MICKEY’S 10 COMMANDMENTS

Chris Byrnes – ByrnesMedia

My family and I spent March Break relaxing in Florida this year. It’s the one time of the year when I leave my computer and cell phone behind and take a complete break to recharge the batteries. At one point, while the boys were standing in line for a ride I was not able to go on, I got talking to one of the park staff who clearly loved his job. He told me what motivates him the most is seeing the joy and excitement on the faces of those who step into the magic kingdom. His name was Jason and we talked about the level of training and support each member of “the cast” received and the pride he takes in doing all he can to make sure the park is perfect for every visitor. I came away with the feeling that this company knows how to find people with the right qualities and then invests in the proper training before they are allowed “on the stage.” At one point during our conversation he mentioned “Mickey’s 10 Commandments.” It turns out these rules were developed by a man named Marty Sklar who was one of the creative brains and designers at Walk Disney Imagineering.

These rules are the distillation of many years of Marty's experience, insight, and creativity. Although they appear simple, their execution is a complex process, worth deep study. It struck me that these rules are just as applicable to radio as they are to a theme park. Here, then, are the 10 commandments for building and operating a successful theme park… and radio station:

1. Know Your Audience. - Don't bore people, talk down to them or lose them by
assuming that they know what you know. Everyone at the radio station needs a good understanding of their target audience, their likes, dislikes, and interests. Ask each member of your staff to write down your station’s target audience and a few lines about the ideal listener. You may be amazed to find there is a wide difference in perception among your staff. Unless everyone from the receptionist to the announcer is on the same page it will be difficult to make a true connection with your target audience.

2. Wear Your Guest's Shoes. - Insist that designers, staff, and your board members experience your facility as visitors as often as possible. At the radio station, insist your new staff spend time getting to know the product and the people. Have your staff shadow someone from another department so they really know the product and how the departments interact with each other.

3. Organize The Flow Of People And Ideas. - Use good story telling techniques, tell good stories not lectures, lay out your exhibit with clear logic. Marty is really talking about communication, which is something our industry is not great at. Regular staff meetings and workable systems to share information and keep everyone informed are key. Technology is supposed to make communication better, but all too often we find ourselves writing an email to someone in the next office. We all need to spend more time talking and exchanging ideas. Consolidation is making good communication even more difficult as, often, the key decision makers are either too busy or located in a different city.

4. Create A Weenie. - Lead visitors from one area to another by creating visual magnets and giving visitors rewards for making the journey. On the air we do this with the right music, imaging, promos, and well constructed and delivered announcer breaks. We also need to do this externally to attract new listeners to the product.

5. Communicate With Visual Literacy. - Make good use of all the non-verbal ways of communication - colour, shape, form, texture. Radio does this by using powerful words. Great radio stations know how to paint powerful word pictures and use “theatre of the mind” to own a position in the minds of the target listeners. Ideally your listeners will be able to tell your radio station from another because of the “stationality” or “feel” of the product. A consulting friend sums this up with the acronym ACES - Action - Colourful - Emotional - Sexy. Greg Gillispie says, “With all the words in the English language it’s incumbent upon the talent to construct breaks to enable the listener to picture the experience.”

6. Avoid Overload. - Resist the temptation to tell too much, to have too many objects; don't force people to swallow more than they can digest. Try to stimulate and provide guidance to those who want more. Great shows and great radio stations leave them wanting more. All too often we fall into the “clutter trap.” In this added value world we live in today it’s easy to load up the station with promotions that often don’t work for the client and drive listeners away. Disney is careful to never overload their parks with too many rides. They actually have a system called low ride out where, before they will add a new ride to an area, they identify the least popular one and remove it. Do you have a system in place on your station to limit the number of promotions or added value features you will run at any one time? Sales people need to manage the promotional expectations of the clients and the promotions people need to protect the brand.

7. Tell One Story At A Time. - If you have a lot of information, divide it into distinct, logical, organized stories. People can absorb and retain information more clearly if the path to the next concept is clear and logical. This is the old KISS rule that too often announcers forget, and it starts with planning the break before you open the microphone. This is especially important in a multi-person show. Edit, edit, edit and take only the number of words required to effectively sell the thought.

8. Avoid Contradiction. - Clear institutional identity helps give you the competitive
edge. The public needs to know who you are and what differentiates you from other
institutions they may have seen. Does your radio station own a position in the mind of your target audience? Are you the News Station or the Local Station? In simple terms, as more and more signals come into your market, you need to be famous for at least one thing.

9. For Every Ounce Of Treatment, Provide A Ton Of Fun. - How do you woo people from all other temptations? Give people plenty of opportunity to enjoy themselves by emphasizing ways that they can participate in the experience and by making your environment rich and appealing to all senses. The promotions and marketing department of the radio station needs to always be on the lookout for opportunities to build cume via exciting promotions and creative external marketing. Making what comes out of the speakers interesting and compelling is the task of the Program Director and announcers. No announcer can be funny all the time, but in morning drive at least, we need to create the feeling that our show is “fun” to listen to. The radio station that wins the “fun” battle is often the overall winner in the market, because people are drawn to a station that has that feel.

10. Keep It Up. - Never underestimate the importance of cleanliness and routine
maintenance. People expect to get a good show every time and will comment
more on broken and dirty stuff. In radio, this means delivering a great product day after day and year after year. Yes, it’s fine to update or give it a “fresh coat of paint” from time to time by changing the imaging voice or replacing the jingle package. But all too often, radio stations make the mistake of blowing up a format before it’s has time to gain traction, or reinventing the product and calling it the “new” which in most cases it’s not, and the listeners see right through this tactic. Delivering a consistent product your target audience enjoys and doing it year after year is often the best way to win.

Take a page out of the Disney book of success and apply the above ideas to your station over the summer, and by the fall you’ll be better prepared for the ratings.

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