by Kevin Coupe
Content Guy’s Note: Below is a commentary on the same subject as the video piece, but it isn’t word-for-word the same. You can look at both, or either...it is up to you. I look forward to hearing from you.
Hi, I’m Kevin Coupe, and this is FaceTime with the Content Guy.
Good piece the other day in the New York Times about how Dan Mason, the CEO of CBS Radio, has issued an instruction to the disc jockeys who work at the some 130 stations nationwide owned by the company.
The message was simple: After you play a song, tell listeners the name of the song they just heard.
That’s it.
Over the years, the story says, in order to eliminate audio clutter and spend more time playing music than listening to on-air talent, such song identifications went the way of the eight-track player. And executives began to believe that educated listeners knew the song titles and artists, so they didn’t have to mention them.
But recently, Mason had an epiphany of sorts. And he put out his memo. “If you play it, say it.” And the company reportedly plans to experiment “with ways to identify songs, like using taped introductions by the artists themselves.”
This is, I think, a great lesson for every marketer. Retailers, for example, probably spend too little time explaining their products to customers. They put them on shelves and on counters, and presume that customers are educated enough to know how to use them. This goes for food, clothes, drugs, whatever...
Like the folks at CBS Radio, I think marketers need to pay more attention to the education of the customer. In other words, if you’re selling it, explain it. It won’t just sell that item, but also is likely to help you establish a much stronger and sustainable connection to the shopper.
That’s what’s on my mind this Thursday morning. As always, I’d like to know what is on your mind.
- KC's View:
