“And in an age of leverage, in an age where smarts and style were beating machines every time, doing what your boss said wasn’t so enticing.” – from Seth Godin’s “Tribes.”
I am hammering through ultra blogger Seth Godin’s Tribes right now. At first I didn’t like the book too much. Seth has a spastic style (like a blog) which is rad on the internet, not so good in a book. But I am getting into the style now and the book has lots of great ideas. It has a real RAGE against the machine vibe.
Basically Seth says what many of us believe to be true, we all long for the human touch. I think it is funny that Seth writes all his blog posts for free, his book(s) is not very expensive and the man has an impressive resume of success, yet I look around my own industry and can’t understand some decisions made by the powers that be.
I am not sure when I realized I am not a very good broadcaster, but I have come to terms with the reality that I will not be a top-tier entertainer. I am fine with that (sorta), I can deal. I have a good job and have achieved about as much as I could have hoped for as a traditional broadcaster. I look at my resume and go, “well, its alright.”
But then I see things go down in my industry and I scratch my head and then think, “why not me? Why can’t I be the CEO of a multi-million dollar broadcasting company?”
I have been following the excitement of a new re-branded radio station in Vancouver that will be called inVirgin. I am not sure about you, but when I hear the word “Virgin” I think of me, circa… pretty much most my life. Not “cool.” I read a lot, like a LOT marketing, broadcasting and social non-fiction and none of it would point towards the value in this re-brand. Maybe that is what separates the powers that be from me… they have access to insight that I do not.
The crux is this. Zed 95 was a powerful pop station in the 90s. They abdicated their authority as a taste maker in Vancouver because they got lazy. They tried to regain that traction by changing the station to Crave and despite some gains, have decided to abandon that branding for a generic British mega-brand that is used in Canada to sell cell phones. Its like Telus buying a radio station and calling it Telus, actually it is more like Telus charging the Zone money to change the name of the Zone to Telus. Kinda dumb.
Then to further erode any connection to the community of Vancouver, Ryan Seacrest is brought in to host his American Idolesque pablum and on the weekends a British Top 40 countdown program. Why would anyone choose this station over the Beat?
Maybe because you don’t like talk in the morning? Nope, Virgin will still have a man/woman gab and fake laugh festival every morning.
Because you are tired of the repetitive top 40 music? Nope, Virgin will be hammering away at today’s top hits (except out of the UK).
Seth says it in his book… when you try to lead everyone, you lead no one. That axiom has been around a long time. This isn’t a new thought process, so my question is: what is the benefit to 95.3 and the community?
I would think, at the very least… copy the Beat playbook. Pull an end-around on the Beat and start talking to that base of passionate music fans that truely love dance and pop music culture. Just like the Beat when they signed on. Love them, super serve them, be unique. And when the time is right, and you’ve put the Beat in the box (like the Beat to Zed) you can flip and take a run at top 40 success (knowing that the cycle will repeat).
I must be missing the knowledge, or the point.
There must be a marketing guru that I have yet to discover that says, “generic mega branding sets your product apart.” There must be research that supports, “Vancouverites demand blander music from commercial radio!”
People tend to gravitate to ideas that reflect their own world view. Perhaps I read marketing literature from commentators that value my values? I would love to read the book or the blog that advocates Virgin style branding for not only radio stations in Canada and around the world, but for cola, cell phones, airlines. I want to expand my knowledge and learn. I want to be a GREAT broadcaster. Maybe that is the x-factor that I am missing… maybe I need a new brand in 2009… maybe I need to be DJ Virgin @ 91-3.
The Morning After 
Let me start by saying that your statement that you’re “missing the knowledge or the point”, is probably accurate… on both counts.
Comparing Telus and Virgin are like comparing White Spot and McDonalds. One has only local recognition; the other has an international brand with recognition in just about any country in the world. Using the comparison because they are both cell phone companies is about the most narrow-minded comparison I’ve heard in ages!
Adopting “generic mega branding”, as you call it, is about adopting a brand that will give you instant recognition. If you talk to anybody about Crave, they still call it Z. Crave ran a ton of advertising in an attempt to brand the station (bus wraps, TV commercials, etc…) and failed miserably. Branding is tough game, which most fail at, and a station that has experienced growth for several ratings periods just needs something like that to propel them further.
You’re also missing a couple key elements here. The first is the difference in CFBT and CKZZ: The Beat and Crave have completely different target demos with different formats. The Beat is Top 40, Crave is Hot Adult Contemporary. The Beat targets a younger demo than Crave does. If you have a mediabase account, go compare their power tracks and you’ll notice the Beat spins at almost double what Crave powers rotate at. And while you’ll definitely notice some similarities with the playlists, you’ll also notice a great difference in the genre representation with both as well.
