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The Power of One Brand Message

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In the last Tuesdays With Coleman blog, John Boyne shared a unique example of how U-Haul gets away with what, on the surface, feels like a blatant brand violation. U-Haul splatters various messages all over its trucks, from being easy to load to its gentle ride suspension to its low cost. John points out this violation at the end of his blog, arguing that U-Haul may get away with it because the mini messages further an overarching perception about a well established brand. I’ll make the case that last part is the most important. U-Haul claims a dominant, greater than 50% share of the rental truck market in the United States. If it had greater competition, it would be forced to focus in order to differentiate. For most brands, focusing on one powerful brand message is the right move. For Jennifer Hudson, it’s an amazing move.

I’ve never watched an episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show. But I feel like I know exactly what it’s about. That’s because I watch JHud’s “Spirit Tunnel” almost every day.

If you’re unfamiliar, the Spirit Tunnel is the hallway where guests enter the show, greeted by staff members who sing, dance, clap, and cheer them on. The celebrities often join in, creating some genuinely entertaining moments. The videos are everywhere on social media. At least, they’re everywhere on my social media. And here’s what’s interesting: Despite never having watched the actual show, I have a pretty clear impression of The Jennifer Hudson Show. It’s fun. It’s upbeat. It’s positive. It’s a place where people are celebrated, and where you’re probably going to leave feeling better than when you arrived. Is that an accurate representation of the entire show? I have no idea.

But it’s the impression I have, and that’s the point.

One of the most common mistakes brands make is trying to communicate too many things at once. They want consumers to know they’re innovative, trustworthy, entertaining, authentic, community-focused, and different from the competition. They want to promote every feature, every personality, every benefit, and every reason someone might choose them. And when everything is important, nothing stands out. The Jennifer Hudson tunnel takes a different approach. It gives people one memorable, easily recognizable entry point into the brand. And that entry point communicates something much bigger than the actual content of the videos.

The tunnel isn’t the show. It’s a gateway to the show.

It gives potential viewers a reason to become interested. More importantly, it establishes an expectation about the experience they’ll have if they decide to watch. That’s effective branding.

Jennifer Hudson Show

EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) winner Jennifer Hudson (Credit: DFree/Shutterstock.com)

Of course, there’s an important caveat. You can’t just find something entertaining, promote it relentlessly, and expect it to build your brand. The gateway has to connect to the broader brand experience. Imagine if the Jennifer Hudson tunnel were filled with singing, dancing, and laughter, but the actual show was a serious, confrontational interview program. The disconnect would be jarring. The tunnel works because the feeling it creates appears consistent with the show’s larger personality.

And that’s the lesson for brands: Find one thing that makes people curious about you, but make sure it represents what you actually deliver.

For a radio station, that gateway might be a particular music position, a morning show personality, or a distinctive attitude.

For a podcast, it might be a recurring segment or the unique perspective of its host.

For a streaming service, it might be a signature program that draws people into a much larger library of content.

The objective isn’t to reduce the entire brand to one thing. It’s to give consumers one compelling reason to take the first step.

This is where things get especially interesting in today’s fragmented media landscape.

I haven’t watched the show. I couldn’t tell you what time it’s on, what channel carries it, or even describe a typical episode. But I regularly consume content associated with the show. So, am I a viewer? Not in the traditional television ratings sense. But I am certainly part of the show’s broader audience, and I’ve developed a brand perception without ever consuming its core product. Consumers encounter brands in all kinds of ways before ever becoming customers, listeners, subscribers, or viewers. And those encounters shape expectations.

The Jennifer Hudson tunnel has accomplished the first critical step of building a relationship with me. It has made the brand recognizable, memorable, and appealing. Whether that eventually translates into watching the show is another question. But without that initial connection, there wouldn’t even be an opportunity. The less established your position, the more important it is to give consumers something specific to remember you for. You can expand the conversation once you’ve earned a place in their minds.

Here’s the question I’d encourage every brand to consider:

What’s the one thing you could consistently put in front of potential consumers that would make them curious enough to explore everything else you offer? Not the six things you want to be known for. Not the laundry list of product benefits. One thing.

It should be distinctive enough to capture attention, simple enough to remember, and authentic enough to represent the broader brand experience. The Jennifer Hudson Spirit Tunnel doesn’t attempt to explain everything about The Jennifer Hudson Show. It doesn’t need to. It gives me a reason to smile, a feeling to associate with the brand, and perhaps someday, a reason to tune in.

