Natalie got in the car and quickly engaged with a recap of her travels from Denver to Nashville. She was a talker. By the time we finished our 31-minute ride in Nashville rush hour traffic, she reminded me why brand and slogan recall need reinforcement in the world of noise.
Rideshare Management (yeah, I made up that term) is a unique journey if you enjoy unpredictable results and complete control of your time. As a Story Finder, the real benefit is meeting people who pique my curiosity and challenge me to continue the conversation.
She grew up in the Midwest. Like so many transplants, she found Colorado to be a soul-changing experience. As a former Denver-area resident, Natalie made this encounter easy for me. Our timelines didn’t overlap, but I connected by making references to LoDo, Red Rocks, Skiing and 300+ days of sunshine.
When in doubt, move to sports
When I ran out of questions, I moved to sports franchises. “Have you been able to attend any games in that great sports town?” She paused and timidly said, “Yeah.” I could tell by her response she wasn’t as excited as I was the first time I attended Mile High Stadium, Coors Field, McNichols Arena, or Pepsi Center.
She went to Broncos and Avalanche games because her company got tickets and someone in the office invited her. Fair enough. Most of us have witnessed live sports because we wanted to share the experience with a family member, a friend, or a potential client.
It’s what Natalie said next that made us share a laugh two nights before Thanksgiving. I asked her what she thought about seeing the Colorado Rockies in one of my favorite MLB stadiums. “Well, I’ve only been to one game,” she said. “It’s the one where all the good players from all the teams get together.” This fan wasn’t attending to experience one of America’s great sporting events. “You mean The All-Star Game,” I replied.
”Yes!” she enthusiastically said. “There are a lot of baseball fans out there who roll their eyes at people like you,” I said. She laughed and told me her Denver Nuggets experience was attending the game “where they won it all.” That’s Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals when the Nuggets won their first league championship.
We covered her Avalanche hockey experiences and then we got to the Broncos. “I’ve been to one game,” she said. “It’s one of those games that doesn’t count.” She meant a pre-season game.
Natalie was engaging and smart. Here’s how I know she was brilliant. “Have you ever been on the radio?” was her question as we pulled into her family’s driveway. “Oh, a few times,” I said with a smile. “I’ll share the journey the next time we drive.” Seriously. Her lack of basic sports branding knowledge had nothing to do with her love of live sporting experiences. She shared details about those games, convincing me she was paying attention and enjoyed the action, the food and the fellowship.
However, some of the most basic sports terminology was missing from her vocabulary. Finals, Pre-Season, and All-Star terms needed my input to help her respond.
A song isn’t a hit until they’re sick of playing it.
What do we assume the customer, the listener and the fan recalls? Ad recall and brand recall are thriving metrics to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and branding strategies. I’m certain the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL aren’t concerned about Natalie’s lack of brand and slogan recall. As much as Pre-Season, All-Star and Finals are promoted, there’s a fan who couldn’t recall those terms in the moment.
What are we saying and promoting in every break, every post, every poster, every day that doesn’t get recalled or noticed? We research our slogans, positioning statements, and logos, and then we assume the audience connects with those efforts because we’re watching, listening and reading from the inside. Radio station programmers are famous for telling the DJs a song isn’t a hit until they’re sick of playing it.
Review and renew. What needs more attention? What is getting in the way of the images and experiences you want your audience to recall? Every word and image occupies physical and mental space. If you’re not convinced, count all the apps on your smartphone right now.
As the Founder and Principal Story Finder of Harrell Media Group, I offer Brand Consultation, Talent Coaching and Fractional Management for radio and audio brands.
Contact me for a No Copy & Paste review.
English