Over 40 Entercom managers and salespeople attended the 2008 RAB Conference - Bold Signals - in Atlanta, February 11th to 13th. This blog is designed to serve as a place where they can record their observations and inspirations to be shared with other Entercom sales teams.
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36 comments:
JC--Entercom Gainesville Ocala
I went to a session at the RAB today called "Ten Things That Grabbed My Attention." It was my last session of the day and I squeezed into another crowded conference hall with another group of radio folk who were a bit too large for the seats that were provided. The presenter, Doug Harris, apparently carries the title “Creative Animal,” which set my expectations high, and forced me to consider requesting a title change. Mr. Harris delivered on the expectations. As a Marketing and Promotions guy who also does business development, his presentation was perfect for my job description. He provided me no less than six ideas for high-value (programming and sales) promotions that I hadn’t heard of before, but instantly clicked as seeming both worthy and execute-able. Pardon the fact that execute-able isn’t a word. He was an excellent presenter who obviously knows promotions from both the client side and the station side. At one point in the presentation, I almost had one of those Kindergarten-era laughing fits—so typical of little girls, not particularly men pushing 30. Here’s what happened…he was discussing a promotion where you invite listeners (of sports stations) to invent a sport that can be played on any field/arena/court available locally, only using supplies found at X client’s sporting goods store. The winner would get a cash prize, and the On-Air staff would play the sport one time… well, when discussing the winner, he says, “So the On-Air staff play, I don’t know, ‘Smack Ball’ one time...” I don’t know if it was the delirium from waking up at 6, but to me “Smack Ball” conjures a bunch of images of either people shooting up and then playing the laziest sport imaginable, or some sort of celebrity event featuring Slash, Anthony Kiedis, Perry Farrel, Keith Richards, etc. Anyway, after about five seconds of laughter that bordered on tears, I managed to pull it together, though I did consider leaving the room. I actually explained myself to the guy sitting next to me afterward, but was then left with the awkwardness of admitting that a game involving an illicit drug was the first thing that came into my mind in such a situation… and I don’t even work for a rock station. Anyway, this guy’s site is www.creativeanimal.com or www.adventuresinbroadcasting.com. Definitely a worthwhile assignment for anyone who is charged with coming up with station promotions.
Wow! I should have come to the RAB conference a long time ago. I don't know if we can really grasp what is going on behind the scenes in the industry without rubbing shoulders with the folks who are on the front lines advocating our industry and it's strength and possibilties. I think the message of this year's event is that things are a changin' and the only way we are going to continue to grow as an industry is to embrace the digital world and create multiplatform creative, custom, unique solutions for our customers. Attrition in our business is a given, and we use to be able to take for granted how that business would be replaced, i.e., with new traditional radio business. Not anymore. It HAS to come from new sources and the Internet is the way to engage our listeners with a local perspective and deliver them to our customers doors (and online, of course!!) in a meaningful way. Put on your seatbelt...it is all about multiplatform selling and we ARE the first responders. Entercom is ahead of the curve. There is no doubt that we are with the right company at the right time to reinvent ourselves as sellers and make lots of $$ in the process.
Just to list a couple of sessions at the RAB 2008 that really caught my attention:
The Nuts and Bolts of Automotive-
This session had great "IDEAS"! It also gave some insight on how to connect with the decision makers. I've been "missing the boat", or should I say "missing the automotive dealer". I never thought of going past the agency or GM of a dealership. The session even made me think of the voice mail messages I was leaving them. It was suggested that we leave voice mails to ourselves or sales managers to see how it sounds when we play it back. I'll definitely leave myself a practice voice mail to see how it sounds. I wish this session had more time. It was a lot of info that was shoved into an hour and 15 minutes.
The other session was The Power of the Cool Idea-
Entercom Norfolk is already utilizing this philosophy, so I am familiar with the concept. The typical consumer is in the "Catch me if you can, I'm busy" mode. If we don't surround them using all the media tools available, we will not survive. Very powerful statement that really caught my attention! Every competitor has the same inventory as we do, but ideas will make us different and IT IS the CURRENCY! We spend more time stressing over the task of coming up with an "idea" than it takes to actually come up with the "idea",so make your list and generate ideas! The IDEA needs to be cool to the target demo, custome to the brand and effective. It's got to work! If you could take the same proposal to another client, then it's not custom. Good stuff!
RB-Entercom Norfolk
Sally Barbeau-ETM Milwaukee
Ever wonder what "SAFOSHRIMPS" means? Yeah, neither did I until I had the pleasure of attending "10 things that grabbed my attention and what they mean" by Doug Harris, The Creative Animal.
Our goal in local radio is to stay relevant in the lives our our listeners and find a way to activate them for our, or, clients behalf. Doug gave us 10 "Learned Lessons", "Action Steps" and "Possible Promotions" for each of his 10 relevant, activating example. So, what does "SAFOSHRIMPS" stand for? Each letter represents something that has proven to activate and interest Americans over the past year. I urge each and every one of you who are interested in making impactful promomtions in your market to explore the meaning and check out www.creativeanimal.com or send your marketing/promotions person to www.adverturesinbroadcasting.com.
I know that I will take these ideas back to Milwaukee and make a lot of money on them. How about you?
RVG Entercom Norfolk
"Radio's Huge Digital Opportunity" was extremely interesting; about driving TSL by rewarding loyal listeners through membership engagement. One problem the panel discussed was stations with high cume but low TSL had real problems keeping loyal listeners. Program Directors needed to reward loyalty by winning points when going to station events, live remotes, websites & on-air contests. Tie in 3rd parties for rewards. One ex. was listeners were asked to log on to the website to win points when hearing the song of the day; after one promo, 13,000 people logged on to win reward points. Program Directors were able to know more about their listeners through these VIP/Loyal Programs. Another example was show a Mercedes Benz and have listeners sign up, earn points and get rewarded! The Mercedes can stay on the website all year where typical on-air contests have a much shorter lifespan. To keep the website engaging, Program directors need to have the right content.
RAB 2008 "Bold Signals" showed so many exciting digital opportunities; it opened my eyes that TODAY Radio is in the best position ever! thank you Entercom for investing in your people with continuous training, I'm looking forward to earning more $$ by using the techniques from these sessions!