Another key element your missing is that the Virgin Radio brand is not a drop in format that will hammer away at “the repetitive top 40 music”. They are a brand, not a format, and if they decide to hammer away at the hits, that’s an Astral decision, not a by-product of the Virgin brand. It’s up to the Astral team to put every other element into this stew to create the station. And if you hadn’t noticed, there’s a reason hit stations hammer away at the hits. Because they’re mass appeal. Because TSL is generally short.
“Vancouverites demand blander music from commercial radio!” What an absurd statement, even if it was sarcastic. It just tells me that you’re completely out of touch with branding, with hit music station successes, and with the Vancouver market in general. Your statement is spoken like a true rock-jock: a righteous view of your “pure” format and a negative view of hit radio, mega branding, and mass appeal in general… after all, rock is all about polarizing each one of those elements, no?
I could go on, but I think I’ll leave you with this: I highly recommend you read The Power Of Cult Branding. It may enlighten you to the mysteries of mega brands.
hey John, I love the dialogue. Like I said, I don’t get it. I want to know why this will be better than building Crave or why even Zed needed to be blown up?
I do know lots of people in the target demo of the old 95-3 and the station does not register anymore.
I know lots about spins “John.” Don’t worry. I also see the ratings and the powers spins on not only the Beat but throughout north america do well and there is a science behind it that works. What does Crave do now? Some top 40, some obscure Prince tracks form time to time. Not bad… but still mot busting out ogf the box yet.
But then hang on, was not Crave beginning to see some gains in the ratings?
Virgin IS a bland mega brand.
As a person, not as a rock jock… I disagree with the mega brand. I disagree that Vancouverites will fall in love Virgin because it is Virgin. Because each Astral property will use the brand differently, then the question becomes, what is Virgin?
What is it?
thank you for the book recommendation, that is exactly what I need. I have read some many books that strike vehemently against this style of branding in 2009 and it would be nice to catch the flip.
I would suggest that the cool factor of Z had long past, or that Crave was a last-ditch attempt to rebuild the station before the company was sold. The Astral Media buy of Standard Radio was already common knowledge and after years of driving it into the ground, it seems like they tried to make something of the property before being shown the door. The Crave brand was an ill-conceived and poor attempt at rebranding so the fact that they’re changing it again is no surprise to me… Virgin or not.
In terms of what Crave is doing now- They’re hot a/c, which will emcompass rock, a/c, pop, rythmic, and some urban. They seem to lean to much on the gold side of things rather than being more currents based, but they’re playlist (including the gold) is fairly similiar to other successful hot a/c stations in other markets such as CHUM-FM. I think their playlist is pointed in the right direction, but needs to look more current.
While the 12+ ratings has seen small growth for Crave in the last 5 books or so, their target demos have seen very healthy growth. They target 25-44 females and from their ratings breakdown presentations (they do these for the agencies after every book), they’ve accomplished very impressive growth. Simply put, they’re number 1 in females 25-44, which just happens to be “the money demo” which agencies seek. Adding the Virgin brand to what they’re already doing will just give them stay-power in people’s minds that will keep them front and centre.
If you think the Virgin brand in general is a bland mega brand, you’re only thinking locally with Virgin Mobile. Talk to folks around the world and Virgin is recognized as having a fun and different approach to just about everything they do. Virgin Radio UK has been THE hottest radio station in London for many years (and despite them losing the rights to the Virgin name, they continue to be huge).
I completely agree with you that Vancouverites will not fall in love with it because it’s Virgin… again, the name simply lends to recognition. It will be what Astral and their new Aussie PD do to make it fun, different, and entertaining that will make or break their success.
Virgin is an image and an attitude… and I would think they hope it rings through with people unlike what it’s done with you, or you’ll be right: what’s the point?
*claps* there we go. that post got right to it.
What we both agree on then is that Crave was seeing some success and that if it is to continue to grow it will need to continue to be compelling and entertaining.
The name really doesn’t matter all that much. You build the brand, you make it what it is. You make it cool.
I do understand some of the huge benefit having a national brand will bring when it comes time to run contests, or national commercial buys, internet, if a PD in Toronto gets mentioned in a story in the Globe and Mail and he is attributed to “Virgin” that will have a benefit for eh whole network.
Thank you for taking the time to dive into the issue with me. I am looking forward to ordering the book you recommended off Amazon.
I’ll buy you a Virgin cola if the station pulls itself to the top of pops (as they say in the UK).
haha I’ll hold you to that cola if they do well 😉
sounds like a plan man.
I want 95-3 to do well… just don’t care for Virgin branding is all… so I want to root on the local brands more.