That overwhelmingly thrilling concept led to this thought:

“Oh no, what if U2 comes by the studio for a visit.”

Was the studio in an acceptable condition to host U2?

Could we mobilize a security infrastructure fast enough once the word got out?

Did we have the right people in place to handle everything that comes with a visit like this? Could we turn around production pieces immediately? Would we be able to maximize the PR opportunity? Would we be ready to utilize our digital assets right away? Could we come up with some memorable questions they hadn’t heard before?

And so, we mobilized like U2 was coming to visit. Fortunately, I do believe we were prepared for the special moment if, in fact, the band decided to grace us with their presence at the last minute.

Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.

On the other hand, it was a great opportunity to ensure we had all our ducks in a row.

In many ways, we work in the preparation business.

Among many other things, perceptual research can identify the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities both for your station and for the radio market as a whole.

Stations we work with often evaluate various potential scenarios and determine which actions to take based on the insights.

Although you can’t predict every scenario, you can prepare.

So, prepare like U2’s going to drop by this afternoon.

Press Releases

Coleman Insights Joins Pledge 1% Movement

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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, August 14, 2018 – Coleman Insights announced today that it has joined Pledge 1%, a global movement inspiring companies of all sizes to integrate giving into the DNA of their business. Over 1,500 companies in 40 countries have joined the movement.

As a Pledge 1% member, Coleman Insights will donate one percent of its annual profits and one percent of the services its produces each year to non-profit organizations that meet criteria set by a committee of company employees. In addition, Coleman Insights employees will donate one percent of their annual working hours to volunteer on behalf of non-profit organizations,

Coleman Insights President Warren Kurtzman explains, “We decided to publicize our participation in Pledge 1% not to pat ourselves on the back, but to encourage other media and research companies in the industries we serve to build giving back to their communities into their everyday business practices. A program like Pledge 1% is perfect for companies willing to make a specific commitment to supporting community and charitable organizations.”

“We are incredibly excited that Coleman Insights has taken the pledge,” said

Amy Lesnick, chief executive of Pledge 1%. “Coleman Insights can play a pivotal role in building this movement and promoting a new normal in which all companies—big and small—integrate giving back as a core value in their business.”

Learn more about the Coleman Insights Pledge 1% initiative here.

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Research and the Art of Calculated Risk

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Tuesdays With Coleman

Most museums are a celebration of art and culture, but not the Museum of Failure.

The Museum of Failure, as it bills itself, is the world’s largest collection of failed products and services from around the world.

Based in Sweden, this eccentric house of gaffes is traveling the globe as a pop-up museum with stops still to come in China, Germany and France.

What can the Museum of Failure teach us about failure and how can research play a role?

Let’s first examine some of the products featured in the museum, which include:

These product failures were the result of incompatibility with the brands themselves.

Colgate stands for toothpaste. Bofors is a Swedish weapons manufacturer (seriously). Harley-Davidson means big, loud motorcycles.

If the product is incompatible with the brand, it has a higher risk of failure.

Other products in the Museum of Failure fizzled because they missed the mark on what consumers wanted, like:

 

Despite boasting higher quality than VHS, the Betamax was too expensive and didn’t feature long enough recording times (it only held one hour of recording time compared to three for VHS). The Newton MessagePad was the first Personal Digital Assistant, but featured inferior built-in handwriting features. The Twitter Peek, launched in 2009, was a pocket-sized device used only for tweeting. If the minimal usage wasn’t enough, the display itself was minimal, with the ability to show only 25 of the allowed 140 characters on the device’s small screen.

Some of the product failures simply fall in the “why do I need that?” category, like:

Bic made a pen just for women, which would have been fine if anyone felt a gender-centric writing utensil was required. Google didn’t do an adequate job explaining why consumers needed to buy its privacy-cringing eyewear, and consumers really didn’t want Coke that tasted like Pepsi. If they wanted a Pepsi, they’d buy a Pepsi, thank you very much.

Innovation can be a very good and necessary thing. In fact, many of our Plan Developer presentations at the conclusion of a media perceptual study end in a brainstorming session. The key is that the brainstorming is guided by the strategic direction dictated by the research.

Perceptual research can bring into focus very clear perceptions consumers have of your brand. Brand growth comes from improving and strengthening those images.

Lasagna is not going to improve Colgate’s toothpaste image, toothpaste certainly will do nothing for Bofors’ weapons business, and perfume isn’t going to improve Harley’s motorcycle image.

Many of the same lessons apply to the other examples, and these certainly apply to media brands.

If your radio station is known for hard rock (Colgate), you may not want to give your listeners Classic Hits (lasagna).

Is your radio station adding features that enhance your position? Or are you adding features your listeners don’t really care about? Put it through the Twitter Peek test.

Do your listeners understand how to use your radio station? Are you abundantly clear as to why they should use it? Or are you Google Glass – shiny and new but not really necessary in the lives of your consumers?

