AFDI is a slogan I got here up with a few years in the past. The situation was a radio station that was as soon as on high with a 7 share. In recent times that they had declined to a 3 and we have been known as in.
In the course of the first go to, I met with the GM and stated “let’s get you, me, this system director, manufacturing director, gross sales supervisor and different voices and bury ourselves in a resort suite with a variety of radios so we will do a whole audit of ourselves and opponents.” The thought is tearing aside ourselves and the market and producing new concepts that’ll carry again the glory. No distractions. A complete deep dive. Media surgical procedure.
At 3 am, eight of us emerged from the trade-out suite. A ton of authorized pads (old fashioned earlier than units ) loaded with concepts and angles. Everybody was charged up and able to reinvent themselves and the station. As a road-driven marketing consultant, I left the subsequent day armed with plans to rebuild this station which nonetheless had good circulation, good sign, and the instruments to succeed permitting them to execute.
A month later I returned. Notes in tow. The preliminary dialog went like this:
Q: Did we do that?
A: No, we thought we’d analyze it additional ( paralysis by evaluation )
Q: Did we do that?
A: Residence workplace would by no means approve
Q: Did we do that?
A: Oh…forgot about that one
Q: Did we do that?
A: No we had A: assembly and determined in opposition to it
Q: Did we do that?
A: Too dangerous
Q: Did we do that?
A: We’re going to possibly take a look at it at 4am
The purpose is: THEY DID NOTHING and reverted again to their 3 share
Perhaps it was worry of change, laziness, or an excessive lack of creativeness or motivation. Not a good suggestion when the previous manner was tanking them.
That’s the place AFDI emerged. Really F- – – – -G Doing it.
It was a battle cry at XM and different initiatives. Give you concepts which can be authorized, price efficient and progress producing. And AFDI!
That’s the issue with mission statements. Typically they’re BS. I used to be at a TV station as soon as the place the assertion included issues like:
We’re on the chopping fringe of programming
We’ve got a private relationship with our viewers
We put the group first.
And so forth.
I requested the Gross sales Supervisor if he believed that. His response “Hell no, if we did half of these issues we’d be #1.
It’s straightforward to roll alongside “hoping” issues will enhance. Chances are high they received’t until you undergo the train and AFDI
This is applicable to actually all companies. The good ones AFDI after they’re already on high.
AFDI’s cousin is “the artistic batting common.” Give you 100 concepts and if 70 of them stink you’re an all star as a result of which means 30 labored. Gotta get off the bench and take swings. If the 30 are good, nobody will keep in mind the 70 that weren’t so sizzling. Like in baseball, the best hitters additionally struck out lots. However you keep in mind the homers. Get off the bench and:
AFDI!