Monday, August 30, 2010

Alarming

Recently, I observed consulting vet and group exec Bill Figenshu routinely ask a number of client focus groups the standard "when your alarm goes off first thing in the morning" questions about radio usage.

But, then he asks the table how many use a clock radio and how many set their cell phone to wake them up. The younger the person, the more likely they wake up to an alarm on their cell phone and not a radio.

At least half of the folks in the groups in multple cities I witnessed reported using the cell phone as their sole wake up device.

Is there a campaign or imaging we need to think about to get people back to the habit of having their "radio" wake them up? Is it even possible? It's harder to do today because not as many people have a radio by their bed (where their PPM docking station now may reside).

The iPhone, of course, allows you to set your alarm to your streaming "radio" app, but how many times have you used your cell phone to wake you up and it didn't work?

With my Blackberry sometimes, inexplicably, the alarm is silent. The screen lights up when the alarm goes off but there's no sound.

Is a radio alarm clock more reliable? Does radio need to think about imaging itself as a more reliable wakeup solution? Painting a picture of how to wake up?

With what device?

5 comments:

RAILGRASP said...

Fig is quite the showman

Unknown said...

What I find quite alarming is my 18 year old daughter and the fact that she doesn't have a radio in her room! Computer yes. Cell phone yes. TV yes. No clock radio, no boom box so to speak. Scary when you think about it.

Geri Jarvis said...

Sorry, i'm having problems with my iPAD.. She loves satellite, and its a listener lost simply because stations weren't talking to her city.

Mgmt must wake up because service elements aren't intrusions in your budget

Harmonious said...

ur entire show used their cell alarm to wake up..so we came up with a Breakfast Club Wake Up jingle...very un-radio sounding.. but listeners download it and then it plays as their alarm. Can you set your droid to wake up to I Heart Radio?

David Brown said...

I agree that iphones and iPad should be incorperated into school. Perhaps iPhone touches could be used for calculators, dictionarys, and calendars, as they're not telephones.
Great ideas!