The Arbitron Voting Booth

Recently you had the opportunity to vote for your favorite candidate and proposals. This process is not unlike what Arbitron diary holders do during a rating sweep in your market. There are some major differences, however. One of the primary differences is that the voting ballot you filled out on Election Day had the names and party affiliations for the candidates right on it. Even with this aided recall, you may have still had trouble recalling what some of the secondary or tertiary issues of each candidate or proposal were. Just think of how difficult it is for the average radio user to recall a multitude of details concerning their radio usage on a blank diary with no aided recall!

I have spoken with many people who have gone through this process. I am always amazed to hear what their responses have been. Here are some examples:

"How am I supposed to remember who I listened to? I listen to ____all the time, but I just couldn't remember the name of the morning person."

"I started out filling the diary in while I was listening, but then I forgot about it, so I just made up the rest of it."

"I voted for my favorite station all the way through."

"I couldn't remember which station I won those tickets on, so I just filled in what my husband listens to."

The entire diary-keeping methodology that Arbitron uses has long been the cause of great anxiety. The good news is this: Instead of fearing the system, we could use it to our advantage. Imagine for a moment if your station would act like a presidential candidate doing all they could to get people to remember them through marketing and meeting the people face to face. Usually a candidate leaves nothing to chance. They never assume that people are going to vote for them because they believe they are the best. Instead they hammer home the points that make them the best over and over again. They also always expose the vulnerabilities of their opposition in one way or another. They go through all of this even though the ballot provides the voter with aided recall. With radio, you don't have to persuade all of the people or even a majority to win, you only have to persuade the diary keepers, and they are only a small fraction of the population. Again, you do this through product development and marketing. NOT by chance!

Many radio stations are still hoping for miracles to win. While I believe in miracles, they are usually not given out to radio stations. Some stations have been waiting for years wondering when their turn for rating success will happen. Remember this: If your station's message is clear, beneficial, simplistic and credible and you follow the "candidates" model by going out and aggressively getting votes, you will be the commander in chief of your market!