Author name: Tracy Johnson

The most exciting word in marketing and branding is new! Consistency is important, which is why McDonald’s would never take the Big Mac off the menu. But humans are conditioned to get excited over the next big thing. That’s why McDonald’s re-introduces the McRib as a new, limited-time offer. September and October are a new […]

Your radio station probably has enough listeners to be a market leader and perhaps #1. You would, of course, like more. More is better. But most stations have enough cume to be more successful by tapping into the power of Super Listeners. What Are Super Listeners? The question isn’t whether there are enough listeners (cume), but whether

Program directors often confuse air talent by asking for things they don’t really want. And the results can become a big problem. We often provide instruction without regard to how that information is heard or interpreted. That’s often the case when trying to improve energy. How Some Personalities Improve Energy Left to their own solutions,

James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke was a feature on his television talk show. You may not know the name of his show (The Late Late Show), which aired from 2015 to 2023. Most didn’t realize Carpool Karaoke was part of the show. They think it was a show. You may have never heard of Corden if

Everyone is impatient. We want instant results, but that’s not how life works. Each brand passes through 5 stages of growth. I call it the Personality Success Path. Some stages can be accelerated, but none can be skipped.

How many times have you been told, “Never say this”? Usually, I hate lists like that. It seems simplistic, but I’ll make an exception because most personalities have at least a few crutches that become habits they don’t even recognize. But to a listener, it sounds weird (or worse). Here’s a list of things to

Do you remember the classic song from the 70s: “Stuck In The Middle With You” by Stealer’s Wheel? The song’s hook includes the lyrics, “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Here I am. Stuck in the middle with you.” Clowns and jokers can be entertaining and exciting, but the middle is

Finding a perfect topic nobody else is doing is not a silver bullet. It’s an endless race to an unwinnable competition. Good luck with that. Someone else is almost surely doing it already.

Media outlets have learned to use the power of Breaking News. Today, even the most ordinary stories are labeled as major events. In many cases, it’s overdone to the point of being ignored. However, issuing alerts and warnings works to increase attention and create a sense of urgency. Breaking News is an easy and smart