“We need more P1s!,” the voice echoes as if calling for a clean up on Aisle 9.
I get the math. 40% of your weekly cume can contribute over 70% of your average quarter horses.
The problem is – this is just stats and numbers. P1s, er… fans, are real people with real lives and real options, not statistics that we can manipulate on a spreadsheet.
Even Mr. and Mrs. Nielsen agree.
“It pays to be in the business of growing fans and nurturing those fans… Remember that “favorite” is not just a behavior, it’s an emotion. A listener either feels it for you or they don’t.
And no one has ever fallen in love with a brand because of an obsessive focus on attributes over feelings.”
Nielsen
When you find yourself in a discussion about P1 stats, you would be well served to move beyond the stats into the real world of cultivating real fans.
- Diminish the stuff that can create tune out; unfamiliar music, irrelevant talk, not delivering on expectations.
- Invest in marketing that communicates why tuning to your station addresses a problem: theirs not yours.
- Create a culture where “winning moments” are encouraged and rewarded. (Most stations aren’t even listening to the station in the hallways).
But here’s a caution: when the talking about the stats is over, you might actually have to go to work building a radio station worthy of actually having passionate fans.