WHAT WOMEN REALLY WANT Chris Byrnes I've been suggesting to my clients they should rent the Mel Gibson movie called "What women want" and put on pizza and pop in the boardroom as a way to get air talent and programming staff to think about how to better relate to this audience. For too many years radio has been primarily programmed by a bunch of guys, sitting around bars or boardrooms trying to figure out what women want on the radio. The reason we need to know from a business prospective is simple; if we can attract a female to our product chances are her significant other will also tolerate the station. Clearly the opposite is not true; can you imagine a female tolerating Nine Inch Nails blaring out of the speakers at full volume?
I've seen numerous studies over the years, from formal focus groups to simple listener advisory panels that try to answer the question; what do women want [from their radio station]? So recently I went through my files and compiled some of the common threads. You should always conduct local research before making any major changes to your programming, but here are some of the things I see coming up time and time again:
Play Lots of Music: This always comes out on top, with those who prefer music to information on the radio. It always comes back to "It's a mood thing, sometimes I want that pick-me-up music while other times I want to mellow out". The next most common comment is they want to find a radio station that "plays my favorite songs", and clearly that's the hard part.
Entertaining DJs: Women want air talent who they can relate to, and who keep them informed, and at times can make them smile. They want someone who fits the mood of the station and after morning drive do not want someone who talks a lot. The biggest complaint is always rude jokes or sexist comments. These women are the "minivan mums" who are running kids to soccer practice or music lessons and they won't allow a radio station into their environment that will shock or frighten their kids. Women really do have a 6th sense and can spot a phony a mile away, so the talent needs to sound real and genuine. Talent who know how to show emotion and can relate real life events that have happened to them are the ones that make a true connection.
Tell Me the Names of the Songs: This is so simple; women like to know the name of the songs you are playing on the radio. This was the topic of discussion at the 2001 R&R Convention and Edison Media Research's Larry Rosin has just released the "Ultimate Record Buyer Study" which indicates that 62% of respondents want every song announced, while 33% want only the new songs announced. Rosin noted "if this were any other industry", such a simple problem "would have been fixed immediately." He later proclaimed, "I'm here to say I will help you in the record industry to somehow convince radio to eliminate this simple little thing. If they have trouble with every song, fine; but at least announce more songs."
Weather Reports: Women need to know how to dress the kids in the morning, and what weather conditions they will encounter during their busy day. An American consultant friend of mine took a few years away from radio to have a family. She told me that she found herself using radio less and less in the morning and turning on the TV because it always had the three most important things she needed to know displayed in the bottom right corner of the screen; the weather, current temperature, and the time. So in morning drive every break should include those three things.
Traffic Reports: This varies by market size. But if you are in a market where this is important, you need to think about how to own this position. Women have a basic distrust of this information unless you can sell them on why you have reliable and/or frequent information. Radio stations that understand the lifestyle interests of their audience can often score big by incorporating cottage county traffic on the weekend.
News: I am seeing this as becoming less and less important these days, especially after morning drive. Women want to know what's going on in their city and if something happens around the world it needs to be major. Tell them how a story from Ottawa affects them.
Information About Local Events: A high percentage on women work outside the home in either part time or full time employment. Therefore their free time is limited, and they want to make the most of it. So information about things to do that will be of interest to them or their children is critical. It needs to be well researched, well written and delivered at the right time. I find that people who are involved in repetitive or boring jobs want this information earlier in the week, as this is what helps them get through the day. So don't wait until Wednesday afternoon to start talking about the weekend.
Things That Make Me Smile or Set the Mood: The "mood" word comes up a lot and I'm still trying to see some trends here that can help radio. We know that women want something to get them up and make them feel good in morning drive, want a companion in mid-days and need to feel relaxed after they've put the kids to bed. That's why shows like Delilah are rating so well in the U.S. and Canada, because she had the mood thing down, and does a great job of sounding real and relating.
Contests/Prizes: This is well down the list, but here are a few of the most common things I hear; Radio stations make it too hard to enter. I can never remember the phone number, and then I can never get through, or I don't really believe they actually give away those prizes to real people. You need to tell people you're going to do it, do it and then always run the "memory" promos on the air to prove that you did it. Women have an aversion to bragging or boasting so be careful not to promote your station as having the best or biggest contests, because they can buy a $2 scratch card at the local convenience store and win a million dollars. You are better to have lots of small winners as opposed to one big winner. Stations that can paint that mental picture via creative promos and sell the benefit of winning a prize seem to rate higher in the contest area.
Information About Health and Safety: I strongly believe this is one of the keys to attracting women to your radio station. They want to know about the new cure for cancer or how to shed those unwanted pounds. But the key here again is in the research, writing and delivery. Stations that run 60 second capsules on the air and provide more information on their web site seem to rate better in this area. Frankly TV is doing as better job of this than radio in Canada. The Global TV people clearly have done some research and their web-based information is excellent. Other industries woke up to the influence of women years ago. For example the atrium hotels and glass elevators helped a major hotel chain attract more women business travelers in the early 80's because their research showed that women did not feel safe waking down long dark corridors.
As always, I'm not about to give away all my secrets in a free newsletter, but I hope the above suggestions will be a starting point. And guys, here is some new research that may help at home. Good Housekeeping's "American Woman Survey" reveals the "innermost feelings, concerns and joys" of women today. Here are just a few of the questions and answers;
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