Tag Archives: higher ratings

WAS MAREN MORRIS – “GIRL” A # ONE RECORD?

Was Maren Morris – “Girl” a # ONE record?

Well, Yes AND No.

Yes, it was manipulated to the #1 spot.

Had Columbia not called and asked stations to hold back on spins on Luke Combs – Beer Never Broke My Heart the song “Girl” by Maren Morris would probably never reached the #1 spot on any chart.

Now Columbia can do what it wants.

Including calling stations and asking them to play a song LESS!

Ironic.

I thought record “promotion” fundamentally was about getting more spins and exposure on their records.

Did Columbia want the Luke Combs record to be played less?

Was there an underlying agenda?

Without Columbia asking radio stations to spin Luke Combs less would Maren have had a #1 with Girl?

Know how to read the charts every week.  For help navigating the fake charts and record company landmines the UnConsultant can help.

252-453-8888      unconsult@aol.com

 

BREAK THE RULES????? CRS 360

BREAK THE RULES?

Yesterday was another CRS 360 Webinar.  Let’s play what did we learn!

Joey Tack is new to the Country format.

Chris Huff has been in the Country format his entire radio career.

Cumes in Country are atrophying.

More share erosion is on the younger end nationally.

There is speculation that the “sameness” is a sound problem.

The chart speed is an issue for radio and records.

Tack said, make your station exciting.  (Homer Simpson says doh!)

I didn’t expect Huff who is a smart programmer to give up any secrets.  But I’ve noticed that after being the bride’s maid several times (APD who didn’t get the PD nod) that now as PD of KILT for the first time KILT is  beating KKBQ.

I’ve listened online, I hear why KILT is now winning.  Bravo Chris!

But can I posit an idea?

Let’s go back to something really basic.

Define “Country” as a music genre.

25 years ago at Country Radio Seminar Moon Mullins stood up and said, “it’s songs that have some twang, with themes of a country lifestyle about real-life and that folks could relate to. AND we’re still a format where you can hear the words.”

I think the “sameness” argument masks the REAL PROBLEM.

First.  There is cume atrophy because we are the big fish and there are lots of smaller fish nipping at us.  Lots of DSP online choices now compete with us for attention and time.  Hence, some of the cume erosion is real.  For the fix please see the “make your radio station exciting” suggestion above.

Second.  Too much of what is purveyed by Nashville doesn’t match the expectation of the country music consumer.

There are sonics that they expect in country music.

Third.  Take Chances YES!   But don’t be stupid.  I’m amazed that so few radio folks do not understand that Spotify, YouTube, and purchasing music product is a very different experience from listening (using) radio.  Streaming and Shazam data are about as helpful to radio as a thermometer would be to measure linear distance.  Great tool.  Wrong application.

Right now there are precious few who have figured it out.

However, there a few who have figured it out.

The great news is they have chosen not to participate in the “Country Ratings Decline.”

If you need help choosing not two participate in the “Country Ratings Decline”  email unconsult@aol.com  or call  252-453-8888

IS THIS PAYOLA?

Is this PAYOLA?

Isn’t payola when the radio station in exchange for airplay of a record accepts something of value?

Wouldn’t getting the act to play at a concert for the stations be something of value?

Has anyone gotten a “free” Tenille Townes concert performance without having to play the record?

Could it be that all 52 iHeart stations want to play the Tenille Townes song “Somebody’s Daughter?”

Might one or two of those stations have a PD, MD or Brand Manager who felt it might not be a song that “fits” their station’s sound and strategy?

Did Columbia offer iHeart Tenille Townes for their iHeart Country Music Festival May 4thfor FREE without the promise of airplay?

Or was there an understanding?    Was there an agreement?   Was in done in the shadows?

Are there emails?     Is this payola?    Or am I wrong and it’s just benevolence and a coincidence that 52 stations ALL played it at the same time?

Or was it very above board and legal?

Were there agreements, invoices, 1099’s and taxes paid?

Was the deal or agreement disclosed with every play of the song on the air?

Have you noticed all I have is questions?

Keith Hill ?

252-453-8888?

unconsult@aol.com?

 

 

Look For The Simple Solution or Simple Answers

Look For The Simple Solution or Simple Answers

I’m amazed at how often folks make things much more complicated than they need to be.

Four and a half years ago I said “tomato” at a radio industry conference and for the past four years, not a lot has changed.

Here’s an inventory of what has changed.

Marissa Moss writes a lot of articles complaining about the plight of women in country music.

I pointed out an easy to count metric.

Why Dr. Jada Watson took over $50,000 to sit and run Mediabase reports that folks in radio have already run. Then she published them as a so called, “Research Study.”

Marissa Moss has written even more articles complaining.

Tracy Gershon, Beverly Keel, and Leslie Fram have not changed the conversation, they have just had more of it.

Emily Yahr has done what Marissa Moss has done.

The Grammy Awards are voted on by industry elites that are disconnected from the real folks listening to the radio.

A substantial portion of those votes are cast from Europe.

In Europe, they hate mainstream country.  They LOVE the esoteric country music.

Going to Concerts is a dramatically different kind of event than listening to free radio.

When you go to a concert and pay you tell yourself “I’m having a good time and enjoy this” otherwise you feel bad about the expenditure.

Marissa Moss has written even more articles.

I have nothing against the women in the country music industry but, they think I am a big part of the gender imbalance.  Uh NOPE!

The simple answer is that radio airplay is not connected to awards and festivals.

The simple answer is the songs on the radio and the spins they get are because of the response of primarily female listeners.

The simple answer is this is a FREE MARKET issue.

Now Marissa Moss will write even more articles on the topic.

The simple truth is Marshal McLuhan was right.  Which means we’re in for even more articles about this gender inequity in radio air-play.

At the 5 year anniversary of “tomato gate,” nothing will have changed except…

Marissa Moss will write even more articles.

RECAP OF TODAY’S CRS 360 DISCUSSION ON GENDER BALANCE AT COUNTRY RADIO PART II.

Recap Of Today’s CRS 360 Discussion On Gender Balance At Country Radio Part II

 

Welcome Everyone!

Cindy Mabe Can’t Be Here Because Of A Family Emergency.

And That Helps Us Understand That Family Is More Important Than Our Industry Issues.

With Us Today Is Lindsay Ell A Female Country Music Artist

And Beville Dunkerly A Female From  Pandora.

Lindsay What’s It Like To Be A Female Artist Today?

(Insert Lyrics Of Feelings By Morris Albert)

But I Do Acknowledge That Good Music Is What Works

Beville Talk To Us About Pandora.  Blah Blah Blah Algorithms.

Blah Blah I Used To Be In Terrestrial Radio And Go Girls!!!!!

Linsday How Will Things Change?  Well… I Feel That Blah Blah Blah … Unfair… Blah Blah. Blah.

Thank You Linsday.

Beville And Lindsay Do Women Want To Hear Women?    Blah Blah Blah I See Women At My Shows.  And The Algorithms Show That More Women Listen To Country Products.

But They Do Listen To Men.

Breville How Can This Change?   Well Programmers Need To Be Brave And Add More Females And Ah Blah Blah Blah And Algorithms.

Well, Thanks, Everybody.

Glad We Solved This Gender “Imbalance” Issue.   So Stay Tuned Because Our Next Crs 360 Will Be In July On Another And Different Topic!

Actually, They Were Very Articulate And Thoughtful.  But Nothing Was Solved!

Kudos to R.J. Curtis – But is it the right Question????

Kudos to R.J. Curtis

Yesterday the CRS held a webinar called “A Discussion Of Gender Balance At Country Radio: Part One”

I had thought that R.J. Curtis would stay away from this topic.  Curtis kicked off the webinar by correctly sighting the motto, “Growth Through Sharing.”  The founding members of CRS believed that the country format could be stronger than Pop, Rock, and Adult Contemporary formats by sharing research, ideas, promotions and concepts within the format itself.  They also believed that when radio and records embraced each other that those synergies would make country stronger.

There was one mention of Dr. Jada Watson.  She did not do any research. All she did was compile Mediabase reports.  Jeff Green did more than Watson!

What did we learn yesterday?

Jeff Green did an excellent job of showing us the percentage of singles released to radio by females.  There were also excellent graphs showing the percentages of singles by females that got airplay of certain levels.  Jeff’s biggest reveal was that when the measurement of country radios largest markets by PPM technology there were changes. Country radio played singles longer than before.  That meant shorter playlists and fewer adds.