Justine, Susan & Micheyl -- Entercom Sacramento, Ca
Wow! First and foremost I must point out that we are VERY lucky to work for a company that is SOOOOOOO much further ahead of the game then most. As a company we take pride in our training, our brands, and our capabilities. This has never been more apparent then here at the RAB training seminar. There are few here (outside of Entercom) that can say that they "already know" most of this information, in regards to what "tools" are available, how to use them, and how to sell them for the benefit of our clients. We truly are light years ahead of our competition. However, there is still much work to be done.
In one session- "Interactive Radio Commercials" with Jeff Hedquist, we worked on ways to ENGAGE the consumer and demand interaction based on emotional connection via the message. While we realize that the message is vitally important, often times writing the copy can become an afterthought. In this seminar he worked with us on how to create better copy that will involve the listener and motivate them into action. This was a GREAT way to "remind" sales people of the crucial importance of the message! For more on him, demos, and ideas go to www.hedquist.com
Also please read previous comments in regards to "10 Things That Grabbed My Attention". This man offered GEMS of ideas for promotions that are FRESH. The days of standard remotes are long gone!
Greetings from Atlanta!
There is a lot of information at the RAB this year; it has been nice to see faces of the names that I see on e-mails throughout the company and nice to be able to send people to the many different panels. It has also been nice to hear the panels and to also hear what other companies and stations are doing in this digital age. The one WOW factor that I can pull away from the RAB this year is that Entercom is ahead of the digital game. We may feel that we are behind, but we are not! We are on the cutting edge and thanks to people like Sandy, Royle, Kathryn and Weezie we will stay ahead of the game. Knowing this it is time to build upon this knowledge and put into action our sales opportunities and to create successful campaigns for our clients and make our websites the first place our listeners go for information, entertainment and local content.
On Monday I was in the “Power of the cool idea” session with Sally Beamer. Sally has a good message and it is one that our BDMs are taking to our clients already! Marketing Models, Brainstorming sessions and actually listening to the client’s needs and goals is where we need to be in the beginning. After we learn the information from our clients then we can customize the right tools, on-air, online and on-site to make their campaign a success so they will utilize us again and again!
Sandy Smallens was on the panel for “How to Cross the Digital Divide I”. Sandy showcased that as a company Entercom is going above and beyond. We learned that companies like CBS, COX, Emis and Cumulus are still talking about campaigns that are several years old. Sandy gave success stories from the past couple of weeks and months. When it comes to Entercom there isn’t a “Digital Divide”.
The Long-tail…get the book. Chris Anderson of Wired Magazine has some great messages and complimented what we hear from Entercom’s digital departments. We need to focus on our client’s digital opportunities. In this industry we talk about reach and frequency. We use our radio station signals to drive traffic to our websites, what better reach and frequency than to have the same advertisers that are on air also online!
“The Digital Backbone”, again we are ahead of these companies!
There is “Digital” money out there we as an industry need to find the right people that are in charge of that money. Entercom has the digital resources that are needed to create successful campaigns now is the time to get these resources in front of those decision makers.
So far I can say that not only is Entercom ahead, we actually care about the future. We care about results for our clients; we care about our local markets. Yes there are platforms and incentives in play but they are customized for each market, client and listener. When the representatives from your market get back seek them out and get all the information you can from them. Since we are ahead of the game lets stay ahead, there are many laps to go on this race and now is not the time to let up off the gas.
Thank you Entercom for involving me with this years RAB.
Frank- Wilkes-BArre PA
500 million dollars to be spent by 750 GM dealer groups over the next 3 months. The seminar " The nuts and bolts of the automotive industry" has given me renewed enthusiasm to call on car dealers. The presenter supplied us with contacts at GM at all levels. Zone Managers, regionals, Zone VP's and so on. I can't wait to apply some of these great concepts.
Greetings again from Atlanta-
After talking with Lisa Cochrane personally after her Keynote speech on "What Makes Radio work for Allstate", I realize we have a huge opportunity here. At the end of her speech, she played a brand new TV commercial geared at teen drivers and their parents to promote safe driving. What sets this commercial apart was a very emotionally charged soundtrack by the lead singer of Lifehouse. The song "Start the Conversation" was written by Jason after seeing the commercial with a previous instrumental backgroud. Here is our opportunity, for those of us with Top 40 or Hot AC/Modern AC stations, Lifehouse is very popular band. Allstate is passionate about this campaign and promoting Lifehouse. I spoke with her about an upcoming "Live after 5" (private listener concert)we have scheduled with Lifehouse in Milwaukee mid-March. Her eyes lit up and we plan on talking about this opportunity and much more later this week. For those of you who are interested in talking with me about involving your market with this campaign and pushing the dial for radio with Allstate, please get in touch with me and I will talk with her about the potential of a mutli-market, multi-platform campaign for this initiative. I'm pumped up about this one, folks!
Thoughts, Ideas and Takeaways from RAB.
Jim Rushton – VP Sales ETM NE.
Here’s some thoughts, ideas and takeaways from the RAB. I’ll have more later once I complete reviewing my notes. . . .
1. Jeff Haley – CEO of the RAB.
a. “Radio’s experience is the same, no matter what the distribution. Demand for Audio content is expanding: Terrestrial, Streaming, HD Radio, MP3, Podcasts, Mobile Phone, etc . . “ We are in the AUDIO business backed up by a TERRESTRIAL CONTENT core business.
b. “One of the most popular accessories (in terms of sales) for an IPod is the FM Receiver adapter.”
c. Check out www.radio2020.org. The “one voice” for radio in partnership with the RAB, NAB, HD Radio Alliance.
d. Spend more time with www.RAB.com. It has been updated and has terrific tools to help us generate more revenue and make more money. Jerry Lee (B101 Philly) put together a “best of” list of rab.com assets and gave it to all attendees. It’s a great tool.
2. Chris Anderson, author of The Long Tail (www.thelongtail.com). If you haven’t picked up this book, do so. It is amazing look into the effect the internet has business today and will the future. A must read for reinventing our business model.
a. “Radio is the only media that has translated to on-line virtually unchanged. The core product – free music and spoken word – is undiminished in popularity and vastly increased in reach. On the business model must change. . . .”
