The announcement was a déjà vu for me, because it reminded me of an encounter I had with a broadcaster very early in my career while an analyst for Frank Magid.  As we were planning a research study for a new client, I suggested testing the station’s marketing awareness.

The General Manager flat out told me, “We tried billboards and they don’t work.”

Now I was pretty new at the research process, but started asking questions.  What creative did you use?  How extensive was the billboard buy?  And what was your expectation from the campaign?

(By the way, it turned out that the creative was horrid, the buy was very small, and the manager expected a big turnaround for a station that had problems with both its music and its morning show.)

This is not to suggest that GM hasn’t studied the situation with their extensive analytical resources and their large team of marketers.  But particularly when you’re test driving new media, you have to apply a certain trial-and-error mindset, while carefully defining your goals and outcomes.

What does success look like for a Facebook campaign?  Are you building your brand, strengthening your relationships with consumers, purchasing proximity on the largest social media network on earth, or selling cars?  Or something else?

GM’s arch rival, Ford, rapidly came out with their reply to this decision:

“We’ve found Facebook ads to be very effective when strategically combined with engagement, great content and innovative ways of storytelling, rather than treating them as a straight media buy.”

So there.

True fan engagement and communication, or “Katy Perry tickets at 2:15.”

It’s all a matter of expectation.

And last week, Wall Street was in another of its fits over Mark Zuckerberg’s hoodie, and what it symbolized to the captains of industry.  (Perhaps they should be more worried about the behavior of former stalwarts like J.P. Morgan.)

To somehow suggest, as several financial executives have, that perhaps Zuckerberg isn’t taking the IPO seriously speaks to the backwardness of that community.  Was Steve Jobs disrespectful because he wore jeans and a black turtleneck?

The world has changed, and it is not a sign of disrespect or immaturity to be the brand or to exercise one’s sense of style.  In fact, our own industry – radio – might re-evaluate its own dress code when The Radio Show hits Dallas in September.

A couple of years back in Philly when our Summit partnered with the NAB, one of our special guest sessions was Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski from MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

As Paul escorted the pair through the Philadelphia Convention Center, Scarborough viewed the austere hall and all the guys wearing business suits.  And he asked, “Where are all the radio people?”

He was expecting to see energetic, engaged broadcasters – not Wall Street bankers.

When you look around at a “blended” conference like RAIN or Convergence, you see the signs all around you.  There’s a more congenial vibe, and while the geek wardrobe has its own style rules, it’s a more casual, open mode of dress that may be symbolic of a more agile, adaptable form of doing business.  To me, it suggests that we’re going through this maze together, rather than being locked into the way we’ve always done it (or the conservative ways we always dress and do business).

The Radio Show might be a more inviting, accessible world if there were a few more hoodies and a few less suits.  The essence of radio – the sound that comes out of the studio – has been tempered over the past decade by the demand for ROI and the pressure to take a more business-like approach in what always was a fun, energetic collection of people and brands.

So perhaps Zuck should have donned a pinstripe hoodie like the one pictured here.  Or maybe he should continue to confound Wall Street by being his own guy, not playing their game, and running his incredible company in his own style.

After watching the financial community’s behavior during the past several years – and last several days – a breath of fresh air might do everyone some good.

Clothes may make the man.  But they don’t necessarily make a successful one in 2012.

While speaking with a friend the other day who has an iPad but is still using a flip phone, she told me that she has purposely shied away from purchasing an iPhone because she thinks it will ruin her life.

That’s an interesting way to think about the smartphone phenomenon.  It is a game-changer, and while there are many positive aspects of owning an iPhone or one of the better Android handsets, the loss of attention-span and other cultural changes is undeniable.

We attempted to capture some of these usage patterns in Techsurvey8.  Overall, smartphone ownership has now passed the halfway mark, up to 52% in this new nationwide study.  And it’s interesting that both men and women are almost equally as likely to have one.

We also found that smartphone ownership tends to level the tech playing field by age.  Even those who have an iPhone or Android device in the oldest demos are using it to perform a myriad of cool and varied tasks.

The “dual pyramid” (below) speaks to the growing differences between the “haves” and the “have-nots.”  That is, those who have a smartphone, and those who are still using what is nicely called a “feature phone.”

(A friend of mine in his early ‘70s is a “have-not” and still jokes about the time I referred to his device as an AARP Phone.”)

So as you look at the pyramid, you can definitely see how smartphones aren’t just convenient, they have opened up a new world to users.

