Your brand name is supposedly one of the most powerful things that distinguishes your radio or TV station from the rest of the pack. Commercial radio has known this for years, and has played on the power of identity to draw the listener in. So I sometimes wonder why the broadcaster with arguably the most recognisable brand in the world often shies away from saying it.
How often do you see or hear the intro to a report with an inline that says “Here’s our political correspondent John Jones” – or “more details from our health editor Hannah Smith”? More often than not, it’ll be on a BBC outlet, though some commercial broadcasters are just as guilty.
Does “our” imply a collective ownership, of which the audience is part? Does the term make the viewer or listener feel “part of the family”? Oh look – it’s our mate Bob Desmond.
Cometh the “hour”, cometh the missed opportunity to sing your brand name from the top of the transmitter. Don’t do it all of the time in every intro – that’s just going to sound annoying. But use it often, and say it with a flourish.
That’ll say more about your brand than the snazziest set or most expensive jingle package.
NewsMutt 