And considering I’ve never watched an episode, that’s a pretty impressive start.

 

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What U-Haul Trucks Can Teach Us About Brand Marketing

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Nearly three years after my writing was last inspired by brand messaging seen on the side of a commercial truck, here we go again. And this time my muse is U-Haul.

U-Haul? Yes, U-Haul.

On its home turf of the United States and Canada, U-Haul is a powerful brand. For those of you living in this part of the world, I’m willing to bet that you are familiar with U-Haul, that you know what primary services U-Haul provides, and that you can even close your eyes and picture a classic white-and-orange U-Haul truck.

U-Haul Truck

A U-Haul truck in Raleigh, North Carolina

For those unaware, U-Haul is the long-time market leader in do-it-yourself moving truck and trailer rental, and it is also a major operator of self-storage facilities. When you need to haul your stuff from one place to another, U-Haul wants to help.

What’s interesting to me is the approach that U-Haul takes to decorating its moving trucks. Rather than presenting a clean, simple design, U-Haul vehicles are adorned with a smorgasbord of messages and imagery that can vary from truck to truck. I mean, yes, there’s a foundational base of white-and-orange coloring and the distinctive U-Haul logo, but beyond that, there’s a lot to take in. For example:

  • Some messages describe how U-Haul trucks are easy to load, such as this back panel display: “Our Low Decks Make Your Move EASIER!” with a blue arrow pointing to the height of U-Haul’s “Lowest Decks” and their “E-Z Load Ramp” requiring “1/3 Less Work,” as compared to a red arrow pointing out the higher location of a competitor’s deck height
  • Look elsewhere and you may learn about the comfort of the drive: “Gentle-Ride Van,” “Gentle-Ride Suspension,” “Drives Like A Van, Hauls Like A Truck”
  • Other messages relate to U-Haul’s efforts to help its customers save gas money: “Trimline Fuel $aver – Saves You Money,” “Fuel $aver Chassis Skirts – Optimize Your Fuel Economy,” “Enhanced Aerodynamics”
  • You may also come across other low-cost messages: “Now Only $19.95,” “Right Equipment, Lowest Cost”
  • And then there’s my personal favorite: “Mom’s Attic,” a relatively small, italicized phrase pointing out additional storage space that extends above the cab of trucks (per the website, “another U-Haul exclusive!”)
  • Beyond such product-benefit messages, more memorable to some of you may be the “Venture Across America & Canada” series that features eye-catching images and interesting factoids from the many states and territories served by U-Haul. The company calls these SuperGraphics®, and as a proud North Carolinian, I am particularly fond of the one featuring the Venus Fly Trap. While U-Haul may of course be altruistically motivated to educate citizens, SuperGraphics also have the benefit of drawing the attention of drivers and passersby who may then take in the truck’s other messages about U-Haul’s services.

U-Haul truck messaging

So what marketing lessons can we take away from U-Haul? I’ll give you three:

First, think of any consumer-facing situation as an opportunity to market your brand. Don’t have a fleet of trucks like U-Haul’s that can be used as mobile billboards? I get it. But consider if there are other potentially under-utilized assets—such as product packaging, a storefront, or a media appearance—that could be better optimized to help you develop and mold perceptions of your brand.

Second, promote your brand’s benefits; don’t assume that people will figure it out on their own. U-Haul recognizes that positive points of differentiation are only helpful if they are noticed. By using on-truck messaging to highlight benefits related to ease of use, comfort, and fuel economy, U-Haul educates consumers about benefits that are not otherwise apparent.

Third, consider the “1+1+1=3/4” test when developing and prioritizing marketing messaging. The idea here is that if you try to communicate too much at once, the conflicting messages and lack of focus will result in no single message strongly cutting through. Now, if you’re reading this and thinking, “Hey, wait a minute, might U-Haul actually be guilty of violating this rule?”, hats off to your astute observation! I mention “1+1+1=3/4” here because this U-Haul approach challenges us to consider if it is a rare exception to the rule. Yes, U-Haul trucks contain many different messages. But in this case, I’d argue that the strategy works if the marketing goal is to use the barrage of mini messages to further the overarching perception that U-Haul “Makes Moving Easier” (yes, another phrase on their trucks). In other words, the goal may not be to deeply imprint all the details, but rather for the ensemble of details to draw your attention and then communicate a larger story about an already well-established brand. Is “Mom’s Attic” such a critical selling point that it should be the singular message on all U-Haul trucks? Of course not. But as one of many details being absorbed by passing observers, “Mom’s Attic” may help establish the broader idea that U-Haul’s really got the do-it-yourself moving process all figured out for you.

