“Let me start my showing you this photo of myself with bleached hair and a fake tan. This is funny in Australia, but here in Italy I think it’s normal.”
This is the way Adam Ferrier introduces himself to the mostly Italian audience at Radiodays Europe. Adam is an Australian Psychologist and author of the book “The Advertising Effect: How to Change Behaviour.” If you’ve seen Adam speak before or heard him last year on Triple M’s “One Percenters”, you would expect nothing less.
Adam is talking about how your radio station would look and sound if a psychologist was the CEO.
“Stations always say focus on their strengths. But strengths are generic. Focus on your weaknesses”, says Ferrier as he launches into his presentation.
“There are strengths in your vulnerabilities”
Ferrier explains that building a radio station as a psychologist involves 3 steps:
- Accepting your dysfunction (diagnosis)
- Help your audience find meaning
- Get your audience to build and promote your station
“I would diagnose radio as having a borderline personality disorder”, says Ferrier. “(Radio) has an underlying fear of abandonment, leading to unstable presentation with frequent and dramatic moods”.
Ferrier continues to explain this diagnosis includes seeking the attention of others, and may also result in inappropriate sexual behavior. If you work in radio, you would agree this is a fairly accurate diagnosis.
Secondly is the ability to help your audience find meaning in what you are doing.
“The competition is not other radio stations, or streaming brands or other media. Your competition is people not tuning in.” If you want people to listen, listeners need to find value and meaning in what your are offering.
Finally, it’s getting your audience to build and promote your station.
“Benjamin Franklin once said that if you want someone to like you, get them to do something for you”, says Ferrier.