3. Steve Marx – 1 + 1 = 3 Radio and the Internet work together for Advertisers:
a. “Advertising On Demand” is the way consumers are interacting with marketers today.
b. “Disintermediation” is removing the “middle man” from the transaction of consumer and marketer. The “middle man” is broadcasting. We need to figure out ways to bridge the gap.
c. We need to think about ways to connect the most engaged consumer in the product the marketer is selling. “Give me :10, :15, :30 or :60 on-air and I’ll give you 5 minutes on-line . . . and :60 on-air may be too long, :60 on-line is way too short . . .” Use of “Key Word” campaigns is very effective to do this.
d. OLD MARKETING / NEW MARKETING
Push / Pull
Forced / Opt-In, Opt-Out
Broad and Shallow / Deep and Profound
Random / Relevant
Pitch / Interactivity
CPM and CPP / ROI
Hope / Measurement
e. BROADCASTING: engages consumer with Reach, Attention and Spark (the 100% of the consumers out there).
f. ON-LINE: engages consumer with Information, Interactivity and Measurement (the 1% in the Market).
g. TOGETHER Broadcasting and On-line are highly impactful.
h. Stations successfully connecting on-air and on-line: www.wdrv.com, KS95 Minneapolis. WOWO Ft. Wayne, WJHL-TV, WFLA-TV.
i. More info: www.csscenter.com.
Overall, these three sessions were very good. Great insight from Jeff on the future of Radio as an Audio and Media business. Really forward thinking that is really easy to understand from Chris Anderson. Tangible information on how to make broadcasting and on-line work together for impactful client results from Steve Marx.
None of the speakers mentioned this, however, it was a thought I had. . . . If RADIO was a $20 Billion industry in 2007 and INTERNET was a $20 Billion industry in 2007 . . . are we in a $20 Billion industry or a $40 Billion industry?? My argument is that with an increase demand for AUDIO and our growing digital assets, digital inventory, and digital capabilities we are in a $40 Billion industry and we need to keep thinking that way creating greater opportunity for revenue and income.
Reporting live . . . well almost live! More later.
Awesome comments all around, and I enjoyed being in that energized etm recap session on Monday, just confirms what we already know about the "special-ness" of our people! Best of all, it's great to see us all blogging! If we can do it, so can _all_ of our talent! Thanks to WK, MJ, Tom Ross and all of our attendees for making this truly productive.
Another interesting tidbit that no one has mentioned on the blog yet...in Jerry Lee's acceptance speech at Tuesday's luncheon, he mentioned that studies have shown that if 25% of ad dollars allocated to television on any given campaign are re-allocated to local radio, the campaign reach is expanded 30%. It would be great if we could find the source of that and use it to take dollars from TV, especially in consideration of our ability to drive people to our Web sites and show them the video there.
Wrap it up.
We learned today to invest not only in new technologies but also in our most important asset…our people. I have only been with Entercom for 3 months but what I have noticed is the time and money invested in our people to provide the proper training. It says volumes that if we take the time to grow our people then our people will grow our business.
At the Group Head Panel luncheon today Peter Smyth, Lew Dickey, Bud Walters and Skip Finley all stated that the only thing new in radio is the technology, we’re still delivering music, news, information and entertainment we just have new and more vehicles to deliver our brands. Once again we should all be pleased to be with Entercom who gets “it” and embraces this message.
“Building a Station Brand in the Digital World”, interesting branding. This European view of online branding, mobile brands and driving community networks to the brand is similar to the path that we are traveling. What sets us apart is that the NRJ Company relies on Myspace and websites like Facebook to tie in their listeners with their brand (I don’t agree with this I am just letting you know what was said). Instead of using their radio stations to drive the community to their online brands they use outside sources to brand. Abbe Cherkaoui said that our technology should not be a tool to market our Clients to our listeners; instead we should take the lead from TV and present our Clients through “Product Placement”. Mathiew Sibille didn’t have a lot more insight; he just went through the NRJ capabilities presentation…by the way their capabilities are a lot like ours.
I cannot say this enough. WE WORK FOR AN AMAZING COMPANY! I wish I had gone to “Advertising’s Biggest Spenders Tell All”, “The Masters of Marketing” and “Building Long-Term Local-Direct Business”…but the good news is I will be able to get the MP3 and the Presentation very soon!
On my way to the airport and back home to KC! It was a blast and I can’t wait to use what was learned at the RAB 2008!
I attend the Urban Interactive Media Session. I Learned that the the Black Consumers brand loyality extend over to the digital world. Urban Radio Listeners are fans of their stations websites. One key example that is use buy the biggest Urban station in New York City (WBLS)is the "Community Page" (all sponsorable) that focuses on the topics that the consumer can use in their day to day life, such as health, banking and travel. The key to target this consumer base is to know whats portion of your listener base surfs,who surfs,why do they surf, what are they surfing for and what is the ecomomic potential.
WOW! My first RAB experience and it was something to write home about! I attended some really GREAT sessions...
Sally Beamer's The Power of a Cool Idea - she just re-affirmed that Money will be found for the right idea! She also reiterated that Brainstorming within the right structure is a simple, quick,way to get to the BIG 'Idea" - you don't have to be the 'Creative' type to come up with Big Ideas. In addition, the Big Idea is worth more, we need to be sure we charge a premium for it! Big Idea proposals on average rake in 68% more revenue!
Nuts and Bolts of the Auto Industry - Again, so much opportunity for revenue! - Sue Novicki had Great examples of automotive success stories one after the other! Once she laid out the Landscape of the Auto Industry I was sold!
After attending the Advertising's Biggest Spenders Tell All... I am more convinced than ever that we have to seek out the opportunities - we cannot rely on Ad Agencies - clearly they do not see us as suppliers of Ditigal Assets,they would go to Yahoo or Google first!
What a Great idea - a Virtual Remote! My feelings would not be hurt if I never had to sell a real remote ever again! Deborah Esayian with Emmis Interactive had some terrifc ideas for engaging listeners through interactive on-line promotions, video games, even virtual remotes! Every idea she presented included minimum investment from the station level and maximum revenue! Deborah hosted Keys to developing High-Impact, Measurable Interactive Ad Campaigns - I just hated to see the session end!
