Traditional vs. Emerging?

In digesting some new research from Sapient on social networks, mobile, search and other forms of emerging (or non-traditional) media, and building marketing plans to utilize them, I was reminded of my first days in broadcasting back in the 1970s. Questions I never got adequate answers to then remain today, 30-odd years later. What measurements best sum up our interaction or relationship with our audience ... and are they remotely accurate? Arbitron, Pulse, callout, Predictor, focus groups, results at remotes ... come on, my compensation is tied to a metric and I need one that works. Of course, none of these have really been able to gauge the special bond that occurs between core listeners and all that makes up their favorite radio stations. The most successful and memorable stations go beyond anything measurable and into simply sharing in, and of, the day-to-day life of a listener.

There are no metrics for trusting Kidd Kraddick's opinion on whether I should volunteer my precious time this weekend to help a cause benefiting people I've never met in a town I may never visit, but he communicates the need for a Habitat Home in New Orleans so strongly that I do change my schedule and thereby change my life for the better forever. Time Spent Listening, P1, core listener, cume, cost per point, reach and frequency, number of clicks, time spent per page, unique visitors, number of hits ... none have any relevance in this equation. Explain to a buyer or help them explain to the client what this bond is, and why it blows research out of the water.

Now, add the ability to build out the personality of a station with other forms of entertainment via our site or other social networking sites. In fact, let the listeners build a mash-up or two relating to their experience with the station -- it's music, our town, the personalities -- and then let them save it to virally spread to their friends, thus giving it a personal endorsement, and you have the strongest marketing campaign possible, but one impossible to measure.

It started with a relationship developed through traditional media, moved to social networks, mobile and probably e-mail, plus was downloaded to at least one, if not several devices for continued interaction in the future. That's spectacular by any measure. Let's not think of this as Traditional vs. Emerging but rather Traditional + Emerging = more and deeper engagement with our medium via other media. We are the common thread in the fabric of the daily life of a connected listener -- and if that's not the goal, the form of measurement is irrelevant and so are we. It's time to get engaged. Your listeners already are.