Jeff also pointed out that County is a top-performing format.  He also pointed out that the cumes of country radio break in favor of women listeners.  I wish he had talked about the real currency we worry about.  That is average quarter hours.  While the cumes of country are 55% female there and even more important metric.  Nielsen boils radio listening down to a uniform currency called average quarter hours.  One person listens for one hour that is four-quarter hours.  Four people listen 15 minutes each that also is four-quarter hours. Females deliver 68% of the average quarter hours to radio!  Women listen longer than men (in the aggregate) to country radio.  The point is that country radio programmers research and caters to female listeners.

We all know country radio ultimately will tune their metrics to optimize cumes and time spent listening and time spent exposed.

Hey, Jeff, the entry of Soundscan changed things too!

Technology has allowed us to get a clearer picture with more accuracy.  Larger samples with precise attribution mean more accuracy and a much higher level of confidence.

There was no mention of MScore.  That’s okay.  John Shomby covered the basics of radio programming and ratings very efficiently.  MScore is a product that takes the Nielsen meter holders and shows the tune in and tune out on each individual song.  Programmers use it to increase the rotation and plays on songs that perform well and inversely reduce the rotation and plays on songs that perform at a lesser level.

My claim is that our programmers don’t care about gender when we increase or decrease the spins on a song.  We care about the relative strengths of the songs based upon the response of the listeners.  This is truly the free market at work.

The discussion of “GUT” cited as a top reason to add records is interesting.  John Shomby explained that a programmer knows his or her station and audience.  Then they make adds based upon a fit into that station’s sound.  He referred to it as a strategy.  In our research, we find that our listeners think the ideal station has more tempo that our station has now.  So we then have a bias against ballads. We tune the programming to drive the tempo more.  That way we are a better product matching the ideal the listeners want. The same might go for other music metrics like a desire for more gold, more twang, etc.  We call these “music lanes.”  Calling it “GUT” really besmirches what it actually is.

Think of it this way.  Captain Sully Sullenberger “used his gut” to land a plane on Hudson after his plane lost both engines.  Well yes and no.  Yes, if you consider “GUT” his years and years of experience and training.  No, if you call it thousands of hours of flying planes, classes in Flight School and reading reports of NTSB Crashes from the past.

Rachel Skaggs presented data on the number of female artists who have won Grammy’s.  Also, industry polls on “I wish I had written that song” and songs on country radio counted in Billboard.

I thought John Shomby helped bring clarity to the Grammy issue.  Grammy’s are very disconnected from Country Radio.  Over the years we have had many artists get Grammy’s that we did not play much on Country Radio.  The list is long.  Glen Campbell from 2015,  Asleep At The Wheel, Alison Krauss, Sturgill Simpson, and R.J. made mention of that 2004 compilation “Songs of the Louvin Brothers.”  So when I hear, “but it won a Grammy!”  I say do the listeners care?

Music Critics were mentioned.  I’ve told many record promoters over the years, “if Robert K. Oermann likes a record I’ll stay away from it.  However, if he doesn’t like it I’ll give it a try.”  These are the opinions of a class of “journalist elites” who have never programmed a radio station where they were pressured to drive ratings in the real world.

I’m not sure R.J. is willing to bring up in Part 2 of this discussion, “are we asking the right question?”

The description of the webinar starts  “There has been plenty of debate recently challenging Country music to find a better male-female balance when it comes to radio airplay.”

What is “Better Balance?”

Isn’t that like  “Trucks are outselling sedans!  Join our discussion to get a better balance of sedans to trucks in America” ????

I understand the optics of the percentages of females at country radio.  The current metrics are not the result of misogyny or sexism.  They are the result of the free market.

I have long challenged someone in Country radio to program a rated station in a PPM market to play 40% to 50% females. (I strongly believe the rating result would prove that the way radio is operating today results in the highest possible time spent exposed.)

We want a “better balance” because we don’t want sexism.  We want a “better balance” because we want fairness.

Welcome to America and a Free Market.

