Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Introduction

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01 Creative Strategy Guide

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There was something intriguing about how Mutual sounded—so much different than the other networks.

There was a crispness, a faster pace, almost a swagger in its sound.

—Kenneth I. Johannessen.

Author of Mutual Broadcasting System Tribute Site

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Introduction

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04–13

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WHO WE ARE

WHO WE SERVE

Mutual`s Path Well-Remembered Days What is Mutual Mutual`s New Direction Our Mission

Techie Student Logical Engineer Successful Business man Bright Mom Sociable Sports Fan Party Animal

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COMPETITORS OF MUTUAL

HOW DO WE LOOK

Current Competitors Related Competitors Aspirational Competitors

Where We Were What`s Next In Conclusion

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Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Introduction

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01 Introduction to Mutual

WHO WE ARE Mutual`s Path Well-Remembered Days What is Mutual Mutual`s New Direction Our Mission

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MUTUAL`S PATH It is important that we trace back through the history, to find out the path that Mutual has been through. This section presents Mutual`s history via the timeline, showing every turning point of Mutual.

Jan 1935

Dec 1944

Mutual’s four member stations were set. WOR, WGN, WLW and WXYZ met in Chicago to sign a four-way agreement that bound them for two years.

By 1944, Mutual had 213 affiliates.

Although they worked cooperatively on the network level, to a large extent they worked independently.

Nov 1951

Mar 1959

General Tire and R.H. Macy & Co. (owner of WOR) announced a merger, which gave the combined entity 58% of Mutual.

AT&T threatened to unplug its lines to MBS stations unless an overdue bill of around $400,000 was paid. Roach didn’t have the money, and Mutual teetered on the edge.

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Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Introduction

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Sep 1934

Oct 1934

The Quality Group signed on Sunday, September 30, 1934 at 11:30 a.m. with Jacob Tarshish as the “Timely Philosopher”, a half-hour on WOR, WLW and WGN sponsored by Wasey Products.

The “Mutual” name was officially adopted on October 6, but not without some rancor: WGN preferred “Mutual Group,” while WOR wanted to stick with “Quality Group.”

Nov 1949

Jan 1950

For years, the network had been almost apologetic about the differences between it and the other networks. Mutual in the fall of 1949 found a sense of identity.

January 13, 1950, 44-year-old Thomas S. Lee either fell or jumped to his death from the 12th story of a Los Angeles office building.

Dec 1959

Apr 1960

Mutual emerged from reorganization in December 1959 with essentially a clean slate.

The future for Mutual was looking brighter: the network had trimmed its operating losses to $25,000 a month. But there was still doubt in the advertising community that Mutual would be around next year, next month, even next week.

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May 1960

Aug 1961

Detroit-Windsor’s CKLW terminated their 25-year affiliation, replaced

by WKMH Dearborn.

In August 1961, Mutual lost the last link to its beginnings when one of its founders, WOR, said goodbye.

Sep 1977

Aug 1998

In September 1977, the Gilberts sold the network - for a reported $18 million. The new owner was the Amway Corporation.

The Mutual Network as a stand alone entity ends, generic news is fed from CBS to Mutual (and NBC).

Apr 1999 “Official time of Mutual Radio’s death was Midnight 4/17/99. No tribute, no mention it was the last newscast, it just died.”

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Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Introduction

Well-Remembered Days

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This section presents several dates as important events for Mutual, showing a brief history of Mutual`s golden age.

Oct 1934 The name “Mutual“

Dec 1944

Nov 1949

The Growth

Sense of Identity

The "Mutual" name was officially adopted on October 6, but not without some rancor: WGN preferred "Mutual Group," while WOR wanted to stick with "Quality Group."

Mutual had 213 affiliates.

Although they worked cooperatively on the network level, to a large extent they worked independently.

Mutual in the fall of 1949 found a sense of identity; in November 1949, it embraced them in a new trade advertising campaign with a new mascot.

Sep 1977

Apr 1978

Apr 1999

New Territory

The Silent Death

The New Owner Gilberts sold the network—for a reported $18 million. The new owner was the Amway Corporation.

Mutual entered new territory— station ownership—with the purchase of WCFL in Chicago for $12 million. Two years later, it paid $14 million for WHN New York.

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On April 18, 1999, the final newscast to bear the Mutual name was broadcast, it was a silent death for this great brand.

WHAT IS mutual The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American commercial radio network. The network provides radio shows, news and sports event broadcasting for people who enjoy radio services. Also, the network provides advertising services for corporations to help them to promote their products and services.

Mutual was initially created by original four large stations to provide an outlet for the expensive shows they were producing—and the large talent staffs they maintained.

Mutual`s new Direction By rebranding the Mutual Broadcast System, this project is intended to bring this classic brand back to the media market; but beyond that, Mutual would go way further: by rebranding Mutual, it will be dedicated to making stories more intriguing and

immersing to people by using new ways to create narratives. The goal that the Mutual strikes back to the market with richer content and more engaging stories experience will be leading this project.

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Introduction

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WE STRIVE TO BRING AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH INTRIGUING STORIES AND IMMERSIVE INTERACTIONS.

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Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Introduction

oUR MISSION

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Here at Mutual, we engage our audience with intriguing storytelling and immersive interactions, a clear mission statement is essential when it comes to identifying who we are and what we do.

Intriguing

Immersive

“There was something intriguing about how Mutual sounded - so much different than the other networks. There was a crispness, a faster pace, almost a swagger in its sound; besides, there were those goofy tones in the commercial breaks, too.”

Cooperative

Sponsor Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Coal Co. (Blue Coal) made one important change, transforming the “Shadow” from a narrator (and silent force) of the crime stories into an active participant, originally voiced

by Orson Welles.

Unfolding

“Co-ops,” as they were called in the trade, were nothing new (dating as far back as 1930), but Mutual seized on the idea and soon became the co-op leader, a position it would hold well into the 1950s.

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All the efforts made by Mutual in its golden time are all about creating a different, crisp, and immersive experience for the audience. The experience as a whole is similar to the process of unfolding a box.

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Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Introduction

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02 Target Audience

WHO WE SERVE Techie Student Logical Engineer Successful Business Man Bright Mom Sociable Sports Fan Party Animal

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TONY BLAKE The Techie College Student

Basic Information

Introduction

Age:20 Occupation: Student Income: $7,000–$9,000 Gender: Male Transportation: Metro&Bus Location: New York

Teenagers have strong curiosity on new things; also, they usually have a strong sense of sharing. Tony represents young people that are eager to have new experiences, which is an important target audience to Mutual since the brand might work on new ways to present stories.

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Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Audience

It`s his first year in college.

He is energetic and passionate; teenagers will be one of the core audience for the community.

Tom loves to watch Action Movies.

Tony will be intrigued by strong visual effects and fast paced contents.

He subscribed to YouTube Red.

He would like to have fast updates of the new contents.

He likes to look at CNET for news and product reviews.

Tony like to have a good source for the contents he looks at.

He is active on social networks.

He is energetic, and he wants to share exciting things with his friends.

He`s favorite video game was Final Fantasy series.

He will be attracted by the good narratives and the interactions in games.

He always wants to design his own game.

Teenagers are active, creative, and energetic. Some of them have a great passion for content creating.

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BRAD CHOW The Logical Engineer

Basic Information

Introduction

Age:27 Occupation: Software Engineer Income: $60,000–$70,000 Gender: Male Transportation: Bart Location: San Francisco

Brad is working in a technology startup company, and he represents the people who embrace the technology innovations. People that consume a lot of up-to-date information are also our target audience.

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Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Audience

Brad just joined the company one months ago.

He is a freshman in the community around him, so he is motivated to begin connecting with others.

Brad loves detective stories and shows on NBC.

