RemainComm

Monetizing radio….with commercials.

I found myself in a discussion the other day about radio advertising. In fact, as much time as I’ve spent talking about monetizing new media, there is still plenty of opportunity to reach consumers, a lot of them, with great radio…including the commercials. In my recent discussion I found myself revisiting a lot of the same topics I have addressed to my staffs of every station or company at which I’ve worked as a broadcaster. In fact, the following comes directly from memos to those staffs. 

Please note: This doesn’t have to be just for my radio buddies. It can be applied to any commercial production whether it is new or traditional media.

      Radio must make every minute of an hour great. That includes the minutes in commercials. Don’t think of it as sales gets 12 minutes of commercials and programming gets 48 minutes of music. Consider it as the listener gets a full hour. It might be worth considering that the reason listeners tune out during commercials is that they have been trained to do so because, frankly, the spots are just plain bad. 

What will keep listeners listening? Great radio. That means entertaining and informative content…during music and commercials. For those that sell commercial advertising, the great thing about producing great commercials is the less talked about benefit of getting results for the clients. That means they come back and spend more money. This is a good thing. 

Here are some things to remember: 

Why can’t everything have an “easy” button?

I’ve spent my fair share of setting up new software, programs, and applications. When it comes to doing this I usually can stumble my way through the set-up. But sometimes, especially when it comes to applications, there is just way too much cutting and pasting to do.

                 Photo courtesy of Staples

In this Web 2.0 world why is it that someone can put together a kick-butt application that can turn my cell phone into a TV remote, make my blog update on Twitter, or let me download a song and let out the dog at the same time, but can’t include a step that automates it all? Instead, I have to open files or directories that, as far as I know, could contain the very life of my computer. Then I have to cut and paste code into them. I'm always thinking, "One wrong step and I’ll launch an ICBM on some poor unsuspecting country…or my neighbor." Yikes, it gives me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it.   

Hey, this could be said for anything you have to do yourself. Man, an easy button would have been sweet when I built that deluxe wall unit in college. (It’s amazing what they can do with graham crackers and vinyl veneer, isn’t it?) But when it comes to computer applications the need for an “easy” button is not only great but it is attainable. 

Developers: Most of the people who use your creation...your customers...will appreciate it if you make it easy for them. It’s nothing personal, but if it’s not easy they will find something that is. So once you design the widget or app, please design a program that automates the set up. I really don’t want to blow up my computer (much less my neighbor…at least not yet.)

Is what you’re saying getting “the look?”

You know the look I’m talking about…the one similar to a dog looking at a ceiling fan (so ably demonstrated by our family pet, Belle). “The look” has also been referred to as the “deer in the headlights look” (Sorry, I don’t have a pet deer…so please refer to said dog.) It’s that look you may get after you’ve just explained your theory, concept, or next million-dollar idea. It made complete sense to you. It had everything…explanation, application, reward. Why on earth is your audience (one person or a hundred) looking at you like you just spoke in gibberish? Perhaps, to their ears, you have. 

It is seen or heard so often, especially in the internet and new media world. There are ideas, applications, websites, widgets and entire companies that may offer something to a potential consumer or their business that could change their lives…or, at least make them easier. But the explanation was so bogged down in industry speak that they tilted their head nodded and said something like…”Cool, let me get back to you.” Never to be heard from again. 

Let me give you an example with this line from a blog (that shall remain nameless) regarding the recent Open Social platform from Google.