We do have equal opportunity. The doors of every record label are OPEN for business.  Female acts can send demos and make their pitch for record contracts.  The woman of Nashville can start an all-female label if they like.  All female owned, all female executives and an all-female roster. Why that might even drive the one metric mention by Jeff Green that seems to be meaningful, the number of singles released by females. (30%)

As to the number of spins on country radio, those 30 percent of releases get reduced in airplay and spins.

So we have equality of opportunities but NOT EQUALITY OF OUTCOMES!

The spins on country radio are up to the response of the listeners.  Jeff Green did not drill down to see that during the late 90s (95/96/97/98) when we were playing our highest percentage of females what happened to time spent listening.  I’ll tell you it went down considerably.   That is when I studied this issue AND tested it.  I programmed stations with lower percentages of females and defied that national averages on time spent listening.

My question to the CRB… is a “better balance” an artificially inflated number of females?  Or is it the desire for the numbers to be different than what our actual listeners want as the result of listening to our Country radio product and brands across America?

Keith Hill – I believe in Growth Through Sharing!

NOT ON THE VERGE ANYMORE?

Maybe someone from iHeart will email me.. is Tenille Townes – Somebody’s Daughter not “One The Verge” Anymore?????

 

Marissa Moss are you paying attention?  Dr. Watson?

 

Keith Hill

unconsult@aol.com    252-453-8888

Uh Oh, Say It Ain’t So Tenille!

The iHeart Country Music Festival is over.  I’m not sure when the “on the verge” for Tenille Townes is over.

Looks like it might be sunsetting.

You mean those plays weren’t organic?

Keith Hill

252-453-8888

Let the Free Market Work for All of Us!

Class is in Session – Lesson “Carrie Underwood”

Class is in session! You do a job long enough you learn a few things. So we know 2, 6 and 11 are bad numbers for record promoters.

When country radio today gets a new record from Carrie Underwood we are BIASED in favor of playing it. WHY? Because she is a superstar with equity. Her face is on the Mt. Rushmore of Country Music Stars.

Cry Pretty never tested very well. Capitol fought that one hard. It was the title cut from the new album. They channeled their best Monte Hall and got that song to #9. It was a heavy lift. Then came Love Wins. It also tested uh… less than Capitol would have liked. But we played the song because it was Carrie. Their job as record promoters is to “promote” and they did but fell short and the song will forever be a #11.

I’m sure we all have great faith in Southbound. To me it is sonically better. Even the very biggest female in the format get bias in her favor but the songs didn’t test well enough to get the songs to above 11 and 10 respectively.

Next class will be about newcomer Tenille Townes.

This is me way back in Seaford, Delaware when 1280 WSUX (that’s right WSUX-AM) was country. It was a day time only station and in the summer was on the air till 8:45pm. That gave me an after school summer job. They made me music director. This was 1976. Red Sovine -Teddy Bear which I added was on the air. I knelt down because I wanted it to capture the studio equipment in the picture. Adjunct Professor Keith Hill with a BA in real world experience. (Beware of folks with a Doctorate in Musicology who have never worked in radio and never added even one record!)

A PARODY OF DR. JADA WATSON’S “RESEARCH” TO HELP YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND

A PARODY OF DR. JADA WATSON’S “RESEARCH” TO HELP YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND

MY STUDY IS CALLED… “A CAREFUL AND THOUGHTFUL LOOK AT THE BIAS AGAINST BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM BY THE ICE CREAM MANUFACTURERS”

THEN IMAGINE YEARS OF GRAPHS THAT LOOK LIKE THIS:

CONSUMPTION OF ICE CREAM FLAVORS

AND FOR THE SAKE OF SAVING DIGITAL SPACE LET’S STIPULATE THAT IT’S BEEN THIS WAY FOR 53 YEARS 4 MOS AND 6 DAYS.  YEAR AFTER YEAR BLUEBERRY COMES IN AT PLUS OR MINUS .02 OF 1%.  CLEAR AND STEADY PROOF OF THE BIAS BY THE ICE CREAM MANUFACTURERS AGAINST THE BLUEBERRY GROWERS OF AMERICA.  COLLATERALLY THERE HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANT BIAS AGAINST THE NEW JERSEY AND CALIFORNIA FRUIT GROWER ASSOCIATIONS.

