Outta Sight, Outta Mind

Now, more than ever, media coverage matters. Even though we supposedly control the flow of information we absorb, we still care most about what’s being discussed on the air/blogs/podcasts/streams. I thought about that this morning when I read in the papers (yes, actual newsprint, three of them, in fact) that Sirus/XM is on the verge of bankruptcy, and their $500 million dollar man, Howard Stern, is contemplating retirement.

Howard used to be a larger-than-life lightning rod, a daily contributor to our collective mindset, whether you liked him or not. News of his retirement would have been huge just a few years ago. Now he’s barely a blip on our radar, effectively muzzled by his lack of exposure, something neither the FCC nor the conservative right was ever able to accomplish.

Stern, back in the day, was discussed around water coolers and late-night talk shows, and his opinions counted. He was, even if you hated him, part of our culture. Now, because he’s broadcasting on uncensored, subscriber-only satellite radio, his opinions not only don’t matter, they’re not even known. The NY Times quoted Jay Leno saying “I don’t hear him quoted anymore. People don’t say ‘hey did you hear what Howard said today?'” Howard is just as funny now as he was pre-satellite. We just don’t care anymore. He no longer matters.

I mention all this because it’s one more example of the importance of keeping your brand (in this case Howard) in the mainstream consciousness. We embrace the brands that connect with us, and the more we see them (and other like-minded consumers liking them too) the more those brands become indispensable to us. This has never been more essential than now, when the temptation to cut back on marketing looms large. We lose interest when marketers (or, in this case, broadcasters) make us work too hard to hear the message.