Brad loves the feeling of mysterious and suspending in the story.

He likes to start his day with some news updates on NYT.

He would like to have fast updates of the new contents.

He just bought a Hololens developer kit from Microsoft.

He would like to see the latest technology innovations and he are capable of getting his hands on them.

He`s audio device is Sennheiser HD 800.

Brad likes high-end headphones; he thinks the experience is the key, and he will pay for the improved experiences.

Brad likes to support projects on Kickstarter.

He is motivated to support new things and new field.

He loves to go to House of Shields after the work is over.

He is sociable and easy going so he is very important for the community.

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carson matthews The Successful Business Man

Basic Information

Introduction

Age:32 Occupation: Business man Income: $200,000–$400,000 Gender: Male Transportation: SUV Location: New York

People with high income usually spend a large amount of money on improving their experiences of products and services. Carson represents people that seek a high level of enjoyment and enhanced experiences, and they don`t care much about money.

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Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Audience

Carson runs his own technology company and it`s expanding.

He is in the industry of helping people to extend their ways to tell stories and consume media.

Carson loves to watch movies at home.

He would rather have a more isolated and exclusive experience.

He just bought a whole set of home theater system.

He loves to have a high-quality and also immersing experience.

He is an Apple fan boy.

The experience and quality are the factors that influence his buying decision on technology products.

He is one of the sponsors of Sennheiser.

He`s passionate about improving experiences does not stop at the level of consuming.

He loves the music of Franz Liszt.

He loves to experience the emotion and storytelling in classic music.

His company started an Kickstarter campaign.

He has visions for the future, and he is capable of associating people together to realize the visions.

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Olivia Ashe The Bright Mom

Basic Information

Introduction

Age:35 Occupation: Editor Income: $80,000–$90,000 Gender: Female Transportation: Sedan & Bike Location: Chicago

Olivia represents the people who live a healthy life, and they have clear ideas on what kind of content they want to get, and they want to keep it simple and easy. Also, they need some parents control method so that their kids can grow in an environment surrounded by controlled media information.

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Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Audience

Olivia usually goes to Whole Food for organic food.

She tries to improve the quality of her daily life, so she could be one of our core target audience.

Olivia don`t want to go to on site yoga classes.

She has a lot of fragmented time, so she might benefit from Mutual`s service

She uses Roku for shows and movies.

She want her access to entertainment content to be easy and flexible.

She watches cartoons with her daughter.

She wants her daughter Ada to grow up in a safe media environment.

She loves to hike and listen to music at weekends.

She knows the importance of relaxing activities and entertainment.

She loves to watch jazz music concerts.

She loves the interactions and emotions in live performance and jazz music.

Olivia loves to collect story books.

She loves to explore new stories. Also, she wants to experience the narratives.

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Andre Lewis The Sociable Sports Fan

Basic Information

Introduction

Age:29 Occupation: Salesman Income: $40,000–$50,000 Gender: Male Transportation: Bus Location: Boston

Here at Mutual, we consider the connection among people one of the most important things in our brand value; so those who are active, sociable and friendly are our target audience. Andre is a sports fan, so we have rich sports contents for him.

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Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Audience

He loves to go to gym.

He loves to be active physically and meet new people.

Andre is always a team player.

He is sociable, and he knows how to cooperate with other people.

Andre is fan of New England Patriots.

He needs for sports media and updates about his favorite team.

He`s an Instagram celebrity.

Andre is capable of making intriguing photos and narratives on social media.

He loves games made by EA.

He thinks the quality of simulation in video games matters.

He works at a Nike factory.

Andre is inspiring, and he is willing to work with other people.

He loves playing basketball and football.

Andre is the target audience of a lot of sports media services.

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Juan Garcia The Party Animal

Basic Information

Introduction

Age: 28 Occupation: EDM Producer Income: $80,000–$95,000 Gender: Male Transportation: Sedan & Motorcycle Location: San Jose

Juan represents people who have a lot of free time and want to see something fancy and new. This persona is essential in our potential community, they work as the glue in the people who love music and sharing.

