The three Rick Santorum victories last night tell a giant story for media brands and talent.  Whether it’s politics, TV or radio, not everything that works in Florida will work in Minnesota – every market is different.

While there are many natural similarities from city to city, there are also important differences that can make the difference.  One problem we see often is when talent and managers waltz into a new market for a new job and think they’ve got it all figured out before they get their first cup of coffee, believing what built their resume in the east is going to kill in the west.

  • We see this all the time with syndicated shows.  How can they be so dominant in one market and flop in the next?
  • We see this with non-syndicated shows.  The benchmarks that worked big in one city are all wrong in another.
  • We see this with program directors.  The #1 rated playbook from the old station is like kryptonite in the new market.
  • We even see this with music.  Bands will sell out in one market and play to crickets in the next.

The notion that every market is different represents a challenge for where radio is headed.  It’s well-known that many companies are shifting to a regionalized approach – where talent and playlists from bigger markets are piped in to the smaller markets.  While this approach will have its share of successes; I can say that having the luxury of seeing countless music tests and being the moderator of hundreds of focus groups over the years, the regionalized strategy is littered with land mines and is less about the local audience and more about the bottom line.

The combination of national assets can be powerful and may be what the budgetary analysts love, but there’s no guarantee it’s what the boots on the ground in every market need.

Every market is different.  Just ask Mitt Romney Rick Santorum.