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In 1979 Sister Sledge’s “We
are Family” became the anthem for the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team
that symbolized the hope of a northeast industrial city facing
economic hardship.
We
are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up ev'rybody and sing
Ev'ryone can see we're together
As we walk on by
(FLY!) and we fly just like birds of a feather
I won't tell no lie
(ALL!) all of the people around us they say
Can they be that close
Just let me state for the record
We're giving love in a family dose
This season Pirates’
fans gather to watch their first winning team in over 20 years. But
this scene is different. Yes, the stands are filled with fans
wearing team colors, chanting in unison, and supporting their heroes
on the field, but the difference in this setting is there was no
team on the field. These fans had left the comfort of their homes,
fought the Pittsburgh traffic, parked their cars, and found their
way to seats in a ballpark to watch on the video board a game being
played in St. Louis 600 miles away.
They didn’t come to ballpark to see the game (at least in person),
they came to the park to be fans.
It is built into us. With every “I’m a proud parent...” bumper
sticker, posting of a political statement on Facebook, wearing the
colors of our alma mater, or championing our favorite radio station,
people want to communicate that they belong to something important.
“We buy what we buy to remind ourselves - and tell the world around
us - who we are. We even choose our service providers based on how
closely they mirror the way we would run their company. We're
attracted to reflections of ourselves. A salesperson points out this
reflection, "That's you, isn't it?" and then gives the intellect the
facts it needs to justify the purchase. Win the heart and the mind
will follow” Roy Williams
But that’s enough for now.
In next week’s Frost Advisory I’ll discuss the power of Social Proof
(think white ear buds for your I-Pod), and share the story of Jimmy
and Betty and a tree in Tennessee.
Part 2
Last week in a Frost
Advisory cleverly titled ”We are Fam-i-ly (part one)” I shared how
the need to belong is built into us. With every “I’m a proud
parent...” bumper sticker, posting of a political statement on
Facebook, wearing the colors of our alma mater, or championing our
favorite radio station, people desire to show others they belong to
something important.
My Pyromarketing friend Greg Stielstra shares this story.
“I hiked Burgess Falls in Eastern Tennessee last weekend and
found this tree along the trail. It was scarred with carvings.
"Jimmy loves Betty." "Roger and Veronica true love always." No
other tree along the trail had any such carvings, but this one was
covered.
In uncertain situations we copy other people's behavior. It's
called social proof and it explained why this tree was covered with
carvings while others were spared. Most people wouldn't think of
carving their name into a tree in a state park, but this tree
already had some carvings in it. That precedent was a sort of tacit
permission to do the same and dozens of people did.
Social proof is a powerful force in marketing too. Our world offers
nearly infinite choice and people have neither the time nor the
inclination to figure out which product best meets their needs.
Unable or unwilling to figure it out for themselves, they simply do
what others have done. It's why bestselling books remain
bestsellers. They're not better than other books necessarily,
they're just more popular and that popularity begets more
popularity.”
After a recent mission trip to the
Dominican Republic my wife wore a simple little string on her wrist
for several months. Each member of her group had cut a piece of a
larger string to remind them that what happened on that trip was a
part of something bigger. In fact it was so important to her that
she wore the string until it fell off.
Mark Ramsey reminds us that we’re not just another radio format. He
urges us to contemplate the ramifications of being the largest
church in town.
Unfortunately only a handful of stations have learned the real power
of our format; something beyond a bunch of unfamiliar music and disc
jockeys saying something religious every once in awhile. Few have
learned it can be the most meaningful format on the dial where
people really can feel a part of something bigger than themselves.
In fact, like fam-i-ly!
John is a partner in Goodratings
Strategic Services, and has been a successful major market disc
jockey and program director for such companies as CBS, Cap Cities,
Westinghouse, Sandusky, Gannett, and Alliance during his 38 year
broadcast career. John joined Goodratings’ partner Alan Mason in
1999.
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