Today’s listeners are more savvy and less prone to the old school methods of branding than they were in the past. Simply, “naming it, claiming it, owning it, and pounding it” no longer work in the new world of marketing. With many markets already using PPM methodology, and more and more coming on every month, the game has changed considerably. Simply being louder than the other guys across the street, so that your listeners remember you at at the end of the day no longer work in the world of PPM. It’s now truly about REAL listening versus REPORTED listening! Penetrating through the clutter your audience is exposed to virtually every moment requires new methods that create new, “marriage-like” brands in the minds of your listeners.  We strongly recommend the book, “Married To the Brand”, by William J McEwen, a consultant to the folks at Gallup, who used 60 years of research on consumer habits to author a very compelling case on consumer bonding.

Dr. McEwen compares iconic branding to the vows taken within a marriage.  It is a true merger and partnership between product and consumer; each holding a marriage-like obligation to the other.  You as the brand manager, have the ability to change the allure which attracts or forces your consumer away.  Your hope of course, like any marriage, is that in return, your partner maintains their obligation and uses the brand for as long as it meets their needs.  It is only the lack of partnership and understanding of these promises between you and the customer which create levels of disatsifaction and disillusionment, and eventually lead to divorce.

So what marriage-like promises are you making to your listeners? Is it simply that you play a certain style of music that perhaps, a couple of other stations play, as well? Or, are you bonding with them in a way that no one else does? Are you making her life better in some way? Do your promotions focus on you and the station and what you are doing and how great you are, or do they concentrate on what matters most in the life of your listener? Keep this in mind… it’s truly no different than dating!  YOU are dating your listeners… but remember…. so is someone else.  It’s what the TV shows “The Bachelor”, and “The Bachelorette” are all about.  Who makes the biggest impression and bonds most; promising a marriage-like relationship – WINS the game.