Thanks everyone at Entercom that made it possible for us all to attend! I can't wait to go develop that New Business!
Mark Giovino - AE at WAAF Boston
After reading all the previous blogs I will try to highlight new take away points, although the first thing I would mention has already been noted. Jerry Lee highlighted an in depth review of RAB.com and concluded just how strong a resource this is. It reminded me that as an AE I should be spending time on this site weekly if not more taking advantage of all the resources.
Few thoughts from Jeff Haley's Presentation...
-J Rushton already mentioned but very powerful is how radio will be such a huge part of our technological future. Anyplace there is a speaker, consumers are asking for and demanding terrestrial radio.
- Radio is the only medium that has translated to online virtually unchanged.
- Radio as a core product including free music and spoken word is undiminished in popularity & vastly increased in reach.
Digital-Digital-Digital
On Tuesday afternoon I attended the Digital Divide Part 2 and one thing that makes sense but not sure if we are actually doing is selling the value of our audience and not the technology. Digital assets from streaming to display ads, texting, etc. is an extension of our brands. (www.IAB.net is great resource) We must educate advertisers about this medium and not sell as a shiny new toy! An analogy that was given and I thought makes sense was the "Coke analogy." You can drink Coke in a can, bottle, or from the fountain. It's all the same product, you are just experiencing in a different way.
Pulling together thoughts and impressions from several presentations and the entire 3 days I would say that the passion and energy is contagious! The most effective way to grow the radio industry and our own brands and most importantly - local budgets - is to build on the emotion of our medium, and with a true belief in our products we can transform this new "digital" age and all the positive momentum into new clients and more $!
Lisa Cochran from AllState played several emotionally driven commercial spots to differentiate from competitive carriers. Paul Weyland, Weyland Training Centers, gave one of the most entertaining presentations I have seen, "Building Long Term Local Direct Business" and he also played several commercials across different industries appealing to the listeners emotions.
Sue Novicki from Morrison & Abraham gave great insights and several out of the box success stories for the auto industry. She is a great resource and as much as is possible, her thoughts and directions appeal to the auto dealers emotions - ideas that will sell more cars!
On some level we are all "fans" of radio, we simply need to evoke this emotion in advertisers to allow them to see how powerful a medium radio can be and ultimately them drive more sales to help their respective business. Excited to put these 3 days into action!
Thoughts, Ideas and Takeaways from RAB – PART II
Jim Rushton – VP Sales ETM NE.
Greetings!
Here’s some additional thoughts, ideas and takeaways from the RAB. I’ll have even more later once I complete reviewing my notes. . . .
1. Steve Marx – 1 + 1 = 3 Radio and the Internet work together for Advertisers:
Some additional takeaways from this session . . . .
a. The story of the decision to invest in a kitchen remodel thru the mind of the consumer . . . .:
i. “Jane is thinking about remodeling her kitchen . . .”
ii. “Jane hears something about KitcheKrazies . . .
iii. “She pokes around KitchenKrazies.com . . . “
iv. “She clicks on a flash demo of a kitchen remodeling . . .”
v. “She notices a free e-newsletter and subscribes . . .”
vi. “On another visit, she dialogues with a kitchen consultant thru I.M. . . . “
vii. “On another visit, she completes an on-line questionnaire that, in exchange for personal information, gives her additional information and tips . . .”
viii. “She accepts an invitation to a cool, no obligation cooking event at KitchenKrazies . . . .”
ix. “She drives 22 minutes past 6 competitors to visit the store . . .”
x. “Jane orders a larger kitchen . . .”
I thought this was a great story about the consumer decision making process today and how marketers need to approach the consumer with a long-term mentality. It also shows how powerful the collection of e-mail data-base names is and how important it is to use them appropriately to establish a relationship with the customer.
b. “Messaging is Dead. Marketing is the Focus.”
c. “Advertising used to need to score a touchdown (in the “push” marketing environment of the past), today, advertising just needs to score a first down (in the "pull" marketing environment of today), as the job is to get the customer relationship
started.
d. Advertising Campaigns based on “Potential” are suffering from lower budgets and lower CPP’s. Advertising Campaigns based on “Measurement” are gaining from larger budgets and higher CPL’s (cost per lead).
e. “Irony of Advertising” (The Wrigley Quote)
i. 99% of the people who hear or see the commercial have no interest (:60 is too long).
ii. 1% of the people who hear or see the commercial have great interest and want more information (:60 is too short).
f. “Hire or develop a “Marketing Results Wizard” on your staffs – “Director of Results”. This person’s roll is to . . . .
i. Understand consumer behavior.
ii. Knows strategy and tactics.
iii. Understands the web and new technology.
iv. Is not focused on the order.
v. Is focused on the NEXT order.
vi. Can develop integrated marketing solutions for Key and Target Accounts.
vii. Keeps Account Executives out in front of clients and prospects.
viii. “Director of Results”.
g. “Position yourself as the company that is all about measurement and results. Take the “guess and hope that it works” out of the decision making equation.”
i. Decide how far down the measurement chart you should go:
1. How many people clicked thru to the web-site?
2. How many people set-up appointments?
3. How many people visited the store?
4. How many purchases were made?
I think Steve made some great points about continuing to think of ourselves as “Marketers”. I know we say it, and we certainly talk a great game, however, how often do we prove it with specific, measurable results? Not very often. The more develop campaigns with specific, measurable results, the more credible we become and the better we are able to create new revenue and renew existing customers over and over again. Radio, combined with the web, gives us a significant advantage. This takes a team of people versus one individual AE at the radio station. It also requires rethinking how we approach customers and how we handle their campaign from ideation to conclusion.
Until next time . . . .
The RAB 2008 Atlanta event was a perfect chance to "reaffirm" many of the great opportunities we have before us in our profession. The absolute #1 prevailing theme throughout the entire three days was DIGITAL, DIGITAL, DIGITAL. Every single radio company represented at RAB is involved in some way, shape, or form with digital. I'm very proud to say that Entercom is so far ahead of the rest of them it's not even funny. What I also found (in talking with new Entercom friends I met from other markets) is that we're all doing some great things with our clients that we should be sharing with one another. This forum is one way to do so, as are many others. Bottom line, great ideas work anywhere, from Greenville to Sacramento, New Orleans to Buffalo. On the sales side of our business, we have to share great ideas, success stories, etc. among our Entercom peers. I hope each and every one of you have a very successful 2008 and makes tons of money!!!!!