Now, the only thing that feature phone owners do more than their smartphone counterparts is talk.  In all other usage areas, it’s no contest.  When you take the dive into smartphones, a whole new world opens up to you.

Of course, that also sends a message to those of us who program and market radio stations.  Look at the capabilities and activities that our listeners now have – and of course, they run even higher in progressively younger-targeted formats.

So here are some takeaways, followed by a logical question or two:

Eight of every ten respondents receive and send email on their phones.

So how do your database emails look when listeners open them up on their smartphones?  Are you considering the UX – or user experience – in your email program?

Three in ten record videos and three-quarters take and share photos.

So how can you utilize the audience as “citizen reporters” at concerts and events?  If everyone has a camera (and a video camera), how can you use this network to create content and a real-time experience?

One-fifth use their smartphones for Twitter, while two-thirds do the same for Facebook

So are you acknowledging your audience in a timely way on these platforms and taking advantage of their real-time nature?

Nearly six in ten check out news, weather, and/or traffic info on these handheld wizards.

So how does your on-air information provide entertainment value, a local touch, and a greater degree of accuracy?  And if you’re running a news operations, how does your station’s mobile experience match up with audience usage patterns?

More than one-third check sports scores on their smartphones.

Does your app do more than stream – are you providing sports scores for the teams your audience cares most about in a mobile environment?

And six in ten regularly download and use apps.

And how does your station’s mobile app program reconcile with those big numbers?  Do you have apps, and if so, on which platforms and devices?  Do your apps provide more than just a stream – a unique, mobile experience that is reflecting of your brand’s essence?

That’s what I love about research.  It asks questions, and then generates more questions.  But these are good ones to be asking in a mobile environment that is moving at Mach 5, right before our very eyes.

What questions do you see on this pyramid, and how can you and your team answer them?

We came up with the phrase “Random acts of digital” (or “social”) to describe what often occurs at the station level.  There are so many distractions, time and people pressures, and bright shiny objects that it’s often difficult to know in which direction to go.

It also has become clear that broadcasters often don’t have a set of goals in the social space.  I’m not talking about the number of “friends” or “followers” they’ve amassed.  The real question revolves around what brands are hoping to accomplish in the social space.

Some want to simply aggregate more fans (like building the database or cume), some want to monetize social media, some want to use it to promote what’s on the air, and thankfully, some want to use it to build relationships and fan engagement.

To this last point, a question often comes up about metrics.  We have so many numbers in our lives that allegedly measure performance.  Ratings, revenue, and their rankings versus the competition that we often get hung up on needing numerical evidence that “it’s working.”

Many broadcasters forget what they’ve learned as people in the social space (at least those of them who have personally ventured out into the Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter universe), and instead try to support success with numbers.

It wasn’t long ago that Seth Godin put it so well, and I wanted to repeat his prescient comment because it rings so true:

I realize that it is difficult for bottom line-oriented achievers to simply take the leap of faith that leads you to believe that somehow your efforts in social are working.  But if you think about the relationships that you’ve had – or have – in your life, they weren’t quantified.  They probably just happened over time.

It’s the same with your relationships with products and brands.  You probably didn’t just fall head over heels in love with Apple the first time you bought one of their products.  Or even that Audi.  Or that new restaurant that opened up downtown.

But over time with multiplied experiences, certain brands draw on the ability to build and maintain relationships with you.  Sure, there are measures like “Net Promoter” which we have extensively used in our station survey work.  But even a recommendation score is no guarantee that consumers are actually evangelizing for your brand.

It is often difficult for managers to let go of the control they have enjoyed throughout their careers, and trust in relationship-building with their audiences and advertisers.  You may not be able to put numbers to your engagement, but I would suggest that having strong, vital relationships is something that you can’t quantify anyway.

It’s not the number of friends you have.  It’s the quality of the relationships you build, share, and enjoy.

In real life and on Facebook.

For information about how Lori Lewis can help your station, company, or brand manage its social media “footprint,” contact Paul@JacobsMedia.com

After reading a story about how a mysterious black bus pulled up in front of an Apple Store in Sydney, Australia, to stage an apparent “protest,” I couldn’t help but think of those sophomoric Jacorian hijinks that used to be so common in radio.

A video below, narrated by a guy named Blunty (who was apparently set up to be there to capture the moment), takes you through the sequence of events.  The bus was wrapped with huge “WAKE UP” signage, loaded with a group of young people dressed in black with professionally made “Wake Up” signs.  That’s Samsung’s slogan for its new Galaxy Android phone, but of course, Samsung denies having anything to do with this.  And recently, BlackBerry stepped up and actually took credit for pulling off this stunt.