So there you go – a few marketing lessons from the side of a U-Haul truck. Keep your eyes and ears open, and you might be surprised by what brings inspiration.

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Why EV Marketing is Missing the Moment

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You ever think about owning an electric vehicle? I sure do. Every time I’ve thought about it, I ended up buying a gas car for the same reasons I think most people in my shoes do:

  • It’s too expensive
  • It’s inconvenient
  • The range isn’t long enough

With gas prices the way they are lately, I’m thinking about it again. A lot. And I can’t be the only one.

Every time gas prices spike, something predictable happens: people don’t just get frustrated—they get emotional.

They complain at the pump. They post screenshots of the price. They feel a loss of control, a sense that something essential to their daily life is suddenly unstable. It’s not just about cost—it’s about anxiety, resentment, and helplessness.

High gas prices

Photo credit: Michael Barajas / Shutterstock.com

And yet, in these exact moments, when consumers are most primed for change, electric vehicle companies continue to market like engineers instead of storytellers. Or worse, they don’t market at all.

That’s the missed opportunity.

High gas prices create a rare psychological opening. Consumers are actively questioning a behavior they’ve long accepted: filling up their tank.

So why does every car commercial still look the same and end with the price per month?

No one is reframing today’s experience in a way that connects with how people actually feel in that moment.

When someone is standing at the pump watching the numbers climb, they’re not thinking about kilowatt hours. They’re thinking:

“Why am I still doing this?”

That’s the emotional pivot point. And it’s where EV brands should be living.

Instead of saying, “Save money over time,” imagine messaging that says: “Never feel this again.”

Picture driving by gas station after gas station with the exorbitant prices out front, and you never stop to fill up.

Relieve recharge anxiety by showing how easy it is to do it at home. Throw in a free home charger.

High gas prices won’t last forever—but the perceptions formed during these spikes can. This is when brands can reposition EVs from “alternative” to “obvious.”  But that requires leaning into emotion, not just education.

Emotional marketing wins because people buy feelings long before they buy features.

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Beyond Logos: The Key To Authentic Brand Success

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A venerable brand in the Southeastern United States is facing a crisis. They have failed to meet brand expectations, and their fans are extremely upset. No, I’m not going to start another debate about Cracker Barrel. I’m talking about something far more important to southern culture…the University of Alabama football team.

Organizations spend a lot of time and money working on their brand. Designing logos, creating memorable slogans, and choosing eye-catching colors are a few examples. Yet the most critical factor behind any strong brand is people. Employees bring a brand to life.

The University of Alabama football program illustrates this truth. More than a team, Alabama has become a brand recognized for excellence. Its success demonstrates that organizations in any industry thrive when they invest in great people—in this case: players, coaches, trainers, recruiters, analysts, etc.

Over the years, Alabama has won 18 national championships and is well known for legendary coaches like Nick Saban. Saban helped Alabama create a culture that was a consistent winner for more than a decade, including six national championships from 2009-2020. Saban was the highest-paid state employee in Alabama. Heck, their slogan, “Roll Tide”, is used as an informal greeting across the state.

Alabama’s dominance has always been centered around recruiting. While athletic skill is essential, the program prioritizes players with the right character, discipline, and mindset to embrace “The Process.”

Businesses face the same challenge. Hiring is not about filling roles but enhancing the brand and shaping its future. Every employee influences customer experiences, team culture, and public perception. Recruiting for both skill and cultural fit ensures employees reinforce—not dilute—the brand’s identity.

But what happens when a brand that seems to be bulletproof, like Alabama, loses a key employee? In this case, the retirement of head coach Nick Saban in 2023.

His exit is forcing Alabama to prove whether its culture is strong enough to endure without him. Similarly, in business, when a founder, CEO, visionary leader, or key employee departs, the company must demonstrate that its values and identity are bigger than any one person.