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Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Audience

Juan is flexible in his working schedule.

He has a free working style, which gives him a lot of time for media consuming and entertainment.

He loves to hang out with friends and his family.

Juan is easy going, and he has a passion for sharing good experiences.

He loves parties, snacks, music and new people.

Juan is active, sociable, and enthusiastic about living a good life and making friends, which is beneficial to the development of the community.

He is a part-time streamer.

Juan loves to share his experience in a different way. Online streaming is an important market for Mutual as well.

He goes to RAVE every weekend.

Juan is a heavy media consumer, which makes him one of our target audiences.

He loves to post his recipes on his blog site.

Juan would love to see more people getting involved in the things that he found interesting.

He always shares his production process.

Juan always tries to tell his story in an intriguing way.

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Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Competitors

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03 Analysis on Competitors

COMPETITORS OF MUTUAL Current Competitors Related Competitors Aspirational Competitors

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current Competitors Introduction

Difference

The brands in this categories are all radio stations; they are competitors in old Mutual`s field. Most of them have programs in multiple fields. These competitors are versatile and welldeveloped. Some of them are the go-to choice for a lot of media consumers.

Most of them focus on the accessibility of the information and the variety of the programs. Mutual is more dedicated to creating a crisp and immersing experience with intriguing and interactive content. The experiences Mutual creates should be more focused and in depth.

CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, fifth behind main rivals iHeartMedia, Cumulus Media, Townsquare Media, and Alpha Media.

Powered by the highest standards in journalism, meet the award-winning team committed to providing your listeners the best coverage — at home and abroad.

The FOX Sports Radio Network, based in Los Angeles, California, is a division of Premiere Networks in partnership with FOX Sports. The FOX Sports Radio Network can be heard on more than 400 stations, as well as FOXSports. com on MSN and iHeartRadio.

BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The service provides national radio stations covering the majority of musical genres, as well as local radio stations covering local news, affairs and interests. It also oversees Online audio content.

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Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Competitors

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Cox Media Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises, is an integrated broadcasting, publishing and digital media company that also includes the direct marketing company Valpak and the national advertising rep firms of Cox Reps.

ed Peach Media is the home of Big Z-Country, Z-107.5 FM, ESPN Radio 97.7 FM, The Peach 99.3 FM, Rejoice 1490 AM, RedPeachSports.com and a full service audio production studio.

Radio One, Inc. is an American media company with holdings in radio, cable television and digital media. Radio One owns and operates 55 radio stations in 16 US markets.

Moody Radio is one of the largest Christian radio networks in the United States. Located in downtown Chicago, Moody Radio has 37 owned and operated stations and hundreds of affiliates and outlets that carry all or part of its programming.

Radio Australia is the international broadcasting and online service operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Australia’s public broadcaster. Most programming is in English, with some in Tok Pisin and French.

Infinity Broadcasting Corporation was a radio company that existed from 1972 until 2005. It was founded

by Michael A. Wiener and Gerald Carrus. It became associated with popular radio personalities like Opie and Anthony, Howard Stern, Don Imus and Mike Francesa.

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related Competitors Introduction Most of the brands in this category are Internet streaming service providers.

They all have a very flexible and accessible way of presenting contents; also, they have the advantage of the Internet: anytime, anywhere at your finger tip.

Launched on June 26, 2006 using the FTTP, VDSL, and ADSL communication protocols, U-verse includes broadband Internet, IP telephone, and IPTV services in 21 states.

CNET (stylized as c|net) is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally.

ulu (stylized as hulu) is an American subscription video on demand service owned by Hulu LLC, a consortium consisting of The Walt Disney Company.

go90 is an American streaming service owned by Verizon that offers a selection of TV shows, movies, clips, and other streaming media. go90 is free, ad-supported, and does not require a subscription.