>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO WATCH “WAKE UP” VIDEO<

What does it tell you about the state of smartphone competition, as well as Apple’s domination?  In reading comments about this article and others that are related to Apple versus Android, these factions often seem as fervent (and irrational) as the two sides at a Michigan/Ohio State game.  Maybe that’s how BlackBerry figured it.  For many, it has the whiff of desperation and just comes off as desperate.

What’s next?  Going through the Apple Store’s trash?  Soaping their employees’ car windows in the parking lot?  Or sending out fake letters on Apple stationary to their “Geniuses” about fake management changes and policies?   Hey, it worked in radio, didn’t it?

Techsurvey8 shows that Apple has the strongest degree of loyalty of all cell phone platforms and brands.  A larger percentage of iPhone owners tell us their next phone will be another Apple.  Android’s “next smartphone” numbers are impressive – but lower.  And then there are the pathetic returns for BlackBerry where more of their current owners say they’ll switch to Apple rather than buy another R.I.M. phone.

You may have read the story from a few weeks back that Research In Motion – maker of BlackBerry – was ditching the consumer market and refocusing their efforts on the business (“enterprise”) market. Thorsten Heins, CEO of RIM, has recently tried to reassure customers that BlackBerry is not abandoning them but is just eliminating some in-house services.  Too bad, because the consumer market is abandoning BlackBerry.

In every metric you look at, BlackBerry has become the MySpace of smartphones.

Maybe instead of hiring a bus and a bunch of unemployed kids, they should spend more effort determining why consumers have left them in droves.

And you thought it could only happen in radio.

It was truly a memorable occasion that I shared with other amazing honorees, as well as family and friends.  I was aided and abetted by Dr. Ed Cohen, Paul Jacobs, and MSU’s Gary Reid, as well as many of you who wrote recommendations on my behalf.

So what do you learn from an event like this?  Well, aside from being reconnected with an amazing group of students and educators, Dean Pam Whitten is building something special at MSU.  A look at their new Media Sandbox program speaks volumes about where higher education should be headed, in partnership with the professional community of MSU alumni, many who have gone on to become major players in media.

And as I met some of the other professionals who spent their formative years in East Lansing, I garnered a deeper appreciation for their stories and pathways to success.

Glenn Marrichi is one of those honorees, an advertising agency executive in Chicago who has worked for some of the best and the brightest.  During Glenn’s presentation, he quoted the legendary Hal Riney, and this line has been bouncing around in my head since:

“Turn facts into feelings.”

Unknowingly, this is what we attempted to do with this year’s Techsurvey8.  While the study is loaded with thousands of data points, the story that has resonated in the industry has to do with radio’s emotional triggers – why the audience listens in the first place.

Companionship, mood elevation, and escape are all factors that transcend contests and promotions.  Too often, radio spends more time on getting its positioning statements right than it does in creating emotional connections to its audience and filling their needs.  Why do people come to radio stations to begin with?  It’s a question that every programmer, manager, and owner should be asking themselves.

Our goal with Techsurvey8 was to boil down all those numbers into eight key takeaways that tell stories about the role of radio in people’s lives, as well as the challenges and opportunities around the corner.  I can show you a pie chart that shows how 52% of the sample owns a smartphone, but if I can tell you a memorable story about how these devices have changed our lives – as we did on video with “Goin’ Mobile” – I create an indelible narrative that you can’t get out of your head.

Our study also suggests that broadcast radio doesn’t need to devise a better algorithm than Pandora’s.  A better endeavor would be to recommit itself to emotionally connecting with consumers and communities in meaningful and memorable ways.  Understanding why listeners bring radio into their lives, and then truly focusing on those needs would move the needle for many radio brands.

Riney’s comments also hit home on the sales side of the spectrum. Yes, there may always be cost per point, average ratings, and cume numbers to bandy about and negotiate over.  But the old “live by the book/die by the book” adage has never been more true in today’s environment.

The ability to tell a story about your station and your brand is what should separate radio from many of its new media competitors.  The listeners that have been touched by your programming.  The DJ who has made a difference in a hometown.  The local advertiser who saw her business jumpstarted by creating sales partnerships with area radio stations.  These are the stories that people tell again and again – the narrative that explains why most of us got into radio in the first place.  Those values aren’t dated or “old school.”