Former Alabama football head coach Nick Saban (Photo credit: Jamie Lamor Thompson / Shutterstock.com)

So far, things don’t look good for Alabama. After a devastating 31-17 loss to Florida State, recruits, fans, and even competitors are all beginning to view Alabama differently in the post-Saban era. Can the program maintain its dominance? Will standards slip? (I am a University of Tennessee football fan, so I bet you can guess the outcome I am hoping for.)

The same occurs when a business loses a key person or people. Customers, employees, and investors often wonder whether the brand will stay as strong and reliable, or if momentum will fade. It is a critical moment of truth. The transition can either weaken confidence and dilute the brand, or it can showcase the resilience of the organization. The difference lies in preparation: embedding culture, building strong teams, and ensuring systems are bigger than any single person.

Think about the people in your organization, which ones are so essential that their departure would harm your brand? Do you have a plan for that scenario?

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How Radio Hosts Can Unlock The Creator Economy

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YouTuber. Podcaster. Influencer. Celebrity.

Radio Host.

Perceptually, the first four might sound trendier and more modern, even though they should exist in the same universe.

YouTuber, Podcaster, and Radio Host pertain to the platform, while Influencer and Celebrity are platform-agnostic, though blurred lines exist between all of them. Mr. Beast, the most famous and successful YouTuber, created a Squid Game-style reality show (Beast Games) that aired on Amazon Prime. Joe Rogan, the most successful podcaster, is essentially also a YouTuber.

Sam Milkman and I attended the Influencer Marketing Show in Hollywood, Florida earlier this year, a fascinating peek at the creator economy. Agencies, brands, and creators mingle in a networking-heavy environment, seeking to connect to create successful (and hopefully viral) campaigns.

One of the most successful influencer campaigns of the past few years was in Sabrina Carpenter’s global ambassador role for Redken, which included this spot. Radio people, ever written copy like this? I’ll bet you have.

Sure, that featured Sabrina Carpenter, who was becoming a household name at the time, but most influencer campaigns feature people most of us have never heard of.

Take Gillette, for example, who reached out to hundreds of beauty “micro-influencers”, some with less than 1,000 followers on social media, but with dedicated and targeted audiences. Or Audible, who hired a photography micro-influencer to promote audiobooks on the platform. Or Headspace, which used health, fitness, and lifestyle influencers to share personal stories surrounding mental health.

Headspace influencer marketing

Headspace utilizes health, fitness, and lifestyle influencers in their marketing. (Photo credit: FellowNeko / Shutterstock.com

Coleman Insights regularly researches radio personalities, and we often find amazing stories of deep levels of engagement with their listeners. A successful radio host will be far more recognized in their home market than most influencers on social media, yet monetization rarely goes much beyond live reads on the radio brought by the sales department.

Perhaps that’s one of the greatest ironies of all.

Every time a study is released that shows the effectiveness of host-read ads on podcasts or YouTube, I consider how long ago radio learned that lesson. Radio talent are masterful at the “live read,” often generating tangible results for the advertiser. In part because radio hosts are really good at promoting things, but also because their audiences trust them.

And how is that different from the influencer/creator economy?

There are several potential implications for Radio to capitalize on this emerging segment.

We understandably view radio as a broadly focused mass medium, particularly when compared to a highly targeted digital channel. But within each broad audience, there are micro audiences that radio stations and their personalities can target digitally.

Radio talent can look beyond the modest bump they get from endorsements on the station and seek out new opportunities directly from talent agencies and brands.

Radio sales teams can look to add other media to their digital offerings with a focus on leveraging their in-house influencers (don’t call them radio hosts).

Consider:

  • A fashion/beauty podcast with local salon partnerships
  • A foodie podcast sponsored by local restaurants or meal kit services
  • Fitness content with gym chains or supplement brands
  • Parenting advice sponsored by local childcare or family services
  • Home improvement content with contractor or hardware store partnerships
  • An Instagram Stories series featuring local businesses
  • TikTok challenges sponsored by regional brands
  • LinkedIn thought leadership for local companies
  • YouTube product reviews
  • Custom content for local festivals or entertainment venues

Maybe these campaigns include a radio flight, maybe they don’t. The key advantage is the transfer of existing credibility to new platforms while allowing more targeted campaigns than radio spots. Brands get authentic endorsements without paying for broad radio inventory they may not need.