David Kopelson
Senior Account Manager
Entercom Greenville
864-241-4326
dkopelson@entercom.com
The RAB in Atlanta was very educational. I learned a lot over the 3 days and here are some highlights from the sessions I attended Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday.
1. Radio's Huge Digital Opportunity. Tuesday 2/12 at 2:30pm. Reg Jones lead a panel with executives from Mass 2 One Media, Triton Media Group, KDAY in LA, The Content Facoty and Rogers Radio in Canada,
This session focused on using a loyalty rewards program to generate digital and non traditional revenue. We already have and use a program like this in Entercom New England. One key stat is that 9 out of 10 Americans belong to some sort of loyalty rewards program. The group of Rogers Radio Stations in Canada did 5% of their total revenue in Q4 of 2007 with digital sales. Another interesting stat was 41% of my space users are over the age of 35.
2. Hiring And Retaining: Trends and Tricks. Tuesday 2/12 at 3:45pm. Representatives from Clear Channel St. Louis, Interep, Media Staffing, Emmis and New Northwest Broadcasting served on this panel. This was a very useful session and the most interactive as each attendee got to spend personal time with each of the panelists. Emmis has 1 digital sales person in each of their clusters. They talked about the importance of teamwork and courage when it comes to hiring. Good questions would be: What would your teammates say about you? Tell me about a difficult time you've encountered? Clear Channel in St. Louis does a career night every quarter. They advertise this on air, on line and in print. They get 60 to 70 candidates each time. They have an AE spend time with each of the candidates at the open house. Other topics were the importance of branding your company/station and why someone would want to work for you. Have a :30 elevator pitch on why someone should work for your company. They also talked about the importance of building a culture and atmosphere where people would want to work. They recommended reading the book "The Carrot Principle"
3. Sports Radio: Bringing Brands Together With Fans. Representatives from Emmis, IBN Sports and Beacon Broadcasting served on the panel. This session was Wednesday 2/13 at 9:30am. I didn't find this session to be very helpful. I felt the training I have received during my tenure with WEEI has me ahead of the field in regards to selling sports radio and play by play. There were some interesting statistics though. A 12.6% increase in sponsorship sales is expected in 2008. 69% of sponsorship sales in 2008 are expected to be spent on sports. They also looked at Sports Radio and Play By Play ratings in Houston and Philadelphia based on PPM. The results showed higher cume than expected but lower TSL. One good and new idea that came up was an interactive chat room on your website where fans can chat.
4. Selling Radio In A Challenging Economy. Wednesday 2/13 at 11:15am. Presenters were Mike Mahone and Dave Casper from the RAB. This was the best session I attended during the seminar. I will get a PDF of this presentation emailed to me today. Anyone who wants it can email me at mwalsh@entercom.com and I will forward along. I would highly recommend getting a copy of this presentation. They focused on previous recessions in the American economy and had case studies of companies that grew market share during a recession and then vastly increased previous sales levels during the recovery. These companies all had 1 thing in common: They maintained or increased advertising during the recession. Those companies who cut back lost market share and then never reached previous sales levels during the recovery. The best example was Miller Beer vs Schlitz in the 1970's. Miller increased advertising during a recession while Schlitz cut back. At the time, Schlitz had the #2 market share behind only Budweiser. We all know how things worked out for these 2 companies. The presentation will contain numerous other examples similar to this one. Key points to remind your advertiser are: Remember shoppers are still shopping, they are just being more selective. Remain top of mind with them. You need to be more creative selling in this atmosphere. Be a marketing partner and ask your clients: How can we improve your market position both now and in the future recovery stage.
5. Great Presentations / Great Ideas: Wednesday 2/13 at 3:15pm. Representatives from RAB, Neuhoff Broadcasting, Priority Communications, WLEN Adrian, MI and Finger Lakes Radio Group. Some good ideas are using community events and tieing in local sponsors to win NTR revenue. Senior Expos, Blood Drives, Thank A Vet Day, Community Spotlight are all events that delivered NTR Revenue. They talked about doing presentations at your radio station. Give the client/prospect a tour of the station, give them station merchandise, etc. They also talked about the importance of spec spots. One good idea would be take an actual weekly interview our station does and attach the spec spot afterwards. For example, play the last :30 of a Tom Brady interview and then put the client spec spot after the interview. Ties in with the theatre of the mind thing. Let them hear and imagine where they spot will play. They also talked about maximizing your relationships with play by play partners and doing presentations at their venues.
Matt Walsh
Local Sales Manager
Sports Radio WEEI FM
Entercom Providence
Dave - Entercom Milwaukee
What a great experience. It was exciting to meet so many talented and creative Entercom people from all over the country. While, many of the presentations were informative, and thought provoking, It's the sharing of "ideas," infrastructure," so on ... from the many Entercom people, that really provided the greatest insight. By tomorrow, I will post some specific thoughts
on the presentations that I viewed and participated in. But for now, I just want to say "thanks," it was great to meet and spend time with you.
Joni Moffitt- BDM,Greensboro
What a great week! So much information, so many GREAT new ideas and reaffirmation of what makes radio SO great. All the bloggers have provided such detailed information that our managers & AEs in other markets will be able to use.
At the same time, when digesting everything from the past 3 days I'm sure my cohorts will agree that overall it comes down to some of the following:
1. Radio is STILL the most "magical" medium out there.
No other medium can do what we do...but we need to be urgently proactive on the digital side. TV & print are trying to establish that "emotional connection" that WE already have.
2. We need to make sure that "emotional connection" is transfered over to our websites, our content and our platforms to illicit and continue
the "connection" with our core audience and build that core.
3. We have an obligation to educate our AEs and our clients on all aspects of digital and the future of radio. And we need to do so in a proactive fashion.
4. Clients with ad agencies also need to be educated by US because their agencies are not going to do so.
I could go on and on, but I'll revisit tomorrow with some specific ideas and "nuggets" that I plan on sharing with our AEs.