Hal Riney (pictured) understood the true essence of the impact and power of words and emotions. So did Steve Jobs.  So does Clayton Christensen and Simon Sinek.  All of these branding philosophers encourage us to connect on an emotional level with stories – not data.

In the mindset of consumers, radio stations don’t “own” formats.  Your association with a positioning statement is not why the audience tunes in.  Your ability to generate “likes” on a Facebook page is not about your latest cash giveaway.

You will never move people with numbers.

You will capture their imagination with a great story.

Tell it.

P.S. If you’re interested in seeing the results of Techsurvey8 and the stories that we’re telling about radio and digital, the Conclave has put together a free webinar on Wednesday, May 23.  You can sign up here.

“Here’s Why Google And Facebook Might Completely Disappear In The Next Five Years.”

What a headline!  It came from Eric Jackson – a Forbes.com contributor.  You can read his entire article here:

To save you some time, Jackson’s theory goes like this: “With each succeeding generation in the Internet, it seems the prior generation can’t quite wrap its head around the subtle changes that the next generation brings,” noting how Web 1.0 [Google] type companies did a great job of aggregating data and presenting it in an easy to digest portal fashion but they “never really seemed to grasp the importance of Web 2.0 – building a social community.”

And now, Web 2.0 [Facebook] type companies appear to be unsure how to adapt to the new criterion – mobile.  Jackson elaborates:  “The failed history of Web 1.0 companies adapting to the world of social suggests that Facebook will be as woeful at adapting to mobile as Google was to social.” (Mark Zuckerberg did admit in his IPO filing earlier this year that the company is having a hard time monetizing mobile.)

Now, I’ve never been one for predictions and especially these days.  Ivan Braiker, CEO of Hipcricket, said it best at the NAB Show last month, “Everything is happening too fast to predict anything.”

But if you consider the reality that the lack of adaption and evolution have disrupted so many companies in the past few years, it could lead to these questions:

What if Facebook isn’t the main platform in five years?  How did you make the social giant work for you at its prime?

To get at the answers to those questions, can you answer “yes” to this group?

•  Did you serve and acknowledge the fans – so much so that you were able to collect information and tap into a new league of listeners – the social mouthpieces?
• Did you strengthen the assets you own?
• Did you encourage and embrace user generated content, perhaps by creating a pool of “citizen journalists?”
• Did the company’s internal infrastructure change in order to meet the needs of the brands socially connected fans?
• Can you apply intelligence towards the continuation of building a social brand on future platforms because you studied fan behavior/expectations on Facebook?

If you can answer “yes” to those questions – your brand will be even stronger in five years.

Sadly, most brands come up short and here’s why:

“Landlord Zuckerberg’s” platform has changed consumer behavior forever.  Part of it is about something that radio is not used to – fans having their own voices and their own audiences.  People no longer just want to consume information – they want to participate, share, and be heard.

Zuck also offers radio the most incredible rented gateway to the spaces that broadcasters already own – the FM/AM signal, website, apps, podcasts, the stream, etc….

But Facebook is not always looked at from a strategic view.  Between the NAB Show in Vegas and the Worldwide Radio Summit in Hollywood last month, there was a lot of discussion about how to “game” fans socially and secretly collect their data.  And there was much too little conversation about how to serve and strengthen connections and assets authentically.

Maybe it’s just easier to be “gamey.”  After all, we do see spikes – especially in PPM – when we contest so perhaps it makes sense to transfer those programming tactics onto Facebook.

But social isn’t a programming tactic.  (And it’s certainly not a sales tactic.)  If anything – it’s a people tactic.  It’s where you build an actual conversation strategy to earn permission to be on your fans’ turf each day.

The social sphere is where radio’s new league of listeners live – cruising Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest and when they see their favorite brand on their preferred platform it’s like ”Cool, WXYZ is at the party, too!”

However, brands have a tendency to become “that guy” at the party that tries to sell or push crap on you when everyone is just trying to have a good time.  And sometimes – not with every radio station – basic fundamentals are being missed.

Too often the “party” between fans and brands start and end on Facebook with no tactics to pull people into the spaces stations actually own.  And stations often come up short when it comes to tapping into the background of the uber social fans.

Look, if you believe Eric Jackson’s piece – and it’s a good article – there are still a few years left in Facebook.  So maybe now is the time to ask your team, “What do we even want out of Facebook?”

Maybe it’s strengthening the assets you own.  Maybe it’s tapping into your brands “Special Forces.”  Maybe it’s focusing on building smaller, more nimble databases driven by motivated relationships, rather than relying solely on one large, often random database built on superficial bribes and contests.