One of the signs in the Museum of Failure is a quote from Henry Ford that reads, “Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.”

Utilizing research and growing your brand with a strategic vision is one great way to wise up.

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Which Radio Station Will Hire Rosey Blair?

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Tuesdays With Coleman

I would call myself a casual Twitter user. I peruse my feed now and then, but it’s an unusual circumstance when something genuinely grabs my attention and won’t let go.

That was until Tuesday, July 3rd when an acquaintance on my feed retweeted a thread, providing me with this tease: “Read this whole thread. Trust me. It’s so worth it! #milehighromance”

I bit.

On the one hand, I immediately felt like the creator of the thread may have gone too far. Perhaps her methods were too intrusive. But on the other hand, I visualized a natural, relatable entertainer with the ability to captivate an audience and possessing a heavy dose of social media savvy. Exactly the kind of skills many radio stations desire from their on-air talent and can translate into positive perceptual research.

The thread was authored by a young woman named Rosey Blair, with this introduction:

“Last night on a flight home, my boyfriend and I asked a woman to switch seats with me so we could sit together. We made a joke that maybe her new seat partner would be the love of her life and well, now I present you with this thread.”

Pretty good setup. I can hear that setup on a radio station’s morning show in my head. Hold that thought.

The woman who switched seats moved to the row in front of Rosey and her boyfriend. The thread, which has since gone viral and is sometimes referred to as “Plane Bae,” is a rapid-fire series of tweets viewing the fast-moving relationship between this woman and her new seatmate from the backseat perspective of Rosey + boyfriend.

 

Throughout the saga, Rosey provides amusing commentary (“No one ordered drinks but they are sharing a CHEESE (PROTEIN) BOARD!”). She offers up video of their own facial expressions. She lets you know she’s just bought another half-hour of Wi-Fi so she’s not leaving you hanging. She notes when they follow each other on Instagram, and shows you the moment their arms touch for the first time. Whenever she tweets an update, followers are on the edge of their seats, begging for more.

Rosey Blair is now over 65,000 followers on Twitter and is wisely attempting to leverage her 15 minutes of fame. The Today Show first reported the story on July 5th, the day she posted some personal anecdotes about herself on Instagram. We learn about her love of schmaltzy movies (her fave is “You’ve Got Mail”), she reveals her struggles to find love and happiness as a plus-sized woman, and she drops some pearls of wisdom regarding a good attitude and a positive outlook on life.

 

So, we know Rosey Blair is a funny, vulnerable social media ace storyteller.

You may find these to be attractive qualities in a radio personality. But is Rosey even looking for a job?

On July 4th at 8:30pm, she tweeted “Hello to my @buzzfeed friends. You got any job openings? Would luv to create for you.”

Once a radio station has established its base music or talk position, we recommend adding layers to what we call the Image Pyramid. Great personalities can add strong brand depth to a station’s Pyramid, and occupy a very important role. We oftentimes see in perceptual research that the strongest personalities, unsurprisingly, are the memorable ones. They are the ones with clearly defined characters. The ones who emotionally connect with the audience and aren’t afraid to show vulnerability. The ones who often have developed social media followings.

Coleman Insights Image Pyramid

These things alone do not indicate Rosey Blair would be a great or even good radio personality. It’s impossible to know from one viral thread if she has the intangible qualities required to carry a radio show.

She would have to be coachable and understand that even the greatest bits have limits.

Perhaps she could be a contributor to a show (or shows). Maybe her feature becomes appointment listening.

One thing’s for sure. We’d love to see funny, vulnerable, social media savvy storytellers tweet that they want to be on the radio.

Press Releases

Coleman Insights To Take A Deep Dive Into Podcast Engagement At Summer Conference

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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, June 20, 2018 – Coleman Insights will present the results of a new mediaEKG® Deep Dive study on iHeartRadio’s The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast, featuring former stars of ABC’s The Bachelor, and Business Unusual with Barbara Corcoran, featuring the real estate mogul and Shark Tank celebrity, as part of the Industry Track at Podcast Movement July 25 in Philadelphia, PA.

The proprietary mediaEKG Deep Dive platform provides second-by-second insight into which elements of the podcast appeal to listeners and which do not. The platform also uses a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to reveal how listeners feel about the podcast’s hosts and guests and how engaged listeners are with the podcast’s content benchmarks.

Coleman Insights Executive Vice President/Senior Consultant Sam Milkman explains, “We will go well beyond the simple measures of listener and download counts that podcasters are used to seeing and examine content engagement. By looking at how the audience responds to specific content, podcasters can more effectively develop engaging content.”

Podcast Movement Co-Founder Dan Franks adds, “We are thrilled to partner with Coleman Insights to help us present the Industry Track at this year’s Podcast Movement. One of the biggest challenges for a podcaster is to figure out who their listener is, and what their listener wants. Coleman’s solutions for this very problem are very exciting for us as organizers, as we get to help spread the word this July throughout the entire podcast community!”

