Megan Smith is Google's director of new business and strategy. And Google knows a thing or two about both.
Since your business – especially if it's connected to broadcasting – is unlikely to have anyone with such a title on board, let alone unlikely to fancy that it needs one, you might be curious about what Megan's three rules are, and why Google believes in them so utterly.
As told by Alan Webber in his new book Rules of Thumb: 52 Truths for Winning at Business Without Losing Your Self
, here are Megan's rules:
, here are Megan's rules:
1. The consumer participates
2. The consumer drives
3. Open systems beat closed systems
Let's take each in turn…
1. The consumer participates
The line between producer and consumer is getting fuzzy.
What is a "program director" in an era when listeners are programming their own iPods and Pandora stations, an era when some of us are creating radio programs for the rest of us?
What is an "air talent" when listeners are podcasting their own content or, say, contributing parody songs to enhance your morning show?
What is a "news station" when the most current headlines come from Twitter, and a revolution is powered by YouTube?
We can blather on all we want with the comforting slogan that "radio is the original social network" but – right or wrong – what does that matter to today's audience? After all, the Model T was the "original automobile."
If you don't open the gates for audience participation on-air and online, then you are hopelessly out of step with the times, and your audience will choose to participate without you and around you.
Shockingly, I can't even find a radio station website with so much as a "tell us what you think" response box on its front page.
If you don't want your listeners to participate and you don't care what they think, there's no better way to tell them so.
2. The consumer drives
The gift of choice is that consumers choose. And the era in which their choices were constrained by the broadcasters on an FM or AM dial are long gone.
Even today, however, I see broadcasters Hell-bent on attracting listeners to their websites and keeping them there, as if their audience didn't have a zillion options to choose from and every inclination to do so, regardless of what you want.
The goal isn't to try to glue listeners to our properties, but to make our properties so attractive that listeners want to go there. The goal isn't to force listeners to our sites but to allow listeners to share our content wherever and with whomever they want – because they want to and because it's worth it to them.
As Webber writes: "Your job is to learn to accept the fact that you're not driving anymore…Your job is to create the most exceptional, enjoyable customer experience you can conceive of. You're just another roadside attraction. That's it."
When the customer is driving its imperative to know what that customer wants and where she wants to go. Woe unto the broadcasters who fail to do their homework in this area. They will be playthings for Arbitron.
3. Open systems beat closed systems
Whether its the fall of the Berlin Wall or the current strife in Iran, nature gravitates towards open systems.
Historically, radio has been a closed system – an exclusive club with a limited supply of federally sanctioned members. But thanks to the Internet, no more.
Even famously closed Apple throws open its doors to podcasters and radio streams and iPhone apps – and the primary sales pitch for the iPhone becomes not the calls you can make with it but the apps you can use on it – Apps which depend on an open system (albeit one with standards and an approval process).
It's still common to find radio groups that perceive all the answers to their digital problems reside within the corporate castle walls. But nature suggests that such fixed, closed systems are extraordinarily vulnerable to environmental change. Meanwhile open systems, writes Webber, "save money, increase speed, invite participation…break down barriers, promote pragmatism, spotlight talent, and reward real performance."
Better to be like Google.
Whenever Google talks people in business should listen. Especially people in the radio business! More and more it seems that much of the radio industry is just dying to know what it’s like to die out of relevancy. Just like those newspapers they’ve been madly chasing all their lives have done.
Open up, embrace the collaborative and participatory evolution, and realize that as a station must become listeners to your “listeners”!
Where is the “tell us what you think” box on the homepage at hear2.com?
I see a contact us link. Plus you’ve got comments enabled on your blog. That’s sufficient, right?
Our radio stations – and most others – are doing the same and it’s sufficient for us. Trust me, if listeners have a complaint or a suggestion they’ll find a way to let us know.
Plus, our P1′s get the opportunities to respond to surveys and in focus groups – and not canned surveys from a service but instead surveys that we create/customize per station. But those are not open to just anyone who happens by our homepage but instead those who have chosen to establish an online relationship with us.
Are you serious? This blog is one big conversation with an audience. Most station websites are one-way monologues.
I know more about the research stations do than you do and trust me, they don’t do much.
Plus, my specific point was about websites, not stations. And interestingly you didn’t point to am exception. Not one station? And before you dismiss the quality of that feedback remember that that’s the same quality audience your dales department is selling.
Hmmm, frankly I don’t care what everybody thinks. When I come to Hear2.0 I only care about what you think. You are my appointed pundit source for media trends and info. I am interested in your views, not others or even my own.
I was watching CNN tonight and they spent a significant amount of time showing viewer polls concerning Obama’s bail out initiatives. Who cares what a bunch of dorks like me think! These polls are saturated with idiots like me who don’t know enough about the issues to be helpful and just enough to be dangerous. Is it empowering to post your opinion… yes. Does anybody care… no. Like this post, it’s mental masturbation.
My point… these days with input options at an all time high and media pushing these polls as content, sometimes I just want to hear what my chosen authority has to say. That’s enough for better or worst. Campbell Brown and her stable of commentators are an odd enough pill to swallow. I don’t need input from Karen Connor an accountant in Dearborn Michigan, Joe Six Pack a construction guy from Macon Georgia or Sean Demery a self appointed audio source no-it-all from Park City, Utah.
As a matter of fact don’t even post this because no one cares what I think.
front page player: http://thezone.fm/
“Whaddya think of this Modern Rock Inbox Pick? “
A Ford Model T is cool. But given the numerous transportation choices it’s no relevant for 2009..
Thanks Mark for the mention. Obviously our model at Jelli is completely oriented toward user participation, so I am biased here.
When we looked at how Jelli should handle user feedback (esp. given our fundamental model), we found a great resource/platform that was really easy to integrate: User Voice. It is really cool, and our users have embraced it (thus making it extremely valuable to Jelli). It’s open and transparent and assists a dialog with our community, in addition to being a great filter to prioritize.
Here is our implementation (we use it for feature requests and catalog requests): http://jelli.uservoice.com/pages/17373-general.
I guess that the difficulty of switching to an open system approach is the fear of letting go of the control and the permanent lack of predictability.
You know where these learnings can be best applied? In countries where economy only started blooming a while go (15-20 years). It would really help burn a few stages and get right into the heart of competition.
Just attended a focus group. While I am a radio manager, I was there as a listener and realised how out of touch most of the music radio stations are in Ireland. It was a privilege not granted to many radio people in Ireland