Test Patterns
“Where’s the beef?”
Even some 20 years later, the signature catchphrase repeatedly barked out in commercials by (the now late) Clara Peller for a national hamburger chain is well remembered.
The spokesperson’s sound and demeanor and the catchy question remain with us, but the overall commercial campaign is worthless unless people can recall with certainty if the spot is touting Burger King, McDonald’s or – the correct answer - Wendy’s.
Expensive Endeavor
That’s where commercial testing comes in; leave it to the ever-trailblazing Jerry Lee to bring the concept to radio. “Over the past year, I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on [regarding] how advertising works,” states the owner of Adult Contemporary powerhouse WBEB “B-101”/Philadelphia. “I saw very clearly that most television commercials are either good or average. There aren’t really very many bad [ones], because most advertisers test their campaigns. There’s a very narrow range of effectiveness in advertising for television.”
Such is not the case, however, in our medium. A seemingly wide chasm exists between good and bad ones and Lee decided to do something about it because “I want to produce better results for our advertisers. I did some research and found the biggest indicator of the length of commercial pods is based on [whether or not] people like the commercials. If they like them, the pod is very short. If they don’t like them, the pod goes on forever. There’s a dramatic difference between how long the pod is based on how much [listeners] like commercials.”
The system Lee and his WBEB staff began constructing in August 2004 was very complex. “It cost us a bloody fortune,” admits Lee, who made the idea reality four months later (12-14-2004) and has since tested more than 400 commercials. “We unveiled this [in late-July 2005] to the largest agency in Philadelphia and they were just dumbfounded. They couldn’t believe how good our system is. We think we have a real winner here.”
Rewarding Participants
Members of B-101’s Listener Rewards Program get additional points by participating in commercial testing. They’re directed to go to WBEB’s website and begin the listening process.
The first question posed to participants seeks to determine, on a scale of one to ten, how much they liked the message they just heard. “Based on what was said in the commercial, we ask how likely they would be to buy or try the product or service,” Lee explains.
Choices are “Extremely Likely,” “Somewhat Likely,” “Not Particularly Likely,” and “Not At All Likely.”
The next inquiry is completely open-ended and involves the commercial’s main theme. “They can put in anything they want,” Lee notes. “We ask them to name the advertiser, so we can find out whether there’s linkage between the advertiser and the commercial itself, and for them [to identify] the name of the product or service being advertised.”
Slices, Dices & Cuts Prices
Over a two-day testing period, WBEB generally gets 800 people on its website to do the rating. “It allows us to slice and dice,” Lee notes. “If you want Women 25-54, we can get that and maybe have a sample size of 200. Millward Brown is the largest testing operation in the world. They have an Internet testing service and their criterion is to have at least 150 people. We never show any data that has a sample size of less than 150.”
Able to go in with each verbatim response, Lee has advertisers (who aren’t charged for the tests) tell WBEB what their intention is for the spot and what they hope to get from it. “We strike in those words,” he explains. “Our computer goes through and highlights every response that has those words in it. We have three and a half fulltime computer people on-staff and are probably the only radio station in the nation with a fulltime computer programmer and fulltime Chief Technical Officer.”
Giving Away The Secret Sauce
The concept is noteworthy by itself, but to make matters even more momentous, Lee is giving it away to the radio community, essentially eating his significant cost. “This is so important to the future of radio that I want to see every commercial tested around the country,” he comments. “For right now, I’ll give it to companies outside of Philadelphia [such as] Clear Channel, Infinity and Saga. I unveiled this to Clear Channel [in early-August 2005]. They’re wild about it and want to start with it immediately.”
For the first year, though, Lee’s female-targeted B-101 will be the only City of Brotherly Love station doing it. “After that, we may give it to a mainly male-oriented station,” he remarks. “Right now, I’m willing to give it to every market in the country – except Philadelphia.”
Advertising’s Holy Grail
An Erik du Plessis-authored book that came out several months ago - “The Advertised Mind” - receives a wholehearted endorsement from Lee, who proclaims, “It’s the definitive word on how advertising works. Hopefully, I’ll convince every agency/every advertiser that we’ve finally found the Holy Grail in advertising.”
Philadelphia's John Wanamaker, looked upon as the father of the department store, once said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don't know which half.”