Coleman Insights’ Executive Vice Presidents/Senior Consultants Sam Milkman and John Boyne will deliver “The Podcast Content Deep Dive: A Second-By-Second Look At Listening Behavior” Wednesday, July 25 at 10am at Podcast Movement at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. They will be joined by Chris Peterson, Senior Vice President, Podcasting for iHeartMedia. The session will be part of the conference’s Industry Track, featuring subjects such as metrics and advertising standards to future trends.

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Lessons For Radio From The Golden State Warriors

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Tuesdays With Coleman

Do you manage talent? How about high-profile, high-ego talent? Although you likely don’t work in the sports world, you may find some pretty valuable lessons to be learned from a basketball coach.

I can’t tell you I’m not a biased Golden State Warriors fan. I’m totally biased. That being said, I’m no bandwagon fan, having grown up in the Bay Area. I attended my first Dubs game (well before anyone called them the Dubs) in the late 70s against Dr. J and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Like every other lifelong Warriors fan, I suffered for a very long time. In the 31 years between Al Attles’ departure in 1983 and Steve Kerr’s hiring in 2014, the Warriors went through 14 head coaches with a combined record of 1,168-1,426, a 45% winning percentage.

In four years, Steve Kerr has compiled a winning percentage of over 80%. There’s certainly something to be said for the massive amounts of talent compiled for him to work with, including All-Stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant. Surely there’s an argument to be made that a number of other coaches could have also won a substantial percentage of games with such a stacked roster.

So, this isn’t a lesson in compiling talent. It’s a lesson in keeping them content and performing at their best level.

Back in April, Jon Coleman wrote about the effect of research and analytics in professional sports. Kerr was an early embracer of research, with ESPN noting that Kerr “has proved willing to make adjustments based on feedback from the Warriors’ analysts.”

So, embracing research has been part of the Warriors’ success. However, that doesn’t adequately take into account the human component. A program director may also choose to embrace radio perceptual research or show enthusiasm about implementing the results of an online music test.

If the team around the program director can’t execute properly or stay in sync, the station can fall short of expectations—just as sports teams do regardless of research or level of talent.

In February, the Warriors were starting to show the scars of the regular season. The team went 3-3 over the span of six games and were getting off to a slow start each night. Kerr was afraid his message wasn’t cutting through. So, what did he do?

He let his players coach a game.

Three players had a turn with the clipboard. They were in charge of motivating themselves. They were in charge of making substitutions.

The Warriors won by 46.

Just as a team stacked with the Warriors’ level of talent should win lots of games, the Warriors should have won the game that night against a poor Phoenix Suns team.

It’s an example of one of many tactics Kerr pulls out of his tool belt to engage his talent. Tricks like these lead to what sports website Real GM recently referred to as an “unusually harmonious locker room.”

How about that magical third quarter? Through Game 2 of the NBA Finals, the Warriors have outscored their opponents by 133 points in the third quarter in these playoffs alone.  Is the team doing something incredible at halftime?

Actually, yes.

The New York Times studied the third quarter phenomenon and discovered the Warriors coaching staff:

  1. Begins preparing for halftime when the game begins by identifying specific plays to review;
  2. Runs back and forth to the locker room to have clips assembled on a computer;
  3. Projects the clips on a screen while Kerr runs through them, one by one.

Ok, that’s not so revolutionary. It’s what Kerr does after he gives his take.

He wants to know what every coach has noticed. Then, he asks the players what they have noticed.

Zaza Pachulia has played for nine head coaches in the N.B.A. and says he’s never been part of a more democratic locker room.

Many radio program directors who have embraced research are overseeing stations with strong developed brands and are experiencing substantial ratings success. Those who manage high profile talent may consider looking to Kerr for ideas for getting the most out of them.

Sharing the research, getting buy-in on the plan, and collaborating. Talking with instead of talking to.

That approach just may accelerate your results (and lower your blood pressure).

 

Press Releases

Outside Thinking Video Released From Worldwide Radio Summit

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 RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, May 31, 2018 – Coleman Insights has released the video of its keynote presentation delivered at Worldwide Radio Summit in Hollywood earlier this month.

In “Outside Thinking: Flip The Script On How You Think About Your Radio Station,” Warren Kurtzman, Sam Milkman and John Boyne explain the tenets of Outside Thinking, which involves approaching radio station programming from the listener’s point of view.

The video covers session highlights, including how listeners choose radio stations based on habit, needs, perceptions, language and lifestyle. “Listeners don’t go through a formal process of deciding which stations to listen to,” explains President Warren Kurtzman. “By understanding the reasons and ways listeners select and use stations, programmers can utilize the principles of Outside Thinking as part of their strategic decisions.”

The video of “Outside Thinking: Flip The Script On How You Think About Your Radio Station” is now available here.