Our Latest Industry Blogs

Back in 2016, a small independent coffee company rocked the world with a powerful TV commercial in Super Bowl 50 they managed to get for FREE. The powerful story of Death Wish Coffee Company endures nine years later. Hopefully, it’s inspirational to all those small broadcasters, fighting the good fight year after year over the AM and FM airwaves.

One of the Super Bowl ads that had its work cut out for it was the ChatGPT commercial. It was designed to demystify AI and make this new technology the logical next phase in the time-honored history of technological progress. Whether you saw it or not, today’s post discusses the challenge of making new tech feel comfortable for consumers rather than making them fearful and angst-ridden. Was it effective and could it be the foundation for AI acceptability OR like so many other Super Bowl ads, was it too obtuse and conceptual? You be the judge.

Thanks to our data-driven world, there’s no shortage of numbers in our lives. And so far in 2025, numbers have told important stories about current tendencies and coming trends. I’ve picked out a handful of the most fascinating numbers I’ve seen in recent weeks, and what they may portend for later in the year. Today’s blog post features stories about “connected cars,” celebrity deaths, selfish Baby Boomers, Walmart, Amazon, and the “New York Times” – plenty to talk about on a frigid Winter week. So, dig in!

Welcome to Presidents’ Day 2025. While many have the day off, JacoBLOG (and its author) rarely sleep. Today’s blog post is thankfully very short and hopefully on-brand for this celebratory day in America. I hope you enjoy it and the day as we celebrate great leadership and our remarkable, resilient history.

OpenAI’s Big Week It’s been another big week for OpenAI. The leading AI engine announced a new roadmap, which includes a different pricing structure and a simplified interface for users — not requiring them to choose which AI model they want to use for user queries. OpenAI has become a maze of options for users. Paid users currently can…

Super Bowl LIX has come and gone. Except for Eagles and Chiefs fans, the rest of us have moved on. But marketers are still debating those $8 million ads that generated more than $800 million in revenue. What does it take to produce a winning ad that all those viewers will pay attention to, understand, and perhaps even act on? And what can radio marketers learn from the wins and losses?

Back in 2019, a research team at NYU concluded that Millennials are more likely to remember classic songs from decades ago than contemporary hits from just the past few years. That tells us a lot about the staying power of older music – a phenomenon that continually repeats itself each time a themed biopic is released, based on the life and times of classic superstars. Today’s #TBT post was written seven years ago this month, but the recent released Dylan biopic and a highly anticipated new Led Zeppelin film in theaters right now sustain what has become a music and cultural trend. So, is radio paying attention?

“Less talk” has become something of a go-to positioner for a lot of radio stations over the decades, amplified during the “PPM Era.” Yet, broadcast radio might be better served by having MORE conversations with an audience that seems to be saying less and spending more time apart from friends, family, and co-workers. Sure, technology should shoulder some of the blame but the real culprits are alienation and isolation especially among younger consumers. How can radio break through this wall while building better connections at the same time? Here are my ideas.

Are you a “gamer” or are you someone who wonders what all the fuss is about? In either case, the video gaming industry is larger than the film and music businesses – combined. And now, there’s an indication games can have therapeutic benefits that match meditation. In fact, “cozy games” can help people deal with their angst and stress levels. And that got me wondering whether radio stations couldn’t rethink their “deliverables” to help their audiences cope with the pressures of the day. 2025 is already shaping up to be a challenging year, and this might be a way to “meet the audience where they are mentally.”