Frost Advisory #382 - A Programming Lesson From The Colonel

by John Frost, Goodratings Strategic Service

It's tempting, isn't it?

It's tempting to think that what we do defines who we are. The carpenter is defined by his hammer; the accountant by his calculator, the radio station by its 40 minute music sweeps.

We're eager to define ourselves by a hallway full of gold records and awards. I hate to break it to you, but your listeners don't care.

Most things that bond your listeners to your radio station have nothing to do with the things you've created. Apple didn't create a bond because of the I Phone 8. Harley-Davidson didn't create a bond because of the liquid-cooled 750cc Revolution X(tm) V-Twin engine.

"Those products and brands make us feel like we belong and we feel a kinship with others who buy the same things.....Apple didn't invent the lifestyle, nor does it sell a lifestyle. Apple is simply one of the brands that those who live a certainly lifestyle are drawn to....

Products are not just symbols of what the company believes, they also serve as symbols of what the loyal buyers believe." Simon Sinek, "Start with Why"

Despite changing what many consider defines them, KSBJ in Houston during Hurricane Harvey, Z88.3 in Orlando in Hurricane Irma, and SOS Radio in Las Vegas in the aftermath of the shootings were driven by their "why" thus creating an even greater bond with their listeners.

"People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it."

And no one believes that pizza should be made out of chicken.

*Thanks to my friend Mike Prendergast for inspiring this Frost Advisory.