In that regard, Lee communicated with some of the brightest advertising people in the world. “They tell me that we only know about 30% of what works,” Lee remarks. “All of a sudden, [`The Advertised Mind’] comes out with this tremendous database. If you internalize everything in the book, you’ll know about 90% of what advertising works.”
Studies were done of the brain and how it develops advertising memories. “Once you read this book,” Lee notes, “you’ll be able to understand without a shadow of doubt that the only thing that counts in commercials is emotion. They make it very clear that most decisions are based on emotion. That’s what gets a person’s attention. We use our rational brain to rationalize what we want to purchase. You have to get to a person’s gut. Get to their mind and you lose. It’s as simple as that. We now have a framework for how advertising works.”
Zero Merits Of Entertainment
Approximately 30,000 television commercials were tested in du Plessis’ book, but Lee emphasizes that whatever applies to television applies to radio and print. “On a scale of one to ten, if a commercial tests as a `Five” against 100 GRPs, it has a 3% recall; if it tests as a `Six,’ it has a 10% recall; and if it tests as a `Seven,’ it has a 33% recall. We basically found 20-30% of our commercials test in the `Seven’ area; about 40% test in that middle area; and the rest test at a five.”
Likeability is the key determinant on whether or not a commercial works, but that conclusion comes with a critical caveat. “If they like you just because you’re entertaining, it means nothing,” Lee states. “Is that them in the spot? Is it something they can aspire to? Is it a dream of theirs? If it doesn’t have something new, or if people can’t relate or have empathy with it, it just won’t work as a commercial.”
This discussion comes about a year after the industry first learned of Clear Channel’s “Less Is More,” which Lee categorically asserts, “saved” our medium. “Radio was on its way down the tubes,” he declares. “Radio’s magic is supply and demand. For the last three and a half years, we were at the point where stations were never sold-out. Stations that typically should run a maximum of 12 minutes an hour were [airing] 20 minutes an hour on Thursdays and Fridays. You can’t do that. There was nowhere else for people to go, so we weren’t seeing much loss in audience. [The feeling] was that people would tolerate it, but they won’t. They just didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
Averting Disaster
This commercial testing exercise has already paid a huge dividend for WBEB. “We were going into a different advertising mode and were on the verge of making a terrible mistake this fall,” Lee points out.
As a matter of fact, the campaign was penciled in to launch last Thursday (9-15-2005), but after putting it against the criteria in “The Advertised Mind,” Lee realized he needed to scrap the idea. “It would have been a total disaster for us,” he contends. “It was the highest-testing commercial I’ve ever seen, but it was mainly entertaining. Unless you have that brand linkage, you lose.”
Some may question the wisdom of giving away the store as Lee is clearly doing here, but he simply says, “You have to understand how I view the world. I like to give things away because I’m trying to build the industry. If you charge someone, a big segment is turned off right up-front. It doesn’t hurt me if I give it away. Rising tides lift all boats, [so] in the end, if I can build the industry, it will make me a lot more money.”
Philadelphia Spring 2005 Overview
The following “Inside Story” analysis details the way the sixth-largest market – and host city for this week’s NAB Radio Show - changed from spring 2004-spring 2005 according to 12+ Arbitron format share.
Separated this spring by a mere 0.1 (12+), Infinity “Newsradio 1060” (KYW) and Jerry Lee’s “B-101” (Adult Contemporary - WBEB) are in their customary leadership positions.
A station’s overall market rank is followed by calls; spring 2004 12+ share; spring 2005 12+ share; and 12+ spring-spring fluctuation.
Dual asterisks (**) designate non-metro stations.