I feel very fortunate to have been a part of this group of ETM attendees and to now have that "emotional connection" with many of them, so that we can share ideas, potentially create cross-market "bubble ups" and ultimately make more money for us, our stations and ETM.
Weezie, Marijane and Sandy--thank you for everything! What a blast!
Joni Moffitt
Business Development Manager
Entercom Greensboro
336-387-7173
jmoffitt@entercom.com
Can you feel the energy in this blog? It is a direct result of the inspiration that each one of us received at this conference. GO ENTERCOM! Thank you for making the investment.
I came away from the conference with the Steve Marx book,copious notes and direct qoutes from the speakers at breakfast and lunch to display in my cube, use in my presentations and share with everyone in SF. Much of what I took away from the sessions has already been outlined in detail and shared in previous comments. However, the real "a ha" moment came when I was sitting in the Connecting Revenue to Radio, The Role of Mobile Marketing in Advertising Campaigns with Ivan Braiker from HipCricket.
I have seen mobile marketing campaigns but what panelist Bill Berry shared, General Sales Manager at the Journal Broadcast Group in Knoxville Tennesse, really peaked my interest. One of his success stories was centered around Hana Montana tickets. The station purchased some tickets, created a "short code" contest at a car dealership where the listener was prompted on air to visit the dealership, get the "short code" that was on display (next to a car of course) and then text it to see if they were a winner of a pair of tickets to the concert. Well, with some other elements involved as well, the dealership tried to claim it did not impact sales. But Bill Berry was able to prove that 190 people visited his showroom to get the code and attempt to win tickets to the show! The station made 15k off the promotion and proved that you really could connect revenue to a station with a creative text messaging campaign. I know that I will definitely use this model to create a new experience for a dealer in my market.
Inspired and fired up!
Heather Odom Entercom San Francisco
This was my 10th RAB and one of the best ever. The comments have been right on.
Jim described Steve Marx's seminar perfectly. The only thing I would add is get a copy of Steve's new book "Close Like a Pro." It shows the way a customer focused sales person closes a sale. It has nothing to do with media or radio sales. The process covers any business and it is the way we should conduct business.
Rachel DeWitt - ETM Memphis
What an incredible three days at the RAB! There was so much good information shared, it's difficult to "pick favorites", but here are a few choice nuggets.
Our future success most certainly lies in integrated marketing, and digital/interactive is, and will continue to be, a huge part of that. Who better to be masters of integrated marketing than those of us in radio?! We have committed, engaged, loyal fans that clients can't get anywhere else...We have amazingly creative people in our industry and...we know how to execute!
As a reminder, have sellers post this simple list by their desks
"Successful integrated campaigns can include a combination of:
Broadcast Radio
Streaming Ads
Podcasts
Mobile
Event Marketing
e-commerce
Website
Affinity Programs"
Overall, I think the best thing that came out of the RAB for me was a renewed excitement for the future of our industry and our company. We are not just welcoming change, we are leading the charge.
There was so much to learn and I want to share a bit about what I love to do- share some inspiring quotes!
So, here are some great "Quotes from Kairee."
In regards to marketing: "The idea is the currency, remember to sell the idea, and not the package."
For the success as an AE:
1. See beyond your medium
2. Look upstream- What's coming for your client?
3. Be a reliable source for ideas
On our websites:
"Our websites are a friend to goof off with, not a place to learn about nuclear science- let's make them fun!"
"Our website is no different than endorsement. We need to price based on our trust factor".
"Produce user generated content"
For Auto:
"Dealers are quick decision makers, present them the info and let them feel like they win. This is what they live for"
“ALWAYS ask for the referral. If they can't use our help, ask them who can and use them to get you in.”
General:
"Our listeners come to us for an escape. We must entertain the public"
"ALWAYS go for the long term business, unless the client is selling Christmas Trees."
"There's a bad side to word of mouth marketing too. Good thing for broadcast- it's CONTROLLED word of mouth!"
Roxanne in Denver
I had the opportunity within sessions to meet with a couple vendors and the general consensus was Entercom is the "cool" company at the RAB this year. We are so fortunate to be working with such a great company and surrounded by forward thinking and innovative people.
Here are my takeaways or quotes I found interesting:
"Technology has put more control in the hands of the consumer, this makes Radio so much more relevant."
"No one is doing 'local' well on the Internet-Radio has the opportunity to own this space"
"Permission is the asset of the future"
We as an industry focus on the sellers, which is all very important, but we need to look at training the people who help sales execute each and every day.
JLP Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA
Each day our sellers face clients who raise doubts as to radio's relevance in today's world.
Beginning with the State of the Industry address by Jeff Haley, President and CEO of RAB, one presenter after another proved that nothing could be further from the truth.
"The Power of the Cool Idea" presented by Sally Beamer was one of the highlights of the conference. Utilizing free-flowing, but focused techniques, Sally demonstrated how the need for a great idea needn't be met with fear and anxiety. Tapping into the minds of our colleagues, we can be creative and have fun coming up with solutions for our clients. The four-hour session flew by.
Deborah Esayian from Emmis Interactive gave us one case study after another of successful interative campaigns that can easily be adapted to any size market, in her "Keys to Developing High-Impact, Measurable, Interactive Ad Campaigns." It was a real insight as to how we can use all of our digital "toys" to help our clients. Can't wait to do so right here in Pennsylvania.
Lastly, I'd like to comment on how great it was to network with our counterparts from other Entercom markets. Sometimes, we are a little to close to the trees to see the forest, so bouncing ideas off others in a non-competitive environment is invaluable.
I hope we can repeat this experience in the future. No doubt in my mind that it was well worth it.
Erika Estridge
-Entercom Indianapolis
I came to the RAB with some expectations since I had attended it in 1997 - oddly enough, it was in Atlanta as well. I must admit, I walked away with more ideas, knowledge and enthusiasm than I could have imagined. We are all moving into a new "space" and I was happy to see our industry is moving right along with us! With their theme being on air, online and onsite - I was reminded of the important tasks we all have ahead of us motivating our sales staffs to engage in the "audio, visual, experiencial" space so we can transform our organization into a marketing services organization.
