A New Take On Branding Oldies

[Joseph_Gallant]

While visiting the Radio and Records.com website to check out their latest news updates, I found a banner ad which led me to the homepage of a format called "Hippie Radio". "Hippie Radio", according to a "flash" presentation you can see on the website, is branded as "Radio For Baby Boomers", but it's music is similar to that of the typical oldies station.

On their "flash" presentation, they make it clear that their format is not to be branded as "Oldies", and even suggests that the problems oldies stations have had of late (and the fact that a number of oldies stations have dropped the format in recent years) are due to the fact these stations have branded themselves as "oldies".

The presentation also makes good use of statistics noting the wealth posessed by the nation's baby-boomers.

 

[OldiesCat]

Branding Oldies

A few inaccuracies in the presentation:

* he says oldies stations in Dallas and San Diego dropped Oldies for Jack-
that is totally untrue

* he quotes 12+ numbers. He is all alone in radio in America today. NOBODY
strategizes for 12+ performance

On top of that, "Hippie" radio has far more negative connotations than Oldies.
Any station using "Hippie Radio" as a brand name would be screwed.

My .02
>
> The presentation also makes good use of statistics noting
> the wealth posessed by the nation's baby-boomers.
>

 

[lash]

Re: Branding Oldies

I disagree! After watching the presentation, for fun, I talked to 15 prime baby boomers, and they indeed perceive themselves as "hippies" to this day, and actually like it. And indeed they all have money, in suits etc.

Where I disagree with the format, is branding is not the only problem. If they play the same old tired songs, re-branding will not give it legs. To everyone in radio, OPEN up the formats. Give it some variety. God, this is so simple.

But if your gonna launch a new format, their presentation online is outstanding.

Thanks!

 

[majicjim]

How about..."Retro Rock"-used by ABC Contemporary network in the 1970s for it's five minute rock history mini-show aired by ABC O&O Top 40 stations WLS and WABC among others"Rock & Soul Classics"-a mixture of Top 40 and R&B hits from the 50s through the early 70s.(coined by WULM Springfield,OH)Vintage Rock-my idea spanning rock's beginnings in the 1950s up to the early 1980s. This would include both Top 40 and early AOR in the early 70s when it was still classified as "underground" before it was re-labelled into the mainstream as "classic rock"Roots Rock- alternative name to Vintage Rock which also covers doo-wop,rockabilly mainstream pop and blues rock up to the 70s.1st Generation Rock-another alternative name to the above

 

[oldiesradiousa]

I set up a trial station at Live 365 calling it Rock Hits Radio.I couldn't decided if the playlist should be typical Classic Rock or "Classic Top 40!"It's offline because it got only 63 TLH in 5 days free trial.

 

[OldiesCat1]

Re: Branding Oldies

I disagree! After watching the presentation, for fun, I talked to 15 prime baby boomers, and they indeed perceive themselves as "hippies" to this day, and actually like it. And indeed they all have money, in suits etc.

Anecdotal information seldom represents reality. Radio is littered with people making strategic decisions based on "what my friends tell me" or "what I heard".I don't disagree on fun and upbeat and anybody playing an oldies-style format that limits themselves to the top 250-300 titles is in denial, as well. On the other hand, I also do not subscribe to the "but there are THOUSANDS of songs out there from the era"- the key is to play songs that are relevant. "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" in regular rotation is not the answer.The era focus may be pretty close, but "Hippie Radio" is a brand doomed to failure.

 

[CTListener]

Re: Branding Oldies

I disagree! After watching the presentation, for fun, I talked to 15 prime baby boomers, and they indeed perceive themselves as "hippies" to this day, and actually like it. And indeed they all have money, in suits etc.

Anecdotal information seldom represents reality. Radio is littered with people making strategic decisions based on "what my friends tell me" or "what I heard".I don't disagree on fun and upbeat and anybody playing an oldies-style format that limits themselves to the top 250-300 titles is in denial, as well. On the other hand, I also do not subscribe to the "but there are THOUSANDS of songs out there from the era"- the key is to play songs that are relevant. "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" in regular rotation is not the answer.

Given the patriotic appropriation of the yellow ribbon symbol over the 30 years since the song was a hit, it just might be more relevant today than you'd think. I know I've heard it on both WDRC-FM Hartford and WBOQ in Beverly, Mass., in the past month -- granted, neither station is a big-chain operation and both are programmed in-house, but the song IS getting played.

 

[OldiesCat1]

Branding Oldies

Great- knock yourself out. But I know from being part of dozens of Oldies music tests that any Tony Orlando & Dawn song tests horribly. Has nothing to do with being in a war. Either they like it or they don't and I'd love to be in a head-to-head battle vs. an oldies station playing Tony Orlando type 70s music (put the Jackson Five, Partridge Family, 70s Streisand/Diamiond, Carpenters and Manilow in that stack).It wouldn't even be close, at least not if you want to do well with listeners in their 40s and early 50s (note: if you don't care and are OK with a station whose listeners average around 60, then you'd die because your audience is too old to generate much revenue).(and what's really ironic is that "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" is about as UN-HIPPIE RADIO as you could get!)