Now is the time for radio to learn about the influencer space, brand its marquee talent as influencers, and open new channels of monetization. Consider researching your talent to leverage these passionate followings with brands. What if you had data, for example, that showed that your morning show’s listeners display high purchase intent for certain categories?

Of course, there’s a side benefit to all of this. Influencer marketing is a marketing play that can expand the reach of radio talent and their respective brands. Any time we can unlock the opportunity to expand radio’s reach should be worthy of consideration.

 

 

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Your Brand’s Strength Or Weakness? It’s A Matter Of Perspective.

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“Your greatest strength begets your greatest weakness” is a quote typically attributed to William Shakespeare. The idea is that excelling in one dimension may reveal a vulnerability in another. For example, the military that develops overwhelming superiority on its northern flank may find itself under-prepared for an attack on its southern flank.

While one may think of this theme as a linear pathway from greatness to decline (e.g., your strength exposes a weakness, that weakness is exploited, game over), it’s often more complicated than that. In many cases, your strength and your weakness are ever-present, and the latter does not completely counteract the former. The restaurant that is great for breakfast may have a hard time convincing people that it’s also great for dinner, and the restaurant that has a line out the door in the evening may not get much traffic in the morning—but each restaurant may thrive because of, not in spite of, its area of specialization.

In the audio entertainment space, competition from online streaming services and podcasts has disrupted the local radio business. For radio, curating a shared experience is both a strength and a weakness. Successful radio stations are really good at programming a compelling flow of music and/or talk content for a mass audience. But, when your job is to curate for many, you inevitably cannot satisfy all. Online streaming services and podcasts can swoop in and fill a need that radio cannot, giving consumers exactly what they want when they want it. Do you want to listen to the latest Zach Bryan release ten times in a row? No problem. Do you want to listen to a year-old SmartLess episode from start to finish, off and on over the course of your day? Done.

Most radio stations don’t play Zach Bryan, but streaming offers endless listens. (Photo credit: Blake Harbison/Unsplash)

Yet, our consumer research reminds me of the fine line between weakness and strength. Mass-appeal curation makes radio vulnerable to on-demand competition, but mass-appeal curation nonetheless remains a perceived benefit of radio. For example, here is a selection of music-related comments from recent studies in which we’ve asked people to describe why they sometimes choose radio over other options:

“It’s fun to just listen to a radio station and not think about what song to play next.”

“I like to hear new things instead of my same old playlists.”

“Sometimes I would rather be surprised by what’s going to come up next rather than use music I choose.”

“They play songs I forgot about that I like.”

“I like how music just comes up, and I don’t have to figure out a playlist.”

“Sometimes I want to hear new songs that are popular, or something I haven’t discovered yet.”

“Because I get bored of my music and don’t know what to put on”

“I like to be able to just turn on the radio and let it play without having to choose a song.”

A key perceived strength of radio is that the songs are picked for you. (Photo credit: Fast-Stock/Shutterstock.com)

“When I want to be surprised by what I listen to”

“Sometimes I can’t decide on what I want to listen to, and I end up spending 20 minutes going through the song library trying to pick something out. If I throw on the radio, I’ll hear something I wanna hear.”

Are you a radio executive who spends a lot of time worrying about the downside of curation versus on-demand? I challenge you to refocus some of that energy toward considering how to best demonstrate and promote the upside. It may be more fruitful than you think. After all, your weakness and your strength are often two sides of the same coin.

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Jeff Jackson’s Unique Approach To Political Marketing

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You wouldn’t believe how many texts and emails I’ve been getting from politicians lately. Well of course you would, especially if you live in a swing state like Pennsylvania, as I do. A few weeks ago, I received an email from Jeff Jackson, who is running for Attorney General in North Carolina (another swing state). Although I can’t vote for him, I specifically signed up for Jackson’s emails because I noticed how he handles his marketing differently. For every 1,000 “I JUST GOT OFF THE DEBATE STAGE AND DESTROYED MY OPPONENT! WE MUST HIT OUR GOAL!!” messages we’re all used to receiving from most politicians, there is one politician whose messages sound different than this. That’s Jeff Jackson.

North Carolina Congressman Jeff Jackson

North Carolina Congressman Jeff Jackson (Photo credit: Congressman Jeff Jackson)

Politicians overwhelmingly rely on tactical strategy in their emails and texts. Jackson is using brand strategy.

