I thought it was a good time to re-post a blog I did last year.
Let’s face it, if you’re a country station, you’re probably going to get killed in the ratings in December. The AC station playing all Christmas music will probably clean your clock. Don’t worry, the women you lose will be back on the 26th. December has become a really hard month to win in the ratings if you’re not wall to wall Christmas music. Even then, it’s can be tough. It’s not about playing all Christmas music. It’s about playing the right Christmas songs and having that “feeling” at Christmas time. Let me explain.
Just playing Christmas music isn’t good enough. It’s all about playing the songs that remind the listener of being a kid. That’s a secret. I’m sorry, the brand new Christmas song from a brand new group isn’t nearly as effective as Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis and even Mariah Carey’s 1994 modern day classic “All I Want For Christmas is You.” Those are the type of songs you should be playing more of, regardless of your format. Those are the songs that make people think of that best Christmas’s ever…when they were a kid.
Same goes for your imaging. Find drops from classic Christmas TV shows and movies. Go to a school and ask five or six year olds what they think of Christmas. Use that in your imaging. Again, it’s all about getting that “feeling” and putting it on the air.
Promotionally, have something big in January to welcome back the listener that went away. Traditionally, January hasn’t been a big month for radio promotions, but I think that should change. Start your contest right after New Year’s Day, but start promoting the day after Christmas.
If you want to keep your listener listening for a few more minutes before turning you off and going to the all Christmas station, then jog their memory. Make them think of Christmas when they were seven years old.
It’s all about nostalgia.
Now it's time to go shopping.
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