As I sat on the airplane, I grew more and more anxious. I realized the enormous weight of the tasks ahead of me as I had visions of re-engineering our organization at Entercom Indianapolis. At the same time, I thought about our March billing and budgets. Wow, in that moment I realized how critical it was for me to communicate the vision with the entire staff and drill down on what we can do right now to start making a difference.
One of the best seminars I attended was "Building Long Term Local Direct Business" by Paul Weyland and here's why...
Local direct business is our lifeline and as organizations move toward understanding the importance of being "hyper-local" with their marketing - this is the area with the most potential for immediate and long-term results.
Somewhere along the line, we, as an industry have lost sight of this! Paul said, "how many of you know a radio salesperson who started their own agency?" I thought..."wow, that was me, I left Emmis to start my own deal." Then he reminded me why I did and a strategy was re-born which ties into our collective goal of becoming Marketing Solution Providers...I was able to ask local folks for a long term contract. Not just for one year...a three year contract. And yet, here I was, back in radio, letting the client tell me they were going to take a gamble, do radio - only to have them cancel after three weeks because "it didn't work!" What a wake up call! Paul said instead of having your AE's call and say, "Mr. Advertiser, can I come and talk to you about advertising?" - it is time for us to say, "Mr. Advertiser, I would like to meet with you to discuss and develop a five year marketing plan that would help you achieve clear, measurable results." And with this philosophy, we can truly engage our customers over a long period of time with an on air, online and on site integrated marketing campaign which we all well know will result in measurable results. Here are the benefits for us:
1. Security
2. Immunization (from the other media reps)
3. We're no longer a threat to the client and can build a long term relationship, become their trusted marketing solution provider who establishes a "circle of trust"...basically, we can stop the "shake down" we do on a monthly or quarterly basis with these clients!
Well, those are my thoughts for now and now it's time I take some action. I am thrilled with my experience and had a blast meeting all of you. Let's work together on some bubble up opportunities (Allstate for one) and make 2008 a great year!
I really had a great time! Some of the things that stood out to me were how far ahead of the curve we are! We already create multi platform custom solutions for our clients and need to continue to stay ahead of them game while we get more creative.
How to Cross the Digital Divide I..Sandy was on the panel with people from Emmis, Ronning Lipset, CBS, and Weatherbug. It great to see how far we are ahead of the game, and how much of this we are already implementing for our clients. Sandy showed that Entercom is going above and beyond. Sandy gave some great recent success stories. We are so far ahead of the game! We learned that the other companies are still talking about campaigns that we have done couple years ago. When it comes to Entercom there really isn’t a Digital Divide that everyone is talking about.
Local direct business is our lifeline! Keep great relationships with your clients, and always provide them with custom solutions that create long-term results.
Telling isn't Selling, and Selling isn't Telling. We need to change the old ways of thinking, and move towards a collective goal of becoming Marketing Solution Providers. Creating long term solutions. We start selling when at the first objection. Other than that, we are order takers. Imagine yourself in a clothing store. The salesmen walks up and asks if you need anything. You automatically say no. We as sellers, are accustomed to take no for an answer. If the seller stays and continues to let the client (you) know about the different sales or new items that they have going on, you are more apt to stay with him, and let him know what you are looking for. He gets the sale by being informative and resourceful. That is what we are here to do. "Selling is being a mind maker upper".
Jeff Haley-Radio 2020. Any where there is a speaker, we have radio. We are where they want it, when they want it. It all sounds the same to them. Its true! If you are trying to reach business decision makers, they listen to us on their commutes to and from work. Why not reach them all day at work! Provide solutions for your clients! Continue to provide overall solutions for our clients. Listeners listen to us, to our radio stations.
Chris Anderson was awesome! Working with J Rush, I have come to know the Long Tail very well, so it was great to actually hear form him directly. People have choices! We are no longer in a monopolized world, and people can choose the media they want, when they want. They are still listening us, our local stations, and we need to continue to capitalize on that! Listeners want to hear the content, the personalities, and they trust them. Great results for our advertisers! The more ways we can continue to reach these listeners in unique ways, our clients win.. we win!
Double Your Web Traffic. Chris Bell is a great presenter, and I look forward to working with him and his company in the future, where it makes sense for my clients.
Keys to Developing High-Impact, Measurable Interactive Ad Campaigns. There were really great interactive ideas that were presented. I took a lot of what I learned, and am looking to apply them to the clients that I currently work with.
Great time! I really learned a lot. It was great meeting everyone from the different markets! The best thing that came out of my time there was excitement for the future of our industry and our company. We are not just welcoming change, we are leading the charge.
Tami - Entercom Rochester
The resounding theme for RAB was how far ahead Entercom is than our counterparts in the industry. We are a team that is thriving and pushing the new technology threshhold and we should be proud of our successes while we continue to be motivated to keep progressing forward. We need to continue to push the boundries in terms of quality, innovative, strategic marketing solutions, that deliver results for our customers.
Conference - Building long-term Local Direct Business
Some key concepts he discussed- basic but great to remember...
"Get in the circle of trust" with your clients. Don't just call them when you want to sell them something or collect money from them. Build a relationship of trust with them - become their trusted marketing team. Be the person they call when they have marketing questions.
Broadcast is like controlled word of mouth - it is like an insurance policy against bad word of mouth. It is controlling public dialogue.
Put on the sales "hook" food that the consumer would like to eat, not what you (the client)likes to eat.
When clients say radio doesn't work - it probably means that they ran a schedule that had bad creative, was too thin or hit the wrong demo. Take this opportunity to be a consultant - if you anaylze what they have done incorrectly before, you can overcome their objections and be a hero.
Creatively - take the consumer on a journey. A journey that is about their needs and wants first- not the clients needs and wants first.
My Most important take away...I am very proud to be a part of the Entercom team. Keep up the amazing work everyone!
On a side note to all who attended...It was AWESOME to meet each and every one of you! It was great to meet faces from other markets who share in the Entercom pride!
Hi everyone,
Wanted to take a moment to thank you again for representing all of us so well in Atlanta. Everyone there knew Entercom was in the HOUSE (!) and that was because of you, your smart questions, your constant networking and more. I know you will take the time necessary to share your insights with your colleagues and to stay connected with your friends from other Entercom markets. Thank you again. Yours, Mj
Jen Singer reporting from Denver -
Go Team Go! My biggest take away from this conference was the amazing network of professionals that represent Entercom from coast to coast. I truly understand how we can be one of America's most trustworthy companies, now that I've met y'all. Here are the other things that I am bringing home with me...