In a recent email to his database, Jackson’s subject line wasn’t, “We’re down in the polls!” or “The other side is out to get us!” It was, “The Power of Wheel of Fortune. You Simply Would Not Believe.”

Got my attention.

Jackson begins the email by mentioning how close the polls are, but that what interests him – what really interests him – is how research shows that both he and his opponent “do not exist to the majority of the state.” Well over half of voters are not aware of either. He goes on to wonder how to go about reaching all those voters who don’t know him yet.

He says it won’t be through social media, because of his already strong subscriber base. Though he offers a video version of the email.

He says it won’t be through the news, because it only reaches people who follow politics, and he needs to reach voters who aren’t already engaged.

So, he talks about the power of running commercials on mass media, in this case, television. The email subject (“The Power of Wheel of Fortune”) makes sense. But he knows that’s expensive, so he needs to focus his message and raise enough money for a decent spot buy.

Jackson seems to have opened a lead on his opponent, but obviously anything can happen before the election. Here are a few takeaways from this email I found fascinating that you may find useful:

  • The way Jeff Jackson talks to his database is unlike most politicians I’ve seen. In a sea of sameness, Jackson’s approach and tone is a complete point of differentiation. Are you talking to your audience like you always have, and like your competitors do? Or are you real, authentic, and different from what listeners have always come to expect?
  • Jackson understands the value of Awareness. Without higher levels of Awareness, you cannot build stronger images and inspire more potential voters. Are you conducting research to understand how much of your target audience knows you exist? Or are you just counting the audience estimates you’re given?
  • Jackson understands the value of mass media. Are you falling victim to the new media PR trap in your selling efforts or are you truly selling the value of your medium?
  • Jackson understands the value of focus. In the email, he mentions how he’s got 25 things he’d like to talk about with voters, but he needs to “shrink that way, way down”. How many messages are you trying to get across? Are any getting through?

You don’t have to take a side to appreciate a fresh approach. Maybe hitting voters over the head for donations isn’t the only way, just as hitting listeners over the head for ratings isn’t the only way.

At least we can hope.

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The Undeniable Marketing Lessons from Taylor Swift’s Focus on Fans

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I was thinking about Taylor Swift over the weekend. Not so much about how I felt regarding her apparent budding romance with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce after she was spotted watching the Chiefs game in a suite with Kelce’s mother on Sunday, though I’ll admit to being curious about what song she’ll end up writing about him someday.

Rather, as Swifties around the globe processed this dating news, I reflected on the immense connection she has with her fan base.

Taylor Swift fans buying merchandise

Photo credit: ezellhphotography/Shutterstock

About 15 years ago when I was programming a radio station in Raleigh, a colleague who worked at our Country sister station WQDR told me an anecdote about a relatively new artist named Taylor Swift.

After her concert at the local amphitheater, Swift held a meet and greet that included listeners and radio station staff, which in and of itself is not an unusual occurrence. What’s unusual, as I was told, was what came next.

“After the meet and greet, Taylor went to the back of her tour bus and wrote handwritten notes to every single person that was at that meet and greet, making specific mentions of something only that person would know. It may have been something they wore or something they talked about.” The notes would be mailed out to each attendee soon after the show.

I couldn’t have projected back then that Taylor Swift would become the megastar she is today, but it was the moment I realized Taylor might be the greatest marketer of any musical artist ever.

In 2020, I wrote about the marketing prowess of her perfectly timed Folklore album. The reality is, Taylor Swift just keeps doing it again and again, from the easter eggs she puts in album announcements to showing up at a fan’s engagement party.

The Eras Tour, which will almost certainly finish as the largest-grossing concert tour of all time, is a master class in marketing. Most artists would just change up their setlists and not tell anyone about it. Taylor Swift announces she’ll perform two surprise acoustic songs each night. Naturally, a Swiftie built a “Surprise Song Tracker.” There was the morning on which a fan posted via social media that her brother died five years to the day and asked if Taylor could play “Daylight” as the surprise song. Done. I’m not crying, you’re crying.

How many artists (and their teams) would care enough to notice that post?

We can’t borrow Taylor’s talent, but we certainly can heed her marketing lessons. When you do something important, don’t expect the audience to figure it out for themselves. Tell them. Tell them why it’s important. Make it an event and make it special.

And always…always…put your fans first. Taylor Swift is undeniably a talented Pop star. But it is her obsession with fan satisfaction, from handwritten notes to social media requests to engagement party pop-ins, that sent her from great to stratospheric.

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Digital Strategy Do’s and Don’ts

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Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending Christian Music Broadcasters’ Momentum Summit in Charlotte. At the Digital Summit, I presented “Digital Strategy Do’s and Don’ts”, highlighting some of the lessons we’ve learned alongside our clients over the years as they have moved into the digital space. I was thrilled that so many attendees stuck around after the session to ask questions and share some of their experiences and ideas.

Here are some of the best practices we discussed in the session:

The most important rule of digital strategy: Have a digital strategy. We need to meet consumers where they are, and we are constantly reminded that they are spending less and less time with AM/FM and more time with digital offerings. Now is not the time to practice digital avoidance.

Stay on top of any publicly available data about consumption trends. This may seem obvious, but it’s imperative that you know what media your listeners are spending time with when they aren’t with you. It’s also important to know when new trends emerge so you can adjust your digital strategy as needed.

Be an Outside Thinker when it comes to your digital offerings and digital strategy. If you have spent any time around someone from Coleman Insights, you have probably heard us talk about Inside vs. Outside Thinking. Inside Thinkers have a hard time thinking about their brand, images, and content from the perspective of consumers or potential consumers—they let themselves get too mired in the details. Outside Thinkers, on the other hand, make a point of viewing their content and brand through the lens of the consumer.

While Inside Thinkers may believe that listeners care deeply about their entertainment options, pay close attention to them, and can be easily manipulated, Outside Thinkers don’t subscribe to these beliefs. They recognize that consumers have a lot going on in their lives and they don’t care deeply about their radio stations and other entertainment options. Outside Thinkers also consider that they are not just competing with other radio stations and audio offerings. Use Outside Thinking when developing and implementing your digital strategy.

Don’t fall into the trap of believing that your radio listeners know about your digital offerings. You may feel like all you do is talk about your app, or which apps listeners can use to listen to your content offerings, or where they can find them on the website. You may even feel that listeners must be sick of hearing about it. But the truth is, they probably don’t know as much as you think they do about your digital offerings. We see this over and over again in our research. It takes a long time for messages to sink in and consumers hear a lot of them on any given day. Practice consistent messaging and put it on repeat—even if you are sick of it.

Eliminate consumer friction. One of the things I do when we first start working with a new client or station is to interact with the brand in all the ways a consumer might. I listen to their FM or AM frequency if I’m in the market, I stream from the website, ask Alexa to play it, and listen via apps. On several occasions, I have hit some friction point that prevents me from listening. Maybe the app interface is too clunky, or I can’t find what I am looking for. Maybe Alexa can’t figure out what it is I want to hear. Or maybe I hear six minutes (six minutes!) of pre-roll and commercials before I hear one song when I start streaming from the station’s website. In today’s highly competitive digital landscape, we can’t afford to let listeners have a poor experience. Not when competitors have slick apps with all the bells and whistles.

Promote your digital offerings where your consumers are. I try to avoid TikTok and Reels and YouTube shorts because my time is valuable, but I get sucked in more than I’d like to admit. And I am exposed to brands because of these platforms. Use them! It just takes a little time and creativity.

Promote your digital offerings the way real people use them, using the language they do. My colleague Jay Nachlis just presented a study called The New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube at Podcast Movement and that study found that 75% of podcast consumers define a podcast as audio or video vs. just 22% who define it as audio-only. He referred to it in last week’s Tuesdays With Coleman blog which you can find here.

When you talk about your content, make sure your language matches the consumer’s. And, based on the findings of the study, if your podcasts aren’t on YouTube with some video component… they probably should be.

Don’t be afraid to take an unexpected approach. In my session, I talked about my fascination with the National Park Service’s social channels. Matthew Turner, who manages the National Park Service’s social channels, has gained the 107-year-old government agency a million followers a year for the past four years by pushing out informative and often humorous messages that are each liked and shared by thousands of followers.  The NPS has been around longer than commercial radio, but park visitation is up!

National Park Service blog

Your digital offerings and strategy must be consistent with your brand. As you navigate the digital space, make sure that all the content you create and share is consistent with the big idea of your brand, whatever that is. Consumers should know that they are listening to your content regardless of how they consume it.

