“One of the first rules of science – if somebody delivers a Secret Weapon to you, you better use it.” Herbert Simon
Often times, we discuss what makes your brand ‘unique’.
The secret sauce that separates your brand from the competition.
We ultimately look for ‘different’, not ‘better’.
Different is quantifiable – and – clearly defined in the Listeners mind.
Better is subjective – we’ve heard plenty of ‘better’ that suffer inferior ratings.
The low-hanging fruit is the previously discussed aural activator – signaling the Listener a waypoint to a specific brand.
You – should have one.
Secret weapons are just that.
Simple tactics separating you – from them.
The Secret Weapon chance-taker wins – bunker mentality loses.
Past discussions include the power of the Secret Weapon record.
- Secret Weapon records that went undiscovered(think Sheriff or Benny Mardones) and re-discovered by a sharp-thinking music programmer
2. Secret Weapon records which are being pushed by record company A&R pros to be re-done (think Surf Mesa covering Frankie Valli)
More importantly – your talent.
With brands decimated by big company career genocide, the voices between the elements are certainly YOUR – Secret Weapon.
The vast majority of your brand is either time-shifted locally or voiced miles away from your market.
Listen critically – are the voices contributing to the uniqueness of your brand?
Or a voice ‘place holder’ offering little more than artist/title ID?
If your recorded voice talent aren’t enhancing your brand – why have those on-air at all?
Coach them – or eliminate them.
Unique music scoring – air talent that’s different – are your Secret Weapons!
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