As many communities face looting, potential food insecurity, threats to personal safety and an overwhelming loss of property, we are reminded of the importance of keeping our communities informed, and not only by mainstream media, but also in our workplaces.

As the events of the last few days were unfolding, Adsat In-store Media Solutions launched a live radio staff communication show for the Dis-Chem Pharmacy group, a business deeply affected by these events. The Dis-Chem group implemented an in-store radio channel over a decade ago in its stores but decided to increase the impact of this channel by adding two live shows aimed at increasing morale and keeping their staff engaged and up to date with what is happening in the business. As a key player in the vaccine roll-out and an employer in the frontline from day one of the covid response, they recognised the need to communicate with – and reach out to staff – while providing a platform for employees to share their messages and successes.

Game has used their daily radio staff show for almost a decade as an integral part of their internal communication strategy. Game Live provides the power and authenticity of a real, live voice on an entrenched and trusted medium to communicate developments relevant to the business, sharing detail of programmes aimed at benefitting staff and sharing Massmart’s strategy for the stores as these events unfold. This ensures that employees feel appreciated and secure in their leadership – and in their role – particularly in times of uncertainty.

Vodacom, another client that has embraced the live radio staff show concept, put into action a daily “Moments that matter” insert on their radio staff show, designed to acknowledge the initiatives, improvements and actions of staff, managers, and consultants to ensure that their efforts are noticed and appreciated.

No retailer foresaw the events of this week but having a staff communication platform in place that provides for information to be shared timeously and in a more conversational and interactive manner goes a long way in creating an environment where staff feel empowered with the information they need to carry on, in spite of the chaos around them. Knowledge is not only power – it is comfort in times of uncertainty.

Having an in-store radio channel with a live radio staff communication show provides a real opportunity for businesses to build trust, offer support and build a greater sense of community in their organisations. Because when times are tough it is your employees that will keep your businesses alive and build them back to strength.

An often neglected but incredibly valuable customer segment is your staff, after all staff are often customers too. In the words of Sir Richard Branson “Remember your staff are your biggest brand advocates and focusing on helping them take pride will shine through in how they treat your customers”. Retailers are increasingly adding live staff shows to their audio offering to tap into the potential of their staff to make their business great.

Many Adsat In-store stations utilise customised staff apps to not only interact with staff as listeners but also share content with those listeners after the in-store radio show to consume where they are and when they want, turning those brands into content publishers. Content originally created for and broadcast on the in-store radio channel can be packaged as podcasts and the creation of Vodcasts gives the listener a taste of the studio environment and a behind the scenes look at the radio station, immersing the listener in to the full on-air experience.

One thing that never goes out of fashion is the opportunity to motivate and communicate with staff and in-store radio offers an interactive, fun and immediate way to do this at a relatively low cost. Radio motivates, entertains and energises people and brands and should be an essential part of any smart marketers’ toolkit.

Contact us today to find out more on how we can engage, entertain, motivate and upskill your workforce through our staff communication platforms

There is a great deal of buzz around algorithms which have undoubtedly revolutionised the way we consume music, serving up a customised selection of tracks specifically tailored to individual’s tastes. But your customers, our listeners are individuals and the human touch is still essential to ensure that the music resonates with a diverse audience of people with distinct tastes and preferences. Screening of music is also essential to ensure that offensive content that will result in your customer disengaging from your brand never receives airtime in your outlets

Music schedulers play a crucial role in defining the music strategy with careful consideration given to understanding the brands target audience and the customer journey because what works on a Saturday morning may fall flat on a Tuesday afternoon. A great example of how a music strategy can add spice to a brand is Nando’s. Adsat was tasked with creating a bespoke sound for Nando’s to capture their fiery heritage and create a unique dining experience in their restaurants, the result was Afro-Luso a mix of Latin, Portuguese and African music. The mix was so successful it has been rolled out to Nando’s’ restaurants across the globe.

When creating an in-store audio service, careful attention needs to be given to creating a playlist of music that is unique, supports brand values and enhances and supports marketing objectives. Each brand has its own sound and capturing that in a playlist is the true magic of in-store radio.

You have a captive audience not a captured audience. Music selection is critical to creating an environment that will bring your customers back every time.

Delivering on cleverly crafted creative and telling a story instead of simply advertising a product is a smart strategy for building a connection with your customer. Asdat in the UK has moved towards using recognisable voices on their station, using popular presenters from Heart FM and Virgin. Locally, Adsat has been doing this for years using recognisable names on their stations. It is proven that an endorsement from a trusted well-known figure will add to the appeal of a product or service, but a big name can be expensive.

Live presenters offer you the opportunity to offer a more personal experience in a constrained retail environment keeping customers is critical to survival, customers that continue to support you have an authentic, genuine connection with your brand which is why you should be speaking to them and making them feel valued and recognised.

Harnessing data from clients’ loyalty programmes has also given Adsats programmers access to a wealth of customer data that enables them to create the most effective content mix to deliver on the clients’ objectives.

You need to know your customer to know what your customer wants!

