Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a former college football player, professional wrestler, actor and producer, voiceover talent, spokesperson, influencer, author, entrepreneur who is invested in sports franchises, film, production & content creation, host, owner of a tequila brand, and is a marketing machine. Ballers, one of The Rock’s shows which was on HBO for five seasons, was a guilty pleasure for me to watch. If you’re a fan of the original WWF, now the WWE, then you know The Rock.
He and his ex-wife, Dany Garcia, are partners in a company that has produced or managed most of the movies in which he performs. It all started in 2008 when they amicably divorced. Johnson was trying to transition his career from professional wrestling to acting without much success. He asked Garcia to manage him, and she got to work helping to rebrand the former wrestler. A bold ask, but one that paid off for them both.
Instead of simply creating a new brand for Johnson, she built a suite of corporations around him. They founded Seven Bucks Productions. The company produces Johnson’s movies, as well as content for TV, digital platforms, and emerging technologies. This production entity includes Seven Bucks Creative as well as Seven Bucks Digital Studios. The reasoning behind launching their own production company was that they wanted to control the creative. They did not want Rock to be what others want him to be, but rather what he wants to be as an entertainer.
Garcia says having their own business has allowed them to inject their philosophical point of view into filmmaking. That point of view has 2 tenets. First, every creative piece has to speak to the bottom line before they even begin filming. Second and most important is that the audience comes first. So anything creative is addressed as if the audience is sitting with them and making decisions. The fact that finances figure into the process before the creative begins may make some artists recoil, but you can’t argue with the approach that Dany and The Rock take in adding assets.
What is most impressive to me, and what mirrors my belief that being visible matters, is that being everywhere and being seen everywhere is at the core of The Rock’s marketing premise. In the recent past he’s been on screen at the CMA (Country Music Association) Awards, on College Gameday, WWE Nationally Televised Matches, on and NFL Fox broadcast with the announcement of the merger between the USFL and the XFL forming the UFL, and seen around town during Super Bowl week. He is everywhere and seen everywhere.
Marketing is an important part of brand building. Imperative for new brands. Significantly important for the continuation of legacy brands in competitive situations. Unfortunately, the streets of “Radioville” are lined with the bodies of broadcasters who thought that a format change, new show launch, or introduction of a major contest, can garner a large audience without any form of marketing beyond on-air promotion. Seldom does that work.
Most radio stations do not have a cume big enough to maximize their message. Every market has a small elite group of such stations, but those stations are in the minority. They’re in the leadership position, and then there’s everyone else. If you are fortunate enough to have such a position, because of your large cume, then you can market effectively on your own air. If you don’t have a large cume, and you’re using only your own airwaves to message to the audience, you will need patience. Most people don’t have patience. One of my friends in media always says, “Fast cost money.”
This is where you have to employ the type of skills and persistence of The Rock and Dany Garcia. Today’s media landscape is too noisy to believe that “a little marketing” will accomplish anything “big.” We’re not competing with other radio stations alone. We’re competing with all thing’s audio, video, mass, niche, entertaining, and informational. We have to compete to stay even. Keep in mind the aforementioned two tenets of their approach; the bottom line and the audience.
Marketing like The Rock means being everywhere and being seen everywhere. Using earned media, which translates to generating publicity and press by your actions and appearances, and engaging with the audience. Direct marketing, digital or otherwise, accomplishes that, as does appearing at events with audiences. It’s tough to do if you have limited or no local on-air personalities. Not impossible, but it’s one more obstacle to overcome.
Solutions exist. There are marketing companies that will provide stations with a street team on barter. Partnering with local TV, local podcasters, and locally based social media influencers can serve as your talent for appearances. Using syndicated and national talent who appear on your station is another way to do it. Embracing the artists’ music you play, highlighting the newsmakers whose stories you cover, supporting charities that connect to your community, are all possible and available assets to use.
This past week I saw national personalities on TV who also perform on the radio and audio platforms. Nick Cannon, Carson Daily, Angela Yee, Bobby Bones, and Ryan Seacrest were all highly visible talent. They’re taking advantage of appearances to benefit their affiliates while continuing to magnify their personal brands. Last week I visited three radio stations, where there are both local and nationally syndicated talent on-air. Their activities reinforced for me that being present remains an important part of exposure for media brands. The talent at those stations make appearances, host local events, read endorsements, and work with sales to help gain and maintain advertisers. They’re rewarded and compensated, as talent should be as performers.
Market like The Rock; Be Everywhere and Be Seen Everywhere.
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