A few weeks ago, I had an interesting experience at the very shiny head office of one of the UK’s most significant commercial radio station groups. I was fortunate enough to be included in an immersion/induction day that included studio tours and an “all you need to know about radio” crash course.
Listening to various directors and senior managers outlining growth strategy and results to date was fascinating and, unexpectedly, depressing in equal measure. Fascinating because I gained a great insight into another world but depressing because I have never felt quite so out of touch.
What became crystal clear (think DAB over AM) was that I wasn’t in the right target market.
I suddenly found myself feeling old (not helped by the theatre being full of young, attractive new-starter 20somethings) and not on the same wavelength at all. Yet music has always been important to me; I have thousands of CDs (and not just from the punk and metal genres) and despite my age, still go to gigs regularly (various reviews available on this site).
And the icing on the cake, the marketing director, with his millions of pounds of budget, his glamorous campaigns and his 50 plus sized department was probably 15 years younger than me (quite possibly more). So having felt old, I felt like an underachiever too. I even thought that maybe I shouldn’t work in marketing anymore.
But I got over it during the afternoon when I heard that all the teen-orientated digital engagement and pretty much everything else that wasn’t connected with selling traditional radio advertising earnt the group just about fuck all comparatively.
That would be because the teenagers targeted have no money to spend on anything…
…and the viral news, app downloads, YouTube visits, social media crap and millions of website hits allow them to spend nothing.
I decided that whilst I obviously wasn’t in the target demographic, I am in a better one…
…one with some disposable income and a greater likelihood of championing Iron Maiden.
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Listening to various directors and senior managers outlining growth strategy and results to date was fascinating and, unexpectedly, depressing in equal measure. Fascinating because I gained a great insight into another world but depressing because I have never felt quite so out of touch.
What became crystal clear (think DAB over AM) was that I wasn’t in the right target market.
- I was not in the 16-24 age range (the only demographic that seemed important)
- I hadn’t listened to any of the commercial radio stations in the vast portfolio
- I hadn’t heard of most of the disc jockeys (certainly none of those that were on air at the time of my tour)
- I don’t listen to radio (or music for that matter) on my mobile device (and therefore don’t download tunes or radio related apps)
- Most of the teen-pop music played by the stations, the festivals organised, or the artists managed by the group were the kinds of tunes/people/things I’d consider self-harming to avoid
- And social media just isn’t that important to me.
I suddenly found myself feeling old (not helped by the theatre being full of young, attractive new-starter 20somethings) and not on the same wavelength at all. Yet music has always been important to me; I have thousands of CDs (and not just from the punk and metal genres) and despite my age, still go to gigs regularly (various reviews available on this site).
And the icing on the cake, the marketing director, with his millions of pounds of budget, his glamorous campaigns and his 50 plus sized department was probably 15 years younger than me (quite possibly more). So having felt old, I felt like an underachiever too. I even thought that maybe I shouldn’t work in marketing anymore.
But I got over it during the afternoon when I heard that all the teen-orientated digital engagement and pretty much everything else that wasn’t connected with selling traditional radio advertising earnt the group just about fuck all comparatively.
That would be because the teenagers targeted have no money to spend on anything…
…and the viral news, app downloads, YouTube visits, social media crap and millions of website hits allow them to spend nothing.
I decided that whilst I obviously wasn’t in the target demographic, I am in a better one…
…one with some disposable income and a greater likelihood of championing Iron Maiden.
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