There has been huge craziness in the San Diego radio industry lately, and I continue to be asked by our advertising clients and others exactly what this means in the marketing landscape. To each I answer, “I wish I knew.” But in reality, I can make a few predictions.

First of all, what the hell happened?

• It began in August, when San Diego beloved radio icons Jeff & Jer were suddenly off the air due to contract disputes with Clear Channel Radio, their station’s owner.  Clear Channel had been on a hell-bent buying frenzy, snapping up radio stations across the country and many in the San Diego market – all with investment capital they had over-leveraged.  (You know, those silly banks were lending tons of money to just about anybody with a business plan a few short years ago.)  When markets started tightening, so did Clear Channel, and they no longer wanted to pay for higher salary morning teams – regardless of their success or following.  Jeff & Jer were out, and Clear Channel shifted a less expensive, less experienced morning team to their former station and time slot. Thus, AJ in the Morning is the winner of that game of musical chairs.

• Around the same time, Monique & The Man on Jack FM was cut down to just the lovely and talented Monique Marvez. Evidently having The Man involved was too expensive for ownership at KFMB.  Then in a very odd move, station management decided to reduce Monique’s live on-air time slot to just 5 – 5:30 am, playing music the rest of the time.  And just recently, she is off the air altogether and her contract is not being renewed.  Ratings at Jack FM continue to plummet in her absence.

• In another Clear Channel debacle, radio icons Dave, Shelly & Chainsaw on KGB suddenly got the ax as well.  Again, those pesky contract negotiations were listed as the culprit, and once again it was really because Clear Channel could not swallow the show’s high salaries. DSC fans staged protests they were so upset and angered.

• Then The Mikey Show on Rock 105.3 was suddenly absent (again Clear Channel  – seeing a pattern?) and fans lamented yet another loss of morning show talent.  Mikey is the only one to have cut a new deal, showing up for mornings now at FM 94.9.

This whole mess has left audiences reeling, radio dials spinning, and listeners not clear on where to listen – or why.  What’s more, it’s left the advertising industry in a bit of a quandry.  Rating points that were already a bit sketchy (see my previous blog spot on Arbitron ratings) are now completely unproven and unreliable.  Advertisers that have been buying radio based purely on ratings points can no longer trust that process.  Long time advertisers that were buying ad libs from proven on-air talent – these are spots recorded or spoken live by the deejay to endorse a particular product – can no longer have access to those familiar voices.  These were enormously popular – when Monique Marvez spoke about her personal experience in buying a Sleep Train mattress, her listeners would take that endorsement to heart.

Advertisers are left trying to figure out how to spend their radio budgets, or if they even should. So then, what now?

Truth is, radio has been – and will continue to be – an important part of the advertising mix.  Its immediacy and frequency allow an advertiser to reach their audiences with a message aimed at getting consumers to take action – right now.  With most radio listening taking place in the car, the assumption is that people are captive audiences.  And in the case of morning shows, audiences are accustomed to being entertained by personalities beyond just playing music.

Sure, the face of radio advertising has changed. It’s not as lucrative as it once was, and there is competition from digital radio like Pandora, iTunes, satellite radio like Sirius and many other sources.  Yet, none of those provide the familiarity, the down-home comfort and the city-centric knowledge and access that local radio can provide.

This too shall pass.  These radio personalities will find new homes where they can broadcast their morning shticks.  Radio stations will find new owners that will invest what they can in perhaps a new model for radio that is both profitable AND entertaining.  And consumers will play spin the dial until they land on a few new choices, perhaps hearing some familiar old friends.

There will always be a need for the Jeff & Jers of the world, because we want to be entertained.  Even more important than that, these iconic morning teams have provided a common thread for our greater community that few other outlets can even come close to.  The familiarity of their voices, their jokes and their laser-sharp knowledge of San Diego represent a shared touchpoint for our city.

And that is worth money.  The question is, how much?

If you happened to log into Facebook last Thursday, January 7, you probably got a gander into all of your female friend’s lingerie drawers (via colorful status updates, we mean).  Women across the country were secretly sharing the day’s bra color as a means to show their support for breast cancer awareness.

Facebook updates tell bra color

The risque updates created a buzz as marketers took notice wondering the source of the campaign.  Perhaps the bigger point isn’t where it began, rather what it resulted in – a “viral” campaign that actually went viral.

Oddly while on the topic of breast-related health and social media campaigns, a PA nonprofit, Feel Your Boobies Foundation was named one of the top 100 charities on Facebook via Chase’s Facebook contest, Community Giving.  They were awarded an initial $25,000 and are waiting to hear if they will be the grand prize recipients of $1 million (to be decided late February).

While both of these viral campaigns show the power of social media to share a message, perhaps we’ve all missed a rather obvious means to raising money for our favorite nonprofits – well, not all of us have missed it, exactly.  San Diego’s Tariq Khamisa Foundation (TKF) is using social media for their recent Viral Donor Drive, and they’ve tapped into C.K. Prahalad’s message: “The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid.”

Our client, Aladdin Bail Bonds currently supports the local nonprofit, dedicated to breaking the cycle of youth violence by empowering kids.  TKF’s Viral Donor Drive uses their Facebook fan page, Twitter account, email database and a special “Stop Kids from Killing Kids” website to spread the word about the drive, with a goal of reaching $1 million.  The beauty of this campaign is that instead of asking a few significant donors for a large sum, TKF aims to reach their goal by asking for $1 from 1 million people – illustrating the power at the bottom of the pyramid and highlighting how well social media factors in, offering over 350 million eyes worldwide to TKF and other nonprofits.

Supporters of the nonprofit can make a donation or help fundraise by creating their own social networking campaign in which educational materials will be provided.  For more information or to donate, visit their website or Fan Page.

Being the go-getters that we are at BG, we never shy away from a challenge. So when San Diego Hospice and the Institute for Palliative Medicine (SDHIPM for short) approached us to help them with an integrated local outreach campaign, we jumped at the chance not only to help an incredible organization, but also to learn about an industry that none of us had much experience with.

Despite being far and away the leader in non-profit hospice care and palliative medicine in CA, SDH faced numerous challenges in attracting people to its service:

• Public sensitivity about the very topic of hospice
• Widespread misconceptions (that even we ourselves held) of hospices as somber places where terminally-ill people go to give up and die
• Increasingly aggressive competition from for-profit hospice providers in the local market
• Niche target audience

Our reeducation began almost from day 1, when we paid a site visit to SDHIPM’s Hillcrest care facility. With Melissa De La Calzada, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, as our capable guide, we learned so much about the benefits of what SDH actually provides, and the truly inspiring stories that result. We came to understand that far from being the “death-house” that people tend to imagine, hospice is not a place, but a philosophy that focuses on alleviating physical, spiritual and mental pain, to allow people to live life to the fullest.

With this fundamental understanding, we set to work developing a strategy for reaching our target audience of both the terminally-ill and the people (typically family and friends) who are caring for them. Recognizing the sensitivity of our topic, BG’s creative team came through beautifully, with the simple, yet warm “It’s Time” campaign, that conveyed the compassion, understanding and most importantly, support that SDHIPM offers to caregivers as well as those in need of care. The message played out over an integrated, locally-focused media plan encompassing behaviorally-targeted online advertising, email outreach, custom landing pages, and even Twitter, Facebook and their very own blog, that would maximize coverage, but also minimize the exposure of our message to people outside of our target market. Below are some examples of the creative:

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Thus, the end result of countless hours of research, consideration and careful honing of creative is a campaign that is making a tangible impact on SDHIPM’s patient intake, not to mention a powerful learning experience for all of us in a new industry that few advertisers would think to take on.

Did you hear about the $22 million theater complex that was unveiled yesterday at the Old Globe in Balboa Park? Wow. What a phenomenal achievement for San Diego, the nation and the arts community. It will be the sixth largest theater in the country. To find the support and funding for that kind of project in these economic times confirms the notion that art must be supported by patrons in order to thrive and that despite tough times people recognize the value of art and culture in soothing our cultural psyche.

It’s tough to ask for money to support the arts while children go hungry and families live on the street. Yet, without the arts to reflect our imaginings and relieve our sometimes relentless reality, this life is less worthy of the struggle. Artists take risks and express beauty and pain in ways that we need. And art takes many forms – some that is familiar or humorous and some that is awkward and just plain weird. Sushi, A Center for the Urban Arts, located in San Diego’s East Village, has been home to more of the latter than the former, so it has a harder time finding big dollar donors. Its support has always been grassroots.

Sushi provides a home for artists who are usually struggling, yet still committed to offering up contemporary, multidisciplinary art for our collective enjoyment. It has been a center of alternative art in San Diego for nearly 30 years, yet like so many other non-profit organizations, has been battered by the financial tightening of the past year.

Will you join me in supporting Sushi? I don’t always understand what I see there, but San Diego shouldn’t lose one of the only places that supports art that’s pretty much on the opposite end of the spectrum from The Old Globe. Communities that value art need both.

We are asking for whatever you can afford (from $10 – $100, it all counts). Our goal is $30,000 by January 15th to pay for 2010 programming. Highlights for 2010 include Dutch artist Oscar Prinsen, Russian physical theatre company ARTEL, international Fringe Festival favorites Die Rotten Punkte and San Diego’s own acclaimed choreographer, Patricia Sandback.

In addition to our online ask, we are selling some furniture here on Craig’s List and all proceeds will be donated to Sushi. We’re also cooking up a really cool all-ages photography class with Paul M. Bowers that will happen in January, with proceeds going to Sushi (watch the Sushi homepage for more info soon).

Thank you for reading, considering and hopefully making a contribution today by clicking on the ChipIn link on this page.

Our long-term advertising client, Brookfield Homes, came to Bailey Gardiner with an advertising problem. Their high end community, Calabria, was close to being sold-out—but traffic to the sales office had slowed down.

They needed to attract fresh blood to boost sales, and they needed to do it fast. We came back with three creative advertising campaigns that capitalized on the unique attributes of the property:

1. Calabria is one of the last, new home communities left in San Diego that’s just a short drive from beaches, downtown, wineries, the airport, fine dining, golf courses and great parks—to name a few.
2. Although it’s location is central, Calabria is entirely surrounded by canyons which makes it feel secluded. Here, there is more wildlife, less noise and even the stars are brighter due to the light pollution.
3. These homes are top of the line. From quieter sinks, stairs and cabinets to floor plans that take advantage of every square inch, these houses are the creme-de-la-creme.
4. At the start of the campaign there were only 9 homes left. Urgency was a key component to our message.

This campaign had to be up and running fast. We presented three concepts that included ideas for behaviorally targeted web banners, eblasts, radio and print ads for publications catering to niche markets (business newsletters, relocators, etc.). Samples of the print for each campaign are below:

Campaign 1: The right combination

Campaign 2: Live far away from it all.. but still close

Campaign 3: Last chance

Brookfield radio spot
And the winner is… campaign #3! And we are proud to announce that since the start of the campaign, Brookfield has sold $5 million worth of homes at Calabria… and counting.

Pop-quiz, hotshot: how long does it take to develop and execute an engaging, multifaceted interactive strategy that keeps your fans engaged, is fully integrated with multiple social media platforms, and gives you the ability to communicate on every level, ranging from individual messages up to mass announcements?

If you replied 3 weeks, you must work here. That’s right – just over 3 weeks ago, San Diego’s preeminent morning drive time radio show, Jeff & Jer, approached Bailey Gardiner with a problem – how could they keep their fans engaged with the show while they were off the air and looking for a new radio station to call home? The urgency of their need was driven by the fact that the show was only as valuable as the size of their audience – which would rapidly decline without constant updates and the ability to engage with the show outside of its primary vehicle, the radio.

That Jeff & Jer had a sizeable fanbase was obvious – their sudden departure from Star 94.1 around the end of August made headlines in the morning news and was the dominant topic of conversation around many a watercooler. The question on everyone’s mind was “What now?” Well, the folks here at BG burned a lot of brain cycles and came up with the answer: get Jeff & Jer “in the cloud” before they get back on the air. If we could establish a big enough and responsive enough online presence for the show, we could keep their fanbase ticking over and perhaps even grow it while they looked for a new station.

Thus, our work began (if this was a movie, the training montage scene would begin right about now).

• We trained them how to use Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and good blogging techniques
• We rebuilt their website, JeffAndJer.com as a flexible, fully multimedia-enabled blog that not only keeps their fans up-to-date, but also gives visitors plenty of ways to get their daily fix of the Jeff & Jer team’s antics
• And for that something extra, we remade the format of their show into something not seen since Wayne’s World: we swapped a cushy radio station studio for a garage, turning the show into “Live From Jerry’s Garage” – a weekly, half-hour show streamed live via webcam directly to their website. The show debuted Friday, October 2, to a live audience of hundreds, and so far has racked up over 2,000 post-broadcast views!

Despite all this, the question still remains: what now, for Jeff & Jer? We can’t say, but we did notice that they seemed to perform even better in front of a camera than they ever did with a microphone!

Fall may mean a lot of different things to different people.  But one thing we can all agree that fall brings is: FOOTBALL SEASON! Whether you enjoy football for the guts and glory, the socializing and snacks or simply to see the innovative advertising (like our creatives do), there’s a certain magic that comes with the competition of the game.  And at this San Diego public relations firm,  we see it as the perfect opportunity to maximize and capitalize on that competitive nature.

With the success of last season’s Buzztime social media contest, we decided to kick off (pun intended) the football season in the same manner.  Buzztime’s Commissioner Challenge will utilize football aficionados  who are MVP’s in the social media world.

Before earning the title, “The Commish” and being awarded with a $500 gift certificate to StubHub, the top four contestants in the country will compete and acquire points based on Buzztime’s scoreboard. Commissioners will be chosen based upon their own playbook detailing how they will use their networks on Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere to gather their friends and head to their favorite Buzztime venue for a Wednesday night Fantasy Football draft.

Merging interactive entertainment, social media, and live football, Buzztime’s innovative competition is at the forefront of  social media marketing.  Details on how and where to submit can be found here.   Now if you know of someone that fits the bill, be sure to mention that they have until October 9 to submit their playbook.

Last night was a big one for Bailey Gardiner.  It was the Oscars of San Diego Public Relations, if you will, the 2009 PRSA Bernays Awards.  Sitting amongst some of San Diego’s most celebrated Public Relations professionals, the team was honored to take home four prestigious awards and one chart-topping achievement for the company’s COO.

Indra Gardiner Bowers was awarded one of four special awards, the Eva Irving Award for Community Service, and well deserved it was.  Indra is currently Vice Chair of the National Conflict Resolution Center.  She’s the Vice President of Sushi, A Center for the Urban Arts, but prior to this, she’s sat on countless boards, countless committees and raised countless dollars for social good.  She’s a giver in its truest form and an inspiration to any leader. I won’t go on and on, because Jon just did in a recent post about Indra (and rightfully so) when she was honored as a nominee at San Diego Magazine’s Women Who Move the City on Wednesday.  It’s been a busy week for Indra.  Then again, what week isn’t?

It’s the leadership at Bailey Gardiner, like Indra’s, that led the company to win hard-earned awards.  Last night, BG took home four:

In the Bronze category of Media Relations, Consumer Products, BG’s work for Se San Diego took home the Excellence Award for a hotel launch that filled the clip books with national placements that make any hospitality Public Relations Pro drool.

For the company’s work with Seaport Village, BG was awarded a Bronze category Merit Award for a feature story placed on the front page of the LA Times Arts section about the art of street performing, coinciding with the annual Seaport Village Spring Busker Festival.

For promoting reputation and brand management, Bailey Gardiner was awarded the Silver category Excellence Award for its work with the San Diego Association of REALTORS®.  The team successfully promoted association President, Erik Weichelt as an expert in the real estate industry and SDAR as the leading association in the area.

Now pat yourself on the back, you’re a wise one, reading an award-winning blog.  www.dontdrinkthekoolaidblog.com was awarded the Award of Excellence in the Bronze Blog category for its effective and creative inception and continued content.

Congratulations to our award-winning clients, to the Bailey Gardiner team and to the San Diego chapter of PRSA.  In the world of Public Relations, there was much to celebrate last night.

As co-leader of one of San Diego’s most creative PR, advertising and interactive agencies, Indra Gardiner deserves to be honored (if I do say so myself).  And San Diego Magazine agrees – at their annual Women Who Move the City event last night, Indra was honored as a nominee for her outstanding work both in the office and in the community.

She shared the spotlight with some pretty amazing women, all of whom have made a huge difference in our communities and are leading others to do the same.  We were especially moved by the story of Lori Sorbo, a survivor of multiple cancers and treatments, who told her personal story of survival and perseverance.  After her emotional speech, event emcee Monique Marvez called on the audience to help raise funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation – we all got out our checkbooks and hope you will too.

But back to our star, Indra. Over the past several years, Indra has served on more than a dozen boards of non-profit organizations, and is currently Vice Chair of the National Conflict Resolution Center and Vice President of the Board for Sushi, A Center for the Urban Arts.  Her dedication to both these organizations is steadfast, and we witness her contributions at the agency regularly as she hosts meetings, directs staff programs, and leads board discussions on various topics. Plus, there’s a fire or two to put out now and then (ahem).

Not only that, Indra is a recognized leader on the national PR front, leading discussion groups and seminars for the Public Relations Society of America’s Counselors Academy, as well as Chair of Program Development for Pinnacle Worldwide, a consortium of independently owned agencies of which Bailey Gardiner is a member.

Indra rocks the house at home too. She and her husband Paul Bowers are fantastic parents to their cool son Jesse, who will probably grow up to solve the puzzle of cold fusion, bring about world peace, and entertain the masses with inspirational and eclectic performance art.

Plus, Indra bakes a mean blueberry crumble — what’s not to love?  We’re just glad San Diego Magazine agrees.  Indra really does move the city.