Christmas Music Strategy In July

Last week, I heard Barbara Bridges on Mix 92.9 WJXA Nashville giving away tickets for a Christmas show this December at the Ryman Auditorium. Planning for Holiday programming typically starts in February if your brand is the leading Christmas music radio station. Execution starts in July because the next five months will be the fastest of the year.

(Miracle – 2004) Coach Herb Brooks

If you’re fighting those stalwart heritage Christmas stations as a Christmas music competitor, this month is bunker time for your strategy team. Ask these questions out loud to your decision makers:

1. Why are we competing against THE Christmas station? If we’re unsure, we may want to reconsider our strategy or abandon ship and focus on the brand we promote the other 48 weeks of the year.
2. What makes our Christmas music and presentation different or better? Get ready for some dead-air responses in the conference room.
3. What can we do with promotions and events to take advantage of the heritage station’s laziness and arrogance?

(Finding Nemo- 2003) Dory

If you’re the 97.3% of radio stations NOT playing Christmas music, this month is also bunker time for your strategy team. Ask these questions out loud to your decision makers:

1. If the Christmas music weeks are the biggest shift in the market’s radio audience, what are we doing to retain listeners during the Santa migration period? Tighter playlists? Broader playlists? Emotional promotions? More benchmarks? Unique community-building events? It’s a long list, and it makes us better. Don’t throw in the towel during Christmas when we’re not playing Christmas music.
2. Are we planning now for January? The Santa migrators return to their home stations. We want them to feel comfortable when they return. “Yep, this place is better than I remember,” is the non-verbal feeling we want from the audience in January.
3. Be in the moment. Christmas stations get lazy with non-music content because they have the power of the music. Not everything is a Christmas show, concert, or party during this season. Pay attention to life and stories beyond the holiday theme.
   

(Gladiator – 2000) Maximus

Finally, if you’re the leading Christmas station, retaining the title requires more work with your strategy team than the two examples above. Ask the previous six questions out loud to your decision makers.

Let me be the first to say, “Merry Christmas!”