Showing posts with label rebranding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rebranding. Show all posts

Friday, September 26, 2014

"Brand" new? Nope

In 50 words or less, here is an abbreviated history of brand identity on American and Canadian radio.
  • Fibber McGee And Molly
  • The Jack Benny Show
  • NBC
  • The Mighty 690
  • 77 WABC
  • Color Radio
  • 93 KHJ
  • Westinghouse Broadcasting, KDKA
  • WCCO, Real Radio
  • WSB, Atlanta
  • Paul Harvey News
  • The Big 8
  • Cash Call
  • The Best Variety
  • K-Lite
  • CHUM
  • EZ
  • The Most Music
  • CKNW
  • Froggy
  • Magic
  • Continuous Country
  • 12 in a row
  • Mix
  • The all new…
  • Country 105
  • BOB FM
  • Double Your Paycheck
  • Kiss
  • Jack
.. and the tradition continues.

How does your branding stand up?

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Rebranding? Or, Bull?

Clear Channel has had a lot of success over the years with "The Bull" brand, so I certainly don't  begrudge their decision to change what had been a winning country image in Las Vegas for almost 24 years to be something "new."

Dittos with last January when Alpha converted 98.7 in Portland, due - I assume - that they felt that 1 + 1 didn't add up to "Couple" anymore.

Having worked for those two radio stations for a combined total of more than thirty years starting when they each dominated their markets under those now-ineffective names, I hope no one thinks that what's going on is just renaming a radio station whose ratings aren't what they used to be.

Study how different the programming is under the new brands.  Spend some time listening to Las Vegas' BULL and Portland's BULL.

These days a brand isn't a name or a music position. 

That's the bow on top of the package that may tell the recipient "open me first," but a brand that works is defined by what's inside the package.

A radio station starts to lose, not because it's name wasn't right.  Winning occurs because the radio station consistently engages listeners with talent who not only meets their perceived needs but constantly surprises, wows, by exceeding them.

Otherwise, it's just a bunch of bull.