I love the quote by Muhamid Ali that I have used in the image for this article. Provided we can back it up, why don't we shine a light on ourselves and our achievements as a station or network? Let's face it, nobody else will.
Not all that long ago, we were regularly creating promos that, we believed, pointed out the strengths of our station compared to the "guys down the road".
Back in the day, we called them "Brag Promos". They were intense, 45 to 60 second highly produced pieces that packaged up the essence of the station we were imaging. The hope was that we would give those listeners who flipped and flopped across the dial more of an inclination to hang around a while longer. And more often than not, they did just that. Here's an example of one I did for a Station here in Australia I was working for a few years back.
In more recent times, I have noticed a decline in the number of these types of promo I'm being asked to make, and it started me wondering why?
Are we ashamed of our product? I would suggest not.
Do we not think it's important to demonstrate the strengths of our product compared to another? Perhaps. But considering that those of us that work at commercial stations are in the business of selling other people's products, I would think that it would only be logical that we would sell our own, so I'm not sure that would be a reason either.
Is it because we can't or don't have the time or skill to pull it off? Hmmm, lack of time I might buy, but I'm sure as an imaging guru, you didn't make it into the business because you didn't have the skills to at least have a crack at it, and come out the other end with something that sold the benefits of your station or network.
Is it because we think it's uncool to brag? I have a feeling this may be the case. But if you listen to what Muhamid Ali said, there's only a problem with that if the claims you're making aren't backed up with fact. In our case, that's what goes out the transmitter every hour of every day.
As an old Boss of mine, Phil Dowse once said, "Stand Out or Die". In fact, that's the strap line of the consultancy business he runs today, and it that very attitude has seen him win countless awards for his efforts.
SO why not stand by what you're selling, and start bragging about it today?
I'm interested in your thoughts, and if you do love to "brag" about your product I'd love to hear some examples of what you're doing.