News 6.6 +0.5
01 KYW-AM 6.1 6.6 +0.5
Adult Contemporary 10.0 +0.8
02 WBEB-FM 5.7 6.5 +0.8
15 WSNI-FM 2.9 3.0 +0.1
27 WJBR-FM* 0.6 0.5 -0.1
Urban AC 8.7 +1.5
03 WDAS-FM 7.2 4.8 -2.4
08 WRNB-FM 0.0 3.9 +3.9
Oldies 5.8 -1.2
04 WOGL-FM 4.0 4.6 +0.6
22 WPEN-AM 3.0 1.2 -1.8
Urban Contemporary 4.5 +0.3
05 WUSL-FM 4.2 4.5 +0.3
Active Rock 4.5 -0.1
06 WYSP-FM 4.5 4.4 -0.1
Country 4.0 +0.5
07 WXTU-FM 3.5 4.0 +0.5
Classic Rock 5.4 Flat
08 WMGK-FM 4.4 3.9 -0.5
20 WTHK-FM 1.0 1.5 +0.5
CHR/Rhythmic 6.2 -0.5
10 WRDW-FM 4.1 3.7 -0.4
19 WPHI-FM 2.6 2.5 -0.1
Rock 3.6 +0.4
11 WMMR-FM 3.2 3.6 +0.4
Talk 5.6 +0.8
11 WPHT-AM 3.7 3.6 -0.1
23 WIXM-F & WKXW-F* 1.1 1.0 -0.1
26 WNTP-AM 0.0 0.6 +0.6
29 WWDB-AM 0.0 0.4 +0.4
CHR/Pop 5.2 -0.1
13 WIOQ-FM 3.8 3.4 -0.4
21 WPST-FM 1.1 1.3 +0.2
27 WSTW-FM* 0.4 0.5 +0.1
Smooth Jazz 3.4 -1.2
13 WJJZ-FM 4.6 3.4 -1.2
Sports 2.9 +0.1
16 WIP-AM 2.8 2.9 +0.1
Gospel 3.8 +2.2
16 WPPZ-FM 0.0 2.9 +2.9
24 WDAS-AM 1.6 0.9 -0.7
Adult Hits 2.8 +0.7
18 WBEN-FM 2.1 2.8 +0.7
Tropical 0.9 -0.1
24 WEMG-AM 1.0 0.9 -0.1
Leading Formats
With ten (10) total shares from three different stations (including WJBR-FM/Wilmington, DE), Adult Contemporary is Philadelphia’s No. 1 (12+) format.
The ten shares reflect a +0.8 fluctuation from Spring 2004.
Adult Contemporary 10.0 +0.8
Urban AC 8.7 +1.5
News 6.6 +0.5
CHR/Rhythmic 6.2 -0.5
Oldies 5.8 -1.2
Talk 5.6 +0.8
Classic Rock 5.4 Flat
CHR/Pop 5.2 -0.1
Active Rock 4.5 -0.1
Urban Contemporary 4.5 +0.3
Country 4.0 +0.5
Gospel 3.8 +2.2
Rock 3.6 +0.4
Smooth Jazz 3.4 -1.2
Sports 2.9 +0.1
Adult Hits 2.8 +0.7
Tropical 0.9 -0.1
Hot & Cold
Based on 12+ figures, 10 Philadelphia format categories (led by Gospel’s +2.2 increase) experienced spring-spring increases; six were down; and Classic Rock was flat.
Format Shares Spring-Spring Fluctuation
Gospel 3.8 +2.2
Urban AC 8.7 +1.5
Adult Contemporary 10.0 +0.8
Talk 5.6 +0.8
Adult Hits 2.8 +0.7
Country 4.0 +0.5
News 6.6 +0.5
Rock 3.6 +0.4
Urban Contemporary 4.5 +0.3
Sports 2.9 +0.1
Classic Rock 5.4 Flat
Active Rock 4.5 -0.1
CHR/Pop 5.2 -0.1
Tropical 0.9 -0.1
CHR/Rhythmic 6.2 -0.5
Oldies 5.8 -1.2
Smooth Jazz 3.4 -1.2
Fluctuation By Station
Urban AC is at both extremes.
Most of the nearly four-share gain enjoyed by Radio One’s “New R&B Leader” (WRNB) came at the expense of Clear Channel’s “Best R&B And Classic Soul” (WDAS-FM), however the latter still maintains a 4.8 – 3.9 advantage.