Use each of your platforms to promote the others. How do I learn about podcasts? I hear advertisements on other podcasts… and the cycle continues. Not only does this messaging encourage additional usage, but it also builds your brand image as more than just _____. And remember to be consistent and repetitive with the messaging.

Embrace the benefits of an unformed brand. Do you suffer from a weak brand? Great! That means you can grow your brand images in the digital space more easily than stronger brands that are firmly rooted in FM in the minds of the audience. Embrace your weak brand and form a digital strategy that capitalizes on that.

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Renting an Electric Vehicle From Hertz: Three Lessons About Marketing Changes to Your Brand

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Introducing something new to your audience can be exciting. New features and components can invigorate and grow your brand and activate your target consumer. How you introduce something new, however, is paramount to its potential success.

In 2021, Hertz announced it would purchase 100,000 Tesla Model 3s for its fleet in an attempt to become the electric vehicle leader in the rental car category. There are many strategic reasons this may be a great play for Hertz. Some projections predict electric vehicle sales will reach at least 40 percent of the US market by 2030. Hertz can position itself as a leader in climate initiatives. As more consumers adopt electric vehicles, Hertz can potentially own the electric vehicle image among rental car companies with a “first in wins” strategy.

 

While all of this makes sense, when I recently visited multiple Hertz lots, it was striking how many electric vehicles were available, including a row of Polestars, a luxury electric vehicle that starts at $55,000. When I made the reservation, I discovered I could rent a Tesla for less than the price of an Intermediate sedan. While at first, I wondered how this could be, the feeling I had while I stood next to one of the Polestars thinking, “Why am I doubting getting this car” provided me some clarity.

I’m 50 years old and have never driven an electric car.

This is going to sound absolutely stupid, but when I got in the car and pressed the power button, I thought it wasn’t working because it was silent. It didn’t take me too long to realize that just putting the car in Drive made it go, but I was so used to hearing at least some engine noise in my 34 years of driving, it was confusing at first.

I was asked by the attendant, do you want to bring it back charged or pay a flat fee to bring it back at any level? This brought a new level of anxiety. Everyone knows it’s more fiscally efficient to refill the gas tank of a rental yourself instead of paying a fee, but you need to do it relatively close to the return center so it’s filled up.

Where will I charge the car near the rental center? How much will it cost? I’m sure it’s not that complicated, but how do I charge it? Again, I’ve never driven an electric car. That’s when I realized that I wanted to drive an electric car, but I wasn’t an educated consumer. Perhaps that’s why there are so many electric cars on the lot and Teslas are so affordable, due to current supply and demand. I know I’m not alone…though growing, EVs only make up about 6% of US car sales today.

So while this may be a great long-term strategy for Hertz, it does face a challenge in the short term. And to be fair, the company is making efforts to educate consumers on electric vehicles, including in communities and on their website. But I didn’t see any of the information until researching for the blog (after my experience), and no attendant offered assistance at the lot. Ultimately, I’m sure they’ll figure it out and adoption will become easier as more consumers drive electric vehicles.

In the meantime, however, consider how the lessons of this experience can impact how you introduce new features or components to your brand.

 

  1. Explain in clear terminology. Is your radio station playing more Hip Hop every hour? Is your podcast now available on YouTube Music? Is there a new way to ask for your show on a smart speaker? Don’t be cute about it, make the change clear.

 

  1. Consider every possible marketing channel. This is a big one in the Hertz example. Yes, Hertz has something on their website about electric vehicles. Yes, they are planning outreach programs. But at the point of purchase (when I was selecting a car) and at the point of retrieval (the lot), I could not find the information and service I needed to give me the confidence to rent an electric vehicle. I’ve since discovered apps like PlugShare and ChargeHub to help find charging stations, which I may have known about if I was an EV owner but didn’t as a renter. It sure would have been nice if nearby charging stations were available in the Hertz app. Consider all the points of customer contact for your brand where you can educate them about the change.

 

  1. Utilize Outside Thinking. Inside Thinking is the perspective of the business. Outside Thinking is the perspective of the consumer. When making changes, remember that the consumer doesn’t know or understand the brand on as deep a level as you. Think about how the customer will perceive the change and what questions they will ask when considering how to communicate.

 

While I usually stick with gas-powered cars, I did end up driving the Chevy Bolt and enjoyed the experience.

But worrying about charging up before returning the car still kinda freaks me out.