ALSO OF SIGNIFICANT NOTE IS THE STRONG EXPENDITURES BY THE COCOA POWDER LOBBY IN WASHINGTON. ALSO THE VANILLA ACT OF 1981 WHICH MANDATED THAT VANILLA ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE BY ANY SHOP OFFERING ICE CREAM FOR SALE IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES.

THESE CLEARLY BIASED ACTIONS HAVE DEPRESSED THE CONSUMPTION OF BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM GOING BACK TO THE 1930’S WHEN THIS DATA WAS FIRST RECORDED.

ONE CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE OF THE DAMAGE THIS HAS CAUSED TO THE BLUEBERRY GROWERS TALLYS THE LOSS OF ACRES FARMED IN BLUEBERRYS HAS ATROPHIED OVER 35%.  THE USDA ALSO CONSERVATIVLY ESTIMATES THAT 75,000 FAMILES HAVE HAD TO SELL FAMILY FARMS DUE TO THE BIAS AGAINST BLUEBERRY GROWERS IN THIS ANTI BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM CABAL.

WHY QUITE FRANKLY IT’S NOT A STRETCH TO IMAGINE SUICIDES AND EARLY DEATH RATES AMONG BLUEBERRY FARMERS HAVING SPIKED AS THE RESULT OF THE COORDINATED EFFORTS OF THE PURVEYORS OF CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA ICE CREAM.

IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO STRATIFY THE DATA TO SHOW HOW CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA ICE CREAM MANUFACTURES EFFORTS HAVE EVEN PREVENTED THE BLENDED FLAVORS OF BLUEBERRY WITH CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA.  HOWEVER, WE CAN SAY CLEARLY THAT THESE EFFORTS HAVE MARGINALIZED THE BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM CONSUMPTION IN INSIPID WAYS.

THIS WOULD BE A PICTURE WITH A SINGLE MESSAGE OF BIAS IF PEOPLE ONLY ATE ICE CREAM ONCE A YEAR. HOWEVER, SINCE THE AVERAGE PERSON VISITS AN ICE CREAM PARLOR 13.47 TIMES A YEAR, CONSIDER THAT ONCE A MONTH AND POSSIBLY FOR A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION PERHAPS, THIS HORRIFIC BIAS IS SIMPLY MAGNIFIED AND COMPOUNDED BY EACH CALENDAR PAGE.

COMBINE THE BIAS OF ‘WHAT’S OFFERED” AT ICE CREAM PARLORS WITH THIS REPEAT VISIT METRIC AND YOU HAVE A CYCLE THAT SIMPLY REINFORCES THE REGULAR CONSUMPTION OF CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA.  WE WILL NOTE SIMPLY LATER THAT EVEN IF BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM WAS STOCKED AT A HIGHER LEVEL AND MADE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE THE CONSUMPTION OF BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM WOULD NATUALLY RISE.  WE NOW HAVE A CYCLE OF CONSUMERS WHO DON’T SEE WHAT THEY DON’T SEE AND NOW OVERLOOK THE CHOICE.  GOD FORBID WHEN IT’S NOT EVEN PRESENT IN THE GLASS FREEZER TO BE SEEN!

TIME AND BUDGET DIDN’T ALLOW US TO DELVE INTO THE RICH AND ROBUST DATA OF GROCERY STORE PURCHASES OF ICE CREAM.  SUFFICE TO SAY THE SAME RETCHED BIAS THAT THE CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA MANUFACTURERS HAVE PURVEYED VIA ICE CREAM PARLOR CONSUMPTION IS SIMPLY MIRRORED BY GROCERY PURCHASES AND HOME CONSUPTION.  ONCE AGAIN WE REPRISE THE SIMPLE FACT THAT BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM IS NOT AS PREVALENT AND SOMETIMES NOT STOCKED AT ALL BY GROCERS!  THIS IS THE KIND OF BIAS THAT DEVELOPS THE CYCLE OF REPEATED CONSUMPTION OF CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA!

MUCH NEEDED STEPS ARE NEEDED TO CORRECT THIS INJUSTICE TO THE BLUEBERRY GROWERS OF AMERICA!!!!! IT WILL TAKE AN INDUSTRY WIDE ALL-IN SERIES OF EFFORTS.  THEY ARE:

ICE CREAM PARLORS– