Generation Bling

Design Comes First -- Listening Will Follow

It's way too early to know what the new year will look like, or how and in what direction it will take us. But one thing is certain: Unlike in years past, the concept of "build it and they will come" has changed. It has changed because our industry has changed. Our industry has had to change in order to survive.

Fashion Fling And Ratings Bling

One of the survival changes that will affect Urban radio this year is the expectation and listening choices of the younger "Generation Jones." Some call them the "tweens." I'm calling them "generation bling." They're the generation that looks at the epitome of hip as necessary. Young girls who search for expensive accessories, belts, purses and shoes such as those seen in fashion shows, videos and fashion magazines. Their male counterparts are looking for similar status symbols that identify them as not only being with it, but also being the trendsetters.

It's not just the rich kids who are driving these trends, it's any kid with an income. A lot more kids earn money than they used to, and they feel they have the right to spend their money as they see fit. These young "blingers" will buy brands with allowances or wages earned from parttime jobs. This can lead to a fair amount of spending on brands once known only to the rich and famous. These "tween blingers" are much more brand conscious than they used to be. And then there are the ABC girls -- Armani, Blahnik, Chanel. They wear everything branded.

The interest in brands isn't just confined to the females. Young men are now looking for brands with which to impress their girlfriends. What has happened is these young men and women have switched from being influenced by their parents and the brands they buy to being influenced by their peers and the brands they aspire to own. For many, identifying with a brand is part of developing an identity different from their parents. This generations' tweens have grown up confident that they will have lucrative careers, so they feel entitled to own luxury brands. This is the generation that is listening to radio less and plugging in their ear buds to iPods more. Does this mean we have lost them as listeners forever? No, recent studies show simply that they will listen to their favorite radio station just long enough to hear the songs they eventually want to download.

As you may know, Arbitron is finding it more and more difficult to reach these young listeners, particularly young males. Why is it more difficult to measure the listening characteristics of young studs who are 18-34, whether they're straight or gay? There are several reasons. First, individually they're hard to locate, especially since many of them rock out with only their cell phones. Also, in many markets a greater proportion of men between those ages attend college or are in the military. This means their names are not included within their local markets' telephone directories, the main source that Arbitron uses to develop its sample base. Another reason is that young males are less motivated. Recent studies have shown that traditional marketing approaches are not as effective with young males as they are with other groups. And certainly for those who may be living with their parents or significant others, not all the mail that arrives at their homes gets their full attention.

Arbitron will continue to test new materials and procedures designed to grab young males' attention. The goal is to achieve both consistent and long-term improvements.

Programming of any station targeted to younger men has become an even more challenging proposition. In addition to ongoing Arbitron sampling issues, the last few years have seen an explosion of competitive media and delivery systems. Everything from Internet audio service and satellite radio to the iPod and the recent emergence of cell-phone MP3s mean the consumer is consumed.

Fresher Music Choices

This year's urban programmers will have much less margin for error when making musical choices. The challenge is not only trying to propel cume and boost time spent listening (TSL) for their own product, but also to compel the audience to spend time with the media at all.

A number of group-owned stations have switched out of Urban formats altogether rather than fight demographic trends or increased competition. Others have successfully remained having made significant adjustments to their targeting and music mixes.

The bling that hit fashion, electronics and music is going to take its toll even more in the new year. While it's too general and perhaps too early to predict that the traditional Urban target demos will shift completely, a growing number of influential stations have already made plans to adjust their focus.

We forecast that change will be reflected in national playlist trends for 2007. For smart stations, there will be a decrease in gold content along with an increased emphasis on current and recurrent jams.

Finally, being more adventurous musically will mean an increased emphasis on personality and stationality. Killer, cutting-edge morning shows combined with awesome imaging, extreme marketing, stronger websites and out-of-the-box promotions will become more important than ever in the coming year.

These are elements and tools that are going to be necessary to win over the "bling generation." They are what is going to be required to keep Urban stations sounding fresh, irreverent and relevant. Their design must come first, and then the ratings will follow. Happy New Year!

Word.