So maybe Step One is to decide what you’re even doing socially in the first place.  What is it you want to get out of it? 

Is it about ratings? 

Is it about revenue? 

Is it about relationships?

Get it while you can.

The “research” was conducted by the job guidance site CareerCast.com and evaluated 200 professions.  Along with one of the worse jobs being a traditional broadcaster, the Forbes list also included waiter/waitress, lumberjack, dishwasher, oil rig worker, and butcher.

Yikes.

When I tweeted the story out, I started to receive indignant responses from many in the radio community, questioning the survey and Forbes’ motivation.  (“Newspaper reporter” was also on the Worst 10 list, so maybe there’s a PR method to this bad job madness.)

Nonetheless, this started something – on Twitter and I later took it to Facebook.  So listed below are a sampling of the responses I received stating why being a broadcaster is a great profession, directly from people in the industry.

Maybe it’s worth passing these around your station or your community.  Please list any additions to the comments section of this post.

In spite of all the pressures over the past few years, there are still many people in our industry for whom the passion has not waned.

In any case, I was reminded that oil riggers make a lot of money and that conditions for DJs aren’t what they used to be.

Still, many characterized it as the best job they’ve ever had – or have.  Those who are no longer on the air truly miss those days.

What do you think?

Before I launch into my prediction, let me remind you that I am not a financial prognosticator.  In fact, if my family’s money manager/financial advisor were free to tell you stories about some of my investment ideas, you would stop reading this post right here and now.

But there are some things that go beyond what Jim Cramer rants about or what you read in the Wall Street Journal.

There are some things you just know.

That doesn’t always mean they will translate into stock market wins and losses the way logic might dictate.  After all, the markets have a nasty habit of reacting in illogical ways even though the experts come on television every day to explain precisely what happened.

But in the case of Facebook, you know certain things, making it easier to analyze this IPO. 

Then there’s Pandora.  You know that while it’s a popular site that everyone from the automakers to your cousin is all hot over, the business model is shaky.  How many ads can they run before their audience gets turned off?  We saw it in Techsurvey8 and Pandora’s Joe Kennedy reinforced it at the Worldwide Radio Summit: very few Pandora users are paying the $36 fee  to avoid commercials.  And the more usage Pandora incurs, the more their royalty fees increase.  It’s almost anti-American.

And Groupon.  You could have bought that one, too.  But you know there are problems with a service that while popular, still can’t figure out how to tailor deals to correspond to your shopping habits, desires, and geography.  There’s simply a large percentage of the population that’s not going to be enamored with manicures and pedicures.  And last week, Groupon’s young CEO Andrew Mason admitted he’d imbibed “too much beer” during a company town meeting covered by the Wall Street Journal, only reinforcing the immaturity of this deals company.

And you know Foursquare has issues.  Yes, there will always be knuckleheads chasing badges at the Panera Bread store in Dubuque, or vying to become the mayor of your groery store, but geo-location has its limits, and this platform just isn’t connecting with consumers in a mainstream way.  In Techsurvey8, Pinterest is already well ahead of Foursquare, and it’s hard to imagine a quick turnaround.

You know Research In Motion is screwed.  We’ve shown you our Techsurvey data, clearly illustrating how more BlackBerry users will switch to Apple or Android handsets the next time they’re contractually able to do so.  By not jumping into apps with a friendly interface, Research In Motion squandered their lead and their business credibility by ignoring obvious consumer needs and desires.

You know that satellite radio has had its day in the sun.  Like Pandora before it, Sirius and XM were hot, unique, and offered something different than what you could get on AM/FM radio.  But satellite radio has been leapfrogged by the seemingly infinite options of streaming media and entertainment options.  Unless you just have to have Howard Stern, NASCAR or some other specialized channel – or you’re a truck driver - chances are you’ve moved on to other music offerings that you simply don’t have to pay for.  It will never be as big as subscription television, and will be challenged to keep up with in-dash technologies.  Stronger car sales will help but you have to question the value proposition.

And then there’s Facebook.

If you’re thinking that Facebook is just another tech offering that’s built on hype, think again.  Facebook is something much bigger – and not just because 900 million plus people are on it.

It’s special because of the vision of Zuckerberg and what has been described as “The Hacker Way” by the man himself.  Lori Lewis has put together a great presentation that you can see in July at the Conclave “Summer School” that ties together the Facebook philosophy in a way that makes this enterprise worth learning more about.