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Mutual Creative Strategy Guide

Competitors

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Roku provides the simplest way to stream entertainment to your TV. On your terms. With more channels than any other streaming player. Easy setup and simple navigation makes Roku TV the perfect smart TV for the family.

Twitch is a live streaming video platform owned by Twitch Interactive, a subsidiary of Amazon.com. the site primarily focuses on video gaming, including playthroughs of video games, broadcasts of eSports competitions, creative content, and more recently, music broadcasts.

Amazon Video is an Internet video on demand service developed and operated by Amazon.com. Amazon has pursued a number of exclusive content deals to differentiate its service, including a multi-year licensing deal with HBO in the United States.

The site allows users to upload, view, rate, share, and comment on videos, and it makes use of WebM, H.264/ MPEG-4 AVC, and Adobe Flash Video technology to display a wide variety of user-generated and corporate media.

Sling TV is a new live TV service that allows subscribers to watch a collection of cable TV channels on their TVs, computers or mobile devices.

Netflix specializes in and provides streaming media and video on demand online and DVD by mail. In 2013, Netflix added film and television production, as well as online distribution.

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Aspirational Competitors Introduction In this category, there are service providers and product manufacturers.

These brands already started exploring the possibilities of expanding people`s vision with the development of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

The VOID Theme Park is the new Generation of Virtual Reality & Mixed Reality Virtual Entertainment Centers For Gamers. VOID is acting as an aspirational competitor and an ideal model for next generation content delivery.

Within was founded by award-winning filmmaker Chris Milk and renowned technologist Aaron Koblin with the goal of exploring and expanding the potential of immersive storytelling.

The Netflix VR app for Gear VR doesn’t suddenly turn the 20cm around your head into an IMAX display. You actually get shown a virtual living room, complete with fireplace, with the equivalent of an 80-inch TV in front of you.

HTC Vive is a virtual reality headset developed by HTC and Valve Corporation, released on 5 April 2016. This headset is designed to utilize “room scale” technology to turn a room into 3D space via sensors.

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Competitors

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Google is one of the first companies in the AR game by developing Google Glass. It has a solid base of technology and expertise in services, so it could be Mutual`s strong competitor.

Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington, that develops, manufactures, licenses, supports and sells computer software, consumer electronics and personal computers and services.

Gravity Jack is a custom software development company, specializing in custom iPhone, Android and other mobile apps, as well as augmented reality.

Mutual Mobile has made immersive virtual reality experiences for several brands. Mutual Mobile successfully takes first step toward commerce in virtual reality by sending real world refreshments to participants in virtual reality from thousands of miles away.

The Gear VR is one of the best virtual reality gadgets you can buy right now.

Samsung has various resources in digital imagery field, it`s a very strong opponent for Mutual.

Oculus is making it possible to experience anything, anywhere, through the power of virtual reality. Visit to learn more about Gear VR and Oculus Rift.

It`s one of the most early players in the VR field.

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Visualization

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04 Brand Visualization

HOW DO WE LOOK Where We Were What`s Next In Conclusion

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WHERE WE WERE Mutual represents the golden age of radio broadcasting. This section presents the visions of the old Mutual: classic, warm, thick, and prestigious.

This visual collage reflects the characteristics of the old Mutual and the age of 1940s.

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Visualization

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what`s next This visual collage shows the vivid image of the new Mutual: elegant, light, edgy, and futuristic. The visions that these pictures contain will guide the future design and characteristics of the new Mutual.

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Visualization

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In conclusion After a long period of researching and development on the subject of Mutual, a master framework on the creative strategy has been established. Next phase of this rebranding project will be creating a complete visual system for the brand after synthesizing all the ideas and knowledge achieved so far.

Mutual is a unique, and strong brand, it has some intriguing stories and a lot of twists in its history. The visual system of Mutual and the conceptual thinking will benefit from the four keywords (intriguing, immersive, cooperative, unfolding) identified in this book.

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