Rebrand for 96fm as it joins national KIIS network
Australian Radio Network (ARN) has announced the rebrand of Perth’s 96FM as it joins Sydney (KIIS 1065), Melbourne (KIIS101.1), Brisbane (97.3FM) and Adelaide (MIX 102.3) as part of the KIIS national network. ARN said the much-anticipated rebrand will breathe new life into the heritage station while ‘Keeping it Real’ by celebrating more of the music and entertainment that Perth loves.
Along with fresh new branding, ARN will continue to build on the well-established heritage of 96FM while strengthening the entertainment offering with Perth’s own Carmen & Fitzi for Breakfast, National KIIS Network’s Hughesy & Kate for the Drive home, and more exciting local on-air talent announcements to come.
“96FM is loved by its loyal listeners and it’s essential for us to retain the strong heritage of the station,” said ARN’s National Content Director Duncan Campbell. “The essence of what listeners love about 96FM will remain unchanged as we build on this solid foundation to create a station tailored for Perth that will be genuine, fun and down to earth. After several years of successful growth, the addition of 96FM in Perth is yet another strong step forward for ARN and the national KIIS network.”
Newly appointed Perth Commercial Director, Rick Dalton, said 96FM’s inclusion in the national KIIS Network ensured the station would continue to have a compelling offering for advertisers and clients.
“I’m extremely excited to be part of the evolution of 96FM, we’re confident that the loyal listeners and advertisers of Perth will love the new look branding and content offering,” he said. “96FM’s strong heritage, coupled with the consistently strong performance of Sydney’s KIIS 1065, Melbourne’s KIIS 101.1, Brisbane’s 97.3 and Adelaide’s Mix 102.3, puts ARN in an excellent position to deliver effective and fully integrated national campaign offerings for our clients.”
ARN’s National Marketing Director, Anthony Xydis said 96FM is a strong performer in the Perth market and has a strong connection with a local and passionate fan base.
“The new branding brings the station in line with the other stations in the KIIS Network, retaining its name and local identity in a similar strategy to 97.3 in Brisbane and Mix 102.3 in Adelaide, which are both part of the national network. The evolution of 96FM with ‘Keeping it real’ embraces the authenticity of the station and its listeners while holding on to the brand’s ‘real’ music cred. The launch campaign has been developed to reflect the true spirit and sounds of Perth and audiences’ passion for great music, good times and what living in Perth is all about.”
8 Comments
At least they had the good sense to only change the logo…for now!
This is corporate branding insanity. Triple M tried to do the same thing years ago with 96FM, for the same nonsensical reasons – and had to un-do it. If the local heritage of the station were as important to the network as the press release says it is, the idea of imposing an interstate brand on it would be inconceivable. The only way this KIIS (more like CPR…) identity makes any sense is through introducing the KIIS brand name, which is surely now the next step. The enormous brand equity gets burnt, and the positioning gets completely confused – all so the network can point to their ‘national brand’ on a building in Perth? I can’t even.
Well said Ric!!
Hi Ric. I think by local heritage, they’re referring to the music programming and possibly the announcers, too. Not the brand/logo. When you look at it like that, yes, I guess it is possible to retain ‘local heritage’ while bringing the station in line with its national brand.
Hey Maxwell. Forgive me, but a brand is not a logo, it’s a set of attributes that are built around an organisation to define and differentiate it in the market. With a brand like 96FM, its long history as the first commercial FM in Perth has built substantial equity into its position as the station for ‘rock music aficionados’. Announcers will always come and go (me, 1985-1990) – the local heritage is founded in that market position earned over decades. The most recent tagline ‘Keeping real music alive’ was very appropriate to that positioning. Now, the KIIS network can, by all means, choose to adopt a new position if they see an advantage in it. I’d just prefer they avoided the pretence of ‘valuing the local heritage’ of the station, which the imposition of this irrelevant corporate branding doesn’t do. Cheers.
Apologies Ric. Maybe I should’ve said ‘BRANDING’ not ‘brand’. Because from what I can gather, I thought they were just changing a logo/tagline. The rest of it’s still the same, right? They’re still retaining the name and what the station is about (I used the term ‘music programming’, you specifically said ‘the station for rock music aficionados’).
So, what’s the problem with bringing the BRANDING under the umbrella of a national network?
You also refer to a BRAND as “a set of attributes that are built around an organisation to define and differentiate it in the market.” I do agree, and I think the media release address this perfectly when it says the “essence of what listeners love about 96FM will remain unchanged.” Wouldn’t the essence be the BRAND; part of what you say “defines and differentiates it in the market”?
Maxwell, time will tell whether the name remains the same. As I said, the gaping gob logo only makes sense when the KIIS name accompanies it. So the current situation suggests a staged change where the frequency eventually becomes secondary to a new corporate brand name. Yes, the ‘branding’ isn’t the ‘brand’, but it is an expression of it, so it does need to be in synch – which it now decidedly is not. (It is not a small thing to “just change a logo/tagline”.) Hence my expectation of more change to come.
Don’t worry about it Ric, just listen to RTR. I recommend any show featuring Charlie Bucket or the soul specials on Friday night. Double J if you’re really hankering for actual rock nostalgia. None of us need to hear Pearl Jam or Matchbox 20 yet again.