08 WRNB-FM Urban AC 3.9 +3.9
16 WPPZ-FM Gospel 2.9 +2.9
02 WBEB-FM Adult Contemporary 6.5 +0.8
18 WBEN-FM Adult Hits 2.8 +0.7
04 WOGL-FM Oldies 4.6 +0.6
26 WNTP-AM Talk 0.6 +0.6
01 KYW-AM News 6.6 +0.5
07 WXTU-FM Country 4.0 +0.5
20 WTHK-FM Classic Rock 1.5 +0.5
11 WMMR-FM Rock 3.6 +0.4
29 WWDB-AM Talk 0.4 +0.4
05 WUSL-FM Urban Contemporary 4.5 +0.3
21 WPST-FM CHR/Pop 1.3 +0.2
15 WSNI-FM Adult Contemporary 3.0 +0.1
16 WIP-AM Sports 2.9 +0.1
27 WSTW-FM* CHR/Pop 0.5 +0.1
06 WYSP-FM Active Rock 4.4 -0.1
11 WPHT-AM Talk 3.6 -0.1
19 WPHI-FM CHR Rhythmic 2.5 -0.1
23 WIXM-F & WKXW-F* Talk 1.0 -0.1
24 WEMG-AM Tropical 0.9 -0.1
27 WJBR-FM* Adult Contemporary 0.5 -0.1
10 WRDW-FM CHR/Rhythmic 3.7 -0.4
13 WIOQ-FM CHR/Pop 3.4 -0.4
08 WMGK-FM Classic Rock 3.9 -0.5
24 WDAS-AM Gospel 0.9 -0.7
13 WJJZ-FM Smooth Jazz 3.4 -1.2
22 WPEN-AM Oldies 1.2 -1.8
03 WDAS-FM Urban AC 4.8 -2.4
AM Versus FM
Nearly three of every four stations appearing in Philadelphia’s spring Arbitron book are FMs.
Adult Contemporary WBEB is the market’s top FM; KYW-AM is the overall 12+ leader.
02 WBEB-FM Adult Contemporary 6.5 +0.8
03 WDAS-FM Urban AC 4.8 -2.4
04 WOGL-FM Oldies 4.6 +0.6
05 WUSL-FM Urban Contemporary 4.5 +0.3
06 WYSP-FM Active Rock 4.4 -0.1
07 WXTU-FM Country 4.0 +0.5
08 WMGK-FM Classic Rock 3.9 -0.5
08 WRNB-FM Urban AC 3.9 +3.9
10 WRDW-FM CHR/Rhythmic 3.7 -0.4
11 WMMR-FM Rock 3.6 +0.4
13 WIOQ-FM CHR/Pop 3.4 -0.4
13 WJJZ-FM Smooth Jazz 3.4 -1.2
15 WSNI-FM Adult Contemporary 3.0 +0.1
16 WPPZ-FM Gospel 2.9 +2.9
18 WBEN-FM Adult Hits 2.8 +0.7
19 WPHI-FM CHR Rhythmic 2.5 -0.1
20 WTHK-FM Classic Rock 1.5 +0.5
21 WPST-FM CHR/Pop 1.3 +0.2
23 WIXM-F & WKXW-F* Talk 1.0 -0.1
27 WJBR-FM* Adult Contemporary 0.5 -0.1
27 WSTW-FM* CHR/Pop 0.5 +0.1
01 KYW-AM News 6.6 +0.5
11 WPHT-AM Talk 3.6 -0.1
16 WIP-AM Sports 2.9 +0.1
22 WPEN-AM Oldies 1.2 -1.8
24 WDAS-AM Gospel 0.9 -0.7
24 WEMG-AM Tropical 0.9 -0.1
26 WNTP-AM Talk 0.6 +0.6
29 WWDB-AM Talk 0.4 +0.4
>Philadelphia (and non-metro) FMs account for 79.5% of this spring’s 12+ shares.
>The average 12+ AM share/market rank this spring was 2.13/No. 19, compared to 3.17/No. 13 for Philadelphia’s FMs.
Summer Stats
Spring book leader KYW was also tops in both summer phases, registering a 6.4 each time.
As it did in the spring, Jerry Lee’s WBEB was runner-up in each phase (5.9/5.3) of the summer book.
Urban AC WDAS-FM maintained its No. 3 spring status in both summer splits - tying Urban Contemporary WUSL in Phase Two.
Smooth Jazz WJJZ notched the most significant Phase One-Phase Two improvement, jumping 3.5 - 4.0 (12th – 9th).
Greater Media’s “Playing Anything We Feel Like” WBEN was steady at No. 15 in each split (3.1 – 2.9).
Don’t forget to check out last Thursday’s “Inside Story with Mike Kinosian” (9-15-2005), which focused on life after baseball for former Atlanta Braves’ flagship WSB-AM/Atlanta. Subscribers can read more about KTIS-FM/Minneapolis PD/morning drive co-host Chuck Knapp (9-19-2005) in “The Mike Kinosian Interview: Personalities Inside Radio.” These exclusive weekly Inside Radio features are archived here.
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