The Next Creative Revolution

About time…

 

I think we are desperately in need of the next creative revolution.” 

That’s Lee Clow, who created the iconic Apple ad “1984,” and of course he’s right.

The advertising agency business is the latest to be decimated by the internet, and advertising itself is in a crisis.

The article about Clow got me to thinking about Radio.

Where has our creativity gone? Who among you is actually experimenting with new ideas.

Like, why don’t we let our listeners see the whole day’s playlist in advance?

If our music research is as fantastic as we say it is, it would be more likely to entice more listening, wouldn’t it?

Or, if Nielsen is correct and the average TSL is measured in seconds rather than minutes, why wouldn’t we be repeating Power Currents much, much faster, like in the old Hot Hits days, every 40 minutes?

Why wouldn’t we let those listening pick a song or two every hour via online voting, where everyone can see what’s winning?

What about radios themselves? Why can’t I press a “back button arrow” to re-hear something that just aired? Why can’t I “save” content I just heard and loved, like a DVR for our car radios?

How about experimenting with the length of stop sets? Why not try one unit (not two) between every song without actually stopping at all – just an endless flow, song, spot, song, spot?

We all believe that being funny is the super-weapon for on-air talent. Why not try hiring an actual — already successful — stand-up comedian to test that belief?

What if we tried the opposite? Hire an empath — a Tom Rinaldi — to share the stories of courage, loss and heartache that are a part of every listener’s life?

How do we know this won’t work? We’ve never tried it.

I remember a time when PDs thought women didn’t want to hear female voices on the air. Seriously. And then someone experimented and found out that was bunk.

Pick a town. Pick a station that has a full market signal but is a perennial under-performer and try some of this stuff.

What do you have to lose, except bland routine and another voice-tracked station?