But don’t take my word for it – look at Facebook’s engagement among those who have a profile and use the site on this pie chart from the newly released Techsurvey8.  Nearly two-thirds visit Facebook at least once a day, while a quarter show up hourly or more often.  If you translated that into TSL or “occasions” for a radio station (or ALL of radio), it would make the RAB, Katz, and broadcasters everywhere very happy.  Talk about engagement!

Facebook’s purchase of Instagram speaks volumes about the company’s commitment to connecting social with pictures and mobile.  They know what they have to do to keep the brand fresh, and they are not resting on their laurels.

Oh, and unlike just about every other Internet darling, Facebook had revenues in 2011 of $3.8 billion and an operating profit of $1.5 billion.  (And essentially none of that was from their mobile efforts.)  Now I totally “get” that Facebook has steep revenue challenges ahead, especially monetizing mobile.  But when you have this much traffic, heft, and engagement, don’t you have to believe they’ll figure it out?

But if you really want to know why that FB symbol on the NASDAQ could be the next big thing – not just on Wall Street but for the U.S. economy, talk to one of Facebook’s original subscribers – a person who was in high school or college when the service first launched.

They may have become jaded or even discouraged with the service over time.  Some may have even considered getting off the Facebook bus or off the grid entirely.

But they simply can’t.  They are tied into Facebook – their relationships, photos, the bloodstream of their lives.  Like it or not, they know that to be in touch with many of the important people in their lives, they are going to have to stay with Facebook.

So we’re not just talking about a social media platform.  We’re talking about a necessary commodity.  Like oil or oxygen. 

Some digital polls suggest considerable dissatisfaction with Facebook because of architectural changes like Timeline or privacy rules (or lack thereof).  But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter because Facebook has simply become a necessity – the way that many people navigate their lives and their relationships. 

There’s the ongoing controversy about whether companies have the right to request passwords from employees or job applicants.  There is significant paranoia among job seekers and job holders about what they post on Facebook.

None of that matters because deep down inside, most Facebook users will tell you they have no choice.  It is how they communicate, stay in touch, keep current, and remain plugged in.  More and more Facebook apps will keep consumers tied (or manacled) to the channel in the years to come. 

You cannot have a baby, get married, graduate, get a new job, lose a loved one, or get a new pet without sharing it on Facebook.  It has simply changed the way we interact and connect with other people.  Like the telephone more than a century ago, Facebook brings people together in a unique and compelling way.  I believe a lot of people are going to want a piece of that.

So, don’t come back to me if it doesn’t somehow work out this way, but I have to say BUY.

“The only reason to answer the phone when a customer calls is to make the customer happy.”

In this case, Seth was referencing a bad phone experience he had with a leading manufacturer of kitchen products.  But the name of the company and the specifics of Seth’s complaints don’t really matter.

The larger issue is that if you have customers and a phone, your number one mission is to find a way to satisfy them.  Otherwise, as Seth reminds us, “Do not answer the phone.”

So let’s talk about radio’s historic telephonic connection to the audience: the request or studio line.

As marketing consultant Clay Christensen might ask, “What job is your request line hired to do?”

When your audience reaches for that phone, are they doing so to be caller 9?  Is their goal to request a song?  Or are they doing something to try to connect with a station they enjoy in a personal way – hoping to talk to the host or DJ on the air?

And how often does your station achieve the Godin Goal of making that customer happy?  There’s a lot of talk about the death of newsprint, the camera, and even books.  So let’s add the request line to that list.  It is moving well down the listener’s pecking order of communication.

The request line is being used less and less to frequently contact the station.  According to our Techsurvey8, a study of more than 57,000 core radio listeners, there are many other connection points the audience prefers over that studio phone:

So emails, your website or stream, contests, and social media are major conduits.

The request line?  Look to the left side of the word cloud for the red oval.

In the big scheme of things, the request line has become a very small way that core fans connect with radio stations, an amazing statement about traditional communication and the way it’s changed in just the past few years.

But perhaps it also suggests that many listeners are wise to radio’s request line tricks – busying them out or just not answering them in the first place.  And then there’s the rude treatment that many of them have incurred – just because they reached out to try and make a connection.

Acknowledgement is critical in the social media environment, and while Seth was speaking about phone service, he may as well have been pointing to Facebook pages, emails, and the other ways consumers choose to interface with brands.

Radio stations tackle everything else strategically – the music, giveaways, talk show topics, marketing campaigns, and personality shows.

The way in which we communicate with our best customers certainly deserves a place on that list.