THE NEXT CHAPTER BEGINS IN JANUARY 2027
THE 7 STAGES OF BRAND BUILDING
There is
a long running expression that says, "management doesn't plan to fail,
they just fail to plan". This is something I learned very early in my
career as a programmer, and it still holds true today. While it's important to
have a plan, it's more important to give yourself enough time to develop a
solid strategic plan. Everyone is different but I found July first to be the
best time to start the planning process for an upcoming year. It depends on how
detailed a plan you want to create.
The 7
Stages of Brand Building is an excellent tool to help guide you through the
planning process. In this piece, I am going to give you the condensed version
to layout the guidelines you'll need to start developing your annual strategic
plan.
The
reason I start the process on July first is each of the 7 stages requires the
entire management team’s participation regardless of size. By doing this,
everyone feels like they had a say in the process so when it comes time to implement
it, they have a vested interest. This process also helps reinforce the chain of
command.
I
recommend these 7 stages be executed in the order I've laid out because one
planning stage leads to the next.
S1-
The SWOT Plan- Identified the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and
Threats for each station in your cluster and your competition. Do one that is
sales oriented and one that is programming oriented. The SWOT is what you'll
work on to develop the other six stages.
S2-
The APEC- Layout your annual promotions and events calendar.
Include the promotions and events you do annually but leave room for adding
others throughout the coming year. You'll want to plan a minimum of six months
in advance for each to give you ample time to sell them. (use my 11 Immutable
Rules of Promotion on my website under services/presentations.
S3-
The LPU- This is your listener profile update. This is a
tremendous exercise to get the entire staff involved. It helps everyone
understand who the average listener is for each format. The LPU allows you to
identify common characteristics for each station’s audience and should be
completed within two weeks after completing the SWOT and APEC.
S4-
The SPS- The annual sales and programming summit is where you
plan a day or even a weekend retreat to meet with the entire management team
out of the office at a hotel or resort. Using the results from the SWOT, APEC,
and LPU, discuss ideas on how to achieve your sales and programming objectives
for the coming year. An SPS allows sales and programming to get on the same
page by understanding each other’s challenges. It improves communication
between both departments and gives them a detailed outline to refer two during
the months ahead.
S5-
The BIC- The brand imaging checklist helps you identify what
defines your brand which allows you to create a story for each format. The goal
is to develop the image you want to project to your audience and
advertisers.
S6-
The POA- Plan of Action lays out your entire sales, marketing,
promotions, digital and programming plan for the coming year. Even though your
plan is complete, you'll want to be flexible to adjust as necessary to take
advantage of unforeseen opportunities that might present themselves throughout
2027.
S7-
The QPT is the quarterly programming tune-up at the end of
every quarter. It requires the entire management team to meet and develop a
progress report to ensure you're still on point and if necessary, reset goals
based on current market conditions.
Finally, make sure you implement realistic drop-dead dates for each stage to be
completed, taking into consideration your staff’s current workload. This is
another reason why you want to start the process on July first to prevent
overload which clouds the thought process. In most cases, budgets for the next
year won't be approved but you can use your current budget and adjust when the
new annual budget is approved. The advantage of creating a plan like this is it
helps ensure you have a more accurate budget to present for approval.
As you
can see, there is a lot that goes into planning for a new year and why it makes
sense to start the process six months in advance. If you wait to plan until the
last two or three months of the year or wait for budgets to be approved, you
will find yourself always leading from behind when the new year begins.
I can assist you with putting a comprehensive plan together
for next year, regardless of when you start the process. Contact me at Mark
Elliott Media to discuss.
The Stories are real but the punchlines are jokes!
Week of November 2nd
- The polls that are always right still favor the Democrats heading into Tuesday. Democrats are the Good n' Plenty party, promising good n' plenty for everybody, but open the box and it's the same old crappy black licorice!
- 52% of Americans say influencers help shape their political views. The other 48% just flip a coin!
- Poor Martha Stewart posted a photo dressed up as a homeless person for Halloween to sell candles on QVC and was attacked by the social media mongrels for it, and deleted it. Martha should have gone with the blackface!
- The Dallas Cowboys blew a 14-point lead at home on Sunday and lost to Arizona in overtime. The Cowboys are the NFL's Good N' Plenty team promising fans good n' plenty when the season starts but inside the box is the same old crappy black licorice!
- Americans are headed to the polls today to vote in the midterms. If you believe the headlines, next stop is the bread lines!
- Thinking about a Qeshm Island, Iran getaway? Book now- the place is blowing up. Literally. Attendance is down, and so are a few buildings!
- The youngest daughter of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Vivienne, becomes their 4th child to drop her fathers name. She will now go by Vivienne Marcheline Jolie. Who can blame her? Would you want to be known as Vivienne Armpit?
- The 76ers LeBron James crashed into a fan while going for a loose ball Monday night and took a sip of his wine during the game. James was later seen attempting to walk on water!
- Happy Humpday! Does anyone know what time the polls open to go vote?
- The Democrats overwhelmingly beat the Republicans in the midterm elections. You might say America just got a Blue Job!
- The Michigan Mohamed, Abdul El-Sayed, is now headed for Senate after beating Republican Mike Rodgers. Finally, dwarfs will have representation in DC!
- The late Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris, is urging a judge to release $600 million to a family trust to provide for his children. The outcome for this one could be a real Thriller!
- Arlington, Virginia is ranked as America's fittest city for the ninth year in a row, followed by Washington D.C in second. Proving there's nothing the Democrats won't rig!
week of: 11.2.26.
1 Nickelback- Rattle The Cage
2 Foo Fighters- Window
3 Shinedown- Young Again
4 A Perfect Circle- Starless
5 Staind- Ghosts
6 Smashing Pumpkins- Black Stars
7 Greta Van Fleet- Tear It Down
8 U2- Silencio
9 Dead Daisies- Lift Me Up
10 Three Days Grace- Dominate
* Based on combined data from spins and download sources
week of: 11.2.261 Bruno Mars- I Just Might 2 Olivia Dean- So Easy (To Fall In Love)
3 Zara Larsson - Midnight Sun
4 Olivia Rodrigo- Drop Dead
5 Tame Impala- Dracula
6 Dominic Fike- Babydoll
7 Ella Langley- Choosin' Texas
8 Stella Lefty- Boston
9 Ariana Grande- Hate That I Made You Love Me
10 Teddy Swims- Mr. Know It All
THE MARK ELLIOTT MEDIA FAMILY OF FORMATS
Axe Radio (Rock) - Dave (Adult Hits) - The Bus (Gold Hits) OZ (Hot AC) - The Juke (Classic Hits) - NOVO (No Vocal Grooves)
Van Halen- Runnin' With The Devil
AC/DC- Shoot To Thrill
Red Hot Chili Peppers- Scar Tissue
The Who- Eminence Front
ZZ Top- La Grange
Foo Fighters- Window
Motley Crue- Wild Side
Boston- Peace Of Mind
Simple Minds- Don't You Forget About Me Daft Punk/Pharrell Williams- Get Lucky
B52's- Love Shack
Smash Mouth- Walking On The Sun
Prince- Erotic City
After The Fire- Der Kommissar
Electric Light Orchestra- Do Ya
Madonna- Vogue
Post Malone- Circles
Duran Duran- Hungry Like The Wolf
No Doubt- Just A Girl
Van Halen- Jump
Steely Dan- Reeling In The Years Chicago- Saturday In The Park
War- Low Rider
Linda Ronstadt- You're No Good
Paul McCartney & Wings- Band On The Run
Boz Scaggs- Lowdown
O'Jays- Back Stabbers
Elton John- Levon
Grand Funk- Some Kind Of Wonderful
Dr. John- Right Place Wrong Time
Michael Jackson- Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
Gino Vannelli- I Just Wanna Stop
The Eagles- One Of These Nights
Bruno Mars/Ronson- Uptown Funk Taylor Swift- Opalite
Panic! At The DIsco- Hey Look Ma, I Made It
Ed Sheeran- Bad Habits
Usher- Love In This Club
Olivia Rodrigo- Drop Dead
Imagine Dragons- Radioactive
Sombar- Back To Friends
Maroon 5 f/Aguilera- Moves Like Jagger
Tame Impala- Loser
Dua Lipa- Don't Start Now
Dominic Fike- Babydoll
Coldplay- Adventure Of A Lifetime
Teddy Swims- Bad Dreams
Lady Gaga- Just Dance
Doobie Brothers- Long Train Runnin'Queen/David Bowie- Under Pressure
Blue Oyster Cult- Don't Fear The Reaper
Steely Dan- Do It Again
Tom Petty/Heartbreakers- Refugee
Dire Straits- Money For Nothing
Heart- Barracuda
Yes- Owner Of A Lonely Heart
INXS- Need You Tonight
AC/DC- Highway To Hell
Elton John- Tiny Dancer
Journey- Don't Stop Believin'
OTE- Another Wednesday
Dreem- Different PlacesMagnofield- Rainbow Paint Job
This Other Space- Melancholy Deep
Far Orange- I'll Play This
West & Zander- Manzana
Valante- Funky Socks
Brendon Moeller- Contours
Colors Of Illusion- Call Of The Unheard
Ducknaw- Sur Mer
Andre Aguado- Skydiver
Sum Wave- Leaving Lunar
Moon Craters- Night Vibes
I am in the process of writing a book about my years in the radio industry and what a bullshit business it was and continues to be. Don't get me wrong, I've loved every minute of my more than 45 years but along the way, I've worked with some really great people but quite a few scoundrels too. My career started when FM was just starting to gain popularity and here we are now in the age of AI. This is a story about the rise and fall of AM/FM Radio plus all the behind the scenes debauchery that includes a lot of drugs, sex, and alcohol tying it all together.
At one time we were radio renegades that ran wild with no rules. We looked at our competition as the enemy and were at war with them. Then it all changed almost overnight when corporations showed up to suck all the life out of radio like shoving a stake through the heart of a vampire. The same way they wiped out the mob in Las Vegas, turning it into a family friendly adult Disneyland. The Good, The Bad, and The Fugly will make you howl with laughter and cry a river of tears. Most of all, if you weren't part of it, you'll wish to God you were there.
Starting in 2027, I will begin sharing excerpts from the book here on Radio Espionage.
Get ready for one hell of a ride!.
