ARTICLE
20 February 2012
Hammering in your station’s peg
Jenny Griesel is the marketing manager of Jacaranda 94.2, SA’s biggest independent bilingual radio station, with 2.1-million listeners across four provinces. At the SAARF Community Radio Forum, Griesel explained to community radio players how “getting famous” can help them make their mark on the radio landscape.
There are over 145 community radio stations in South Africa, and 35 commercial and PBS stations, all competing for the attention of more than 30-million adult radio listeners. With all that competition, how do you hammer a peg in the ground as a radio station? How do you stand out from the crowd and win over audience and advertisers?
You get famous for something.
As a radio station these days, it’s not good enough to just ‘do radio’. You need to ‘own’ something that is bigger than you, something that will help your audience relate to you as more than just a radio station.
You can choose to stand behind anything really, but it must be relevant to your audience, and true to your station personality.For example, the Jacaranda 94.2 audience is a highly engaged one, and is very responsive to social issues. One of the major brand traits of the station is “caring”. So our annual Winter Warmer drive, our Sisters with Blisters Walk, and the ongoing Good Morning Angels initiative resonate not only with our listeners but with the Jacaranda 94.2 brand. We are famous for caring and reaching out to provide help when support is needed.
Or it could be sport – are you going to be known for your passionate support of local soccer, making your station the place to go for updates and results? It could be a cause, like unemployment or hunger – will your station be known for standing behind a cause, for coming up with initiatives to help the community tackle these problems? Think of your audience and what will mean the most to them.
Never do corporate social investment (CSI) just for the sake of it. It must be right for listeners, and you must be able to properly carry out whatever initiative you choose. Always do your research so that you are properly prepared for the projects you drive. Work with credible partners. Avoid fly-by-nights. You must be in it for the long haul.
Then, if you’re going to become famous for something, make sure people know about it. You’ll only get famous for something if you take credit for it. Be proud of what you do. Shout about it. For instance, Jacaranda 94.2 has had a great deal of media coverage over its involvement in rhino conservation.Presenters Barney Simon and Martin Bester have been very visible in the media in this cause, featuring the “Rhino Files” on their shows and helping to raise funds and source equipment through telethons and auctions.
OTHER TOOLS IN YOUR MARKETING KIT
As you go about finding something your station can be famous for, be sure that you also have all the basicscovered.
Your station needs a name, logo and payoff line. As a radio station, your identity extends beyond the visual to the audible. Your audio imaging – liners or sweeps, and station IDs – is the biggest part of your branding. All branding, whether visual or audio, must be consistent. You should be able to cover up your brandingin any station advert or poster, and people should still instantly know which radio station it is for.
Don’t reinvent yourself every few months, or you won’t successfully entrench your identity in the market. Imagine if Coca Cola changed from its red, to yellow or blue every couple of months? Would it be the same brand you know and love?
You also need a consistent brand personality, which must be reflected in everything your station does. Jacaranda 94.2 is famous for caring, for being fun and for being accessible,which is reflected in all our communication.
At all times, you need to be emphasising your brand personality and communicating the right feel, even with something as seemingly simple as a photo of a presenter.
Your presenters can be your best brand ambassadors and become community champions, with high visibility. Send your presenters to school concerts, to local community sports matches – it’s not okay to just be an on-air presence. What presenters do in their personal lives matters. As with any celebrity, they’re scrutinised and evaluated by the public, so they must always act with integrity.
Finally, don’t forget that as a marketer, you have two target audiences: your listener base and your client base. You need to build both. All too often, community stations completely forget about this second audience, but you shouldn’t discount the value of taking your brand to the trade.
You have an intimate knowledge of your audience, which you should be communicating to potential advertisers. Tell them what your listeners like, what they respond to, and what works for them. Share your useful insights to help them access your audience in the most effective way.
ends
<PHOTO CAPTION> Jenny Griesel, marketing manager of Jacaranda 94.2