The internet has presented a number of exciting opportunities in the In-store audio space once dominated by satellite radio. Improved bandwidth and lower costs have made streaming a more attractive option for selected clients. Streaming offers a number of advantages for corporates and retailers. It is now possible for small chains and even single venue businesses to receive a bespoke and controlled audio solution for their stores. For larger businesses streaming allows for differentiation with the potential to deliver regional, clustered or individual playlists and messages for specific stores.

Adsat offers both live streaming and forward and store options. Live is as it suggests, while forward and store allows for a ‘pre-recorded’ broadcast with minimal use of bandwidth as playlists and music are sent overnight or as defined to the devices, so the stores network is never compromised.The device utilizes plug-and-play technology which makes it easy to implement and utilize.

In spite of this Satellite remains a very popular and cost-effective broadcast technology for many and has also progressed with Adsat offering a digital signage component that can be delivered very cost effectively with the radio feed offering real value to clients.

Whichever technology suits your brand best Adsat will work with you to find the best solution to create the optimal in-store environment for you and your customers.

The effect that music has on us physiologically, psychologically, cognitively and emotionally can be harnessed in the retail environment to influence customers behaviour and enhance their shopping experience.

Studies have found that:

• Playing happy music can alter the perception of service and waiting times – with customers perceiving the service as friendlier and faster when the music makes them feel good.
• The tempo of the music affects customers. Fast music can get people moving; whilst slower music can calm and relax, slowing the customer down to spend more time in store.
• Genres also affect the perception of the brand. Classical music makes a product seem more sophisticated. Playing the latest hits can make a product seem on trend.

A sonic brand strategy needs to be built from the brand’s overall strategy—it’s intimately tied to the personality and position of the brand.

Key to delivering an effective music strategy requires a comprehensive understanding of the brand. This includes having a clear grasp of the brand’s personality, tone, purpose, as well as the brand’s customer base and desired.

We work closely with our clients to discover a core selection of songs that best encapsulate the personality of the brand and the atmosphere and mood the brand wants to create.

From this core selection, the music selection is built out to span across different eras and genres as the brief requires.

Each hour contains songs from the core collection of songs to firmly anchor the sonic identity.

We consult with our clients to understand dwell-time, to ensure that each customer hears at least one core song whilst spending time in their store.

Through an analysis of the target market and customer base we identify genres that are a good brand fit and will also appeal to the target and informs the majority of the music choices.

The genres are selected to complement each other in order to create a seamless flow from one track into the other and to give the station a unified sound.

For example:
Hot Adult Contemporary, Contemporary Hits and Adult Contemporary Hits are all categories that seamlessly fit together – giving a unifying sound across the station.

Practically, we also look at environment management. Are there any environmental elements, like noisy scanners, or acoustical noises that can be managed? Music can dramatically alter the shopping experience from being confronted with jarring ambient noise to masking these environmental noises to create a more pleasant experience.

We use the latest radio software to develop and maintain the audio strategy.

This includes:
Managing the spread of genres and categories across each hour
Managing mood and dayparting Each song is carefully analysed and mapped according to various attributes to control the overall mood in-store. Each hour is unique in that the programming elements are built into a clock which carefully manages each aspect of the play-out – including promos and advertising. This assists with the rotation of the music, as well as the rotation of the artists.

Every brand has a sound. The sound of your brand is embedded in your values, your offering to customers, your logo and the overall design aesthetic of your retail space. Adsat specialises in unlocking your brand’s audio DNA by complimenting your brand with a carefully curated playlist that becomes a seamless sonic extension of your brand identity.

Our programming team creates the unique sound and feel of each audio channel to bring your brand to life

Key benefits of an In-Store audio solution

• Important environment and mood management
• An increase in brand loyalty by creating a unique experience specific to your brand
• Increased sales through increasing dwell times, highlighting promotions and encouraging repeat visits
• Training, motivating and recognising staff who contribute to the customers In-store experience

We can Capture your brand essence in a music playlist

The old model of in-store (and even online) retail strictly focused on products being sold. However, consumers have slowly but surely been moving away from strictly shopping for products, instead seeking a more engaging experience. The trend has been driven largely by millennials and their preference for experiences over things.

Consumers are now being faced with more choices online, they expect to experience an immersive in-store experience that plays on all their senses when in a physical store.

From innovative digital displays of products, to a change of mood using music and being transported into a relaxed state-of-mind through carefully considered scents. All these factors influence the customer experience, behaviour and build stronger connections with customers.

The increased pressure on the economy is having an impact on marketing budgets within South Africa. Budgets within TV, Billboard and National radio stations are declining. TV is declining at 12% year-on-year and national radio is declining at 5% year-on-year.

This spend has been diverted to digital, activations and shopper-marketing or in-store media.

Marketers are increasingly using music in the commercial environment to make their offerings and brands stand out and to harness the emotive powers of music to underscore their brand. This same concept has been used successfully by brands in retail through in store radio solutions.

Music is a universal language.

We believe In-Store Audio can help the brand in the following ways:

• Brand Identity: Consistent audio and visual brand identity in-store
• Customer Engagement: Create a stronger connection with your customers
• Customer Behaviour: Determine the mood and influence behavior
• Drive Sales: Instantly launch promos country-wide using radio and digital signage
• Through-The-Line Marketing: Strengthen ATL campaigns with in-store communication
• Employee Engagement: Motivate, engage and train employees

Our clients need to get it right as their customers are listening