>Be a Small Market
Skip Finley from ICBC had mentioned how small markets were not feeling a slump in their business. It got me thinking, and maybe because I'm from a small town, that we've got to treat our business in big markets just like one would in a small market. Treat your clients like you go to church with them, create partnerships like they are the only auto dealership in town, and know all the events going on in your community. The RAB example: McDonalds - the Masters of Marketing... they brought in not the biggest market, but one of their smaller ones in order to demonstrate how just one radio station can make a huge impact on a business. Just one station can bring people to MCDONALD'S for hamburgers. We can make a huge difference. If we take it back to the basics, BELIEVE in the value of our medium, and share all of our assets with each of our clients - long term relationships will result.
>Silos are not Farms
So we heard a lot about the "new" digital frontier. And good for us - we are totally on the right track and a lot of what was brought to us in the presentations we were really familiar with. MJ - great job on the training we have already gone through, I think in that arena we SMOKE our competition. I went to the Digital Divide sessions Part I and II, but made the leap on the first one. What I took out of the Part I (Again Part II unneccessary): Digital is just an extension of our brands online, giving our audience another forum for community, we have great opportunities to build our relationship of trust. Companies need to have a culture of training, and have the sales staff fully embrace these assets for it to be successful. Digital has value! Needs to be priced as such. Someone that searches out the inforamtion online is even more valuable than one just listening. Interactive does not mean website, but a multiple touch point mechanism. And, let's be real, who doesn't go online, so it should be easy to convince someone of the tremendous need. Don't get bogged down in the technology - it's still just a media sell, only another delivery method. Now, with mobile marketing, there are SMS, MMS, and WAP options. The biggest opportunity for our industry in the realm of digital is the ability for user-generated content. We will be SO connected with our listeners - PPM or not, we will be able to make quicker programming changes.
A Quote that I loved from all of the digital sessions: Ignite, Engage, Persuade
Promotional Ideas from High-Impact, Measureable Interactive Campaigns: 8 Key elements to include in each campaign... feature key communication points, always have an opt-in for more communication, provide a social network, request participation in a "community," needs to be entertaining with persuasive components, make it virual, and there MUST be a database capture so we can do it all again with less work.
HAVE FUN - IT'S STILL RADIO!
>Automotive Inspriation
I sat in on the Carl Black automotive panel. How inspiring to see a client that gets it. I need to figure out how to convert that excitement and dedication to my clients. The key was complete integration with all station assets - make it sound that the radio station is putting everything on, create a theater of the mind. They are not buying for market share, but for a share of VOICE.
>Prospecting
I definitely want to geek out on this idea again. My first session was with Larry Julius. His idea was to graphically represent and analyze where the money was coming from, where it wasn't, and how to attack those areas with his sales team. For the client you can visualize where the listeners are, where their trading zone is, and how to capitalize on your station. He uses MicroSoft MapPoint, and you can integrate anything that has an address or zip code. It's pretty cool, and can be a great tool for sales managers.
>THAT'S IT
Thank you so much to Entercom for the opportunity. I hope that I will be able to attend again. Let's keep in touch, do web-based brainstorms, and really monetize this great group of minds we have in our company.
Branding in a Digital World, gave a global perspective of how the UK reaches out to its internet community. They want the consumer to have a one on one feel with the digital experience. They are big on concert marketing and setting up various music and information content that the consumer can experience all under one global brand (www.nrj.com) NRJ connects over 13 countries digitally. They have 4 goals when they brand.
1. Create your image-and brand it
2. All content has the NRJ brand logo etc.
3. Let the consumer control the connection/experience
4. Create individualism each country has its own relevant content all supplied by the NRJ brand.
Keeping up with trends and being viral helps NRJ stay connected.
Thoughts, Ideas and Takeaways from RAB – PART III
Jim Rushton – VP Sales ETM NE.
Here’s some additional thoughts, ideas and takeaways from the RAB.
These notes are from a session I attended titled “How some stations are selling Digital well”. Here are the walk-away points:
1. Graham Knowles – HipCricket – Mobile Media.
a. “What do you bring with you when you leave your house? Keys, Wallet and Cell Phone.”
b. “Radio is the most personal medium. Cell Phones are the most personal devices.”
c. “Personal Medium + Personal Device = Perfect Personal Marriage.”
d. “Median Age for Text Messaging is 38 years old. Much older than what most people believe.”
e. “Mobile Marketing gets 10x the response of direct marketing.”
f. “Radio is the Push Medium. Mobile is the Pull Medium.”
2. Holland Cooke (www.hollandcooke.com ) – Consultant.
a. “Best length for a Podcast is 10 minutes or less.”
b. “Internet has Infinite Inventory”.
c. “Weekend Long-Form Campaigns can be developed to be promoted entirely on-air and then live in 10 minute form on the web.”
d. “My on-air inventory is finite . . . my on-line inventory is infinite.”
e. Check out www.turnto10.com for examples of great integrated on-air and on-line content (“First Birthdays”).
f. “User Generated Content – make the audience the show”
i. Pet Supplies – 40 billion dollar industry. Great UGC for the web. “Send us a photo of your animal”.
g. “Good Archival Content works because . . . . “
i. Longer shelf-live vs. a traffic report.
ii. Stuff your transmitter can’t do.
iii. Can serve special interests.
iv. Sponsorable.
h. “Bear hug YouTube – Why?”
i. It’s free.
ii. It’s robust.
iii. You can embed it on your web-page.
iv. Viral application (e-mail to a friend, post on blogs).
v. Built in, credible measurement.
vi. You can reach their cume too.
vii. Great way to test keywords.
viii. Cachet.
i. Video is big for the web now. How do you get a videographer? Make a deal with a Wedding Videographer. They tend to be tied up on Friday’s and Saturday’s, however, have a ton of down time during the week. Do a trade deal. Make them the “official videographer” of your radio station. Smart, inexpensive way to get talent.
j. Some sites to check out:
i. www.Graperadio.com
ii. www.mommycast.com
I’ll have more later on. . . .
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