A Vacuum Sweeper For My Birthday?
Right now, as a country, we’re all in a bad mood. And why not? Gas prices through the roof. Food prices through the roof. Stock market in the toilet. Someone you know, or maybe even you, on the brink of losing your home.
Now, after reading that, don’t you feel like jumping off the roof? And that is my point. What we say and do on-air affects our listener’s moods. And just like the character of Debbie Downer on SNL, who wants to hang out with someone who makes you feel bad?
Social scientists have been studying mood for years. It is something we all know instinctually, but sometimes we don’t use that knowledge in our work. Think about it, don’t you naturally gravitate to people who make you laugh at a party? And don’t you always avoid that person who has a black cloud over them all the time?
A recent study of college students demonstrates this principal. A very dry passage about sociology was recorded two ways, one by someone who sounded happy and one by someone who was dry and boring. Those who listened to the passage from the happy recording felt their mood lift; those with the boring recording were more depressed after hearing their version. Same boring material but the presentation made a huge difference in how the participants felt afterwards.
How does this translate to marketing? Let’s look at our industry wide fascination with gas cards. Everywhere I go, a radio station is giving away gas cards, jocks complaining all the time how much it cost to fill up their tank. Yes, we all are getting hit at the pump, but how does giving away gas cards really translate to bonding with your listeners? I contend that it doesn’t. It is the equivalent of giving your wife a vacuum sweeper for her birthday. Or if you are a wife, RECEIVING a vacuum sweeper for your birthday. You might need it, but you don’t want it and it does nothing to make you feel better.
Contrast that to the stations I hear that are doing things that make you feel better. One of my long-term clients is giving away a family vacation everyday. The jocks visit the places they go and broadcast live from the resort. It is presented as a great relaxing getaway and even if you can’t go on the trip, it is really fun on the air.
What would make you feel better? Thinking about $4.00 gas or lounging on the beach with a margarita in hand in Cancun? Call me crazy, but I prefer the beach.
So before you jump into a big gas card promotion, think about it. How does that really change your listeners’ mood? Does that make you the guy at the party everyone wants to stand by or are you just Debbie Downer with a gas card to giveaway?
Next time, we’ll talk about things that can change mood, for the good!