You flip a channel, and you hear snatches of a song, an RJ spinning his spiel, or just the familiar tune of an ad jingle. But something makes you stop. For FM radio service providers, knowing what makes you stop can make or break the channel

S. MEERA

Ashwin Padmanabhan, Business Head, 92.7 BIG FM, has worked with Reliance Entertainment at various points handling different portfolios. But his role in the Reliance FM radio is like a dream come true. Like everything about Reliance, their ambition for the radio business was also big. From the time they launched the first station in Delhi in 2006, they opened 145 stations in the next four months, back to back in various parts of the country.

Localised positioning

There was variety and Big FM was popular, pursuing the many ideas the team bubbled with. But there was no relationship with its audience and often, its listener did not know what Big FM stood for.

And Big FM realised that there was no one single thing that would work across the country. With diligent research, the team discovered the need to position Big FM differently in different parts of the country.

The Known Face

In addition to providing the right kind of music, the second factor that worked in favour of the Big FM brand was the signing up of relevant celebrities for the different programs, thus enhancing the image of the channel in the minds of the viewers. The RJs too have tweaked their presentation to match the mood of the music being played. Timely content and relevance to developments in the world have also helped establish Big FM as a radio of choice for many. This is supported by the fact that from five per cent, Big FM’s share has grown to 14 per cent -15 per cent in eight months, very close to the 18 per cent that the leader, Radio Mirchi, had before this period.

For Big FM, research and experimentation drives its content strategy, which in turn is closely tied into advertiser needs.