At first glance, suggesting that a Honolulu TV station brand itself as Hawaii’s Severe Weather Station is a little like trying to sell the proverbial ice boxes to Eskimos. This is paradise after all with swaying palm trees, beautiful sandy beaches, and ocean breezes.
But despite the picture postcard view of the Hawaiian Islands, a few years ago local TV viewers ranked comprehensive coverage of severe weather near the top of the list for most important image attributes in the market. AR&D research clearly showed this was an unfilled need – a branding opportunity – where many fans of the then dominant station felt no one delivered when it came to severe weather coverage. Our client, KGMB, was in 4th place in this image attribute, but the station had a very popular weather talent, and AR&D knew this was a branding approach that no other station would pursue – creating a strong opportunity.
The reaction was as expected – most of the newsroom thought we’d lost our minds, the competition poked fun at them, and the general manager asked the question many were thinking – "Are you crazy? This is Hawaii?" But we persevered; the news director and weather team embraced the concept and delivered the brand everyday, and the marketing department aggressively branded KGMB as Hawaii’s Severe Weather Station in every station ID, the newscast and weather opens. They also created a clever marketing campaign.
As KGMB worked their strategic plan, the weather suddenly cooperated. There were near-miss hurricanes, heavy rains that triggered flooding, heavy winds that did damage, and a major earthquake on the Big Island. Some superstitious Islanders have suggested that there wasn’t severe weather in Hawaii until KGMB started to promote this brand.
The results are in – about four years later – and they are impressive. KGMB IS the severe weather station. Their attribution in the brand has grown from 8% to 27% making them #1 in the image. Their preference score has followed suit. KGMB is up 9 points in Favorite Station, while the former dominant station has lost 8 points in preference.
Most importantly, in February KGMB was #1 in late news – in both households and the 25-54 demo – building on their late news win in November. It is the first time in over two decades that a station other than KHON has been #1 in late news. KGMB is up 29% in the key demo in their 6:00 p.m. newscast – and are the only Hawaii station to increase in demos in every newscast.
So, the moral to the story is this – If you believe the research, and strongly pursue an unfulfilled image attribute you can win it – even if you are pursuing the severe weather brand in paradise. You can indeed sell those iceboxes to Eskimos – if they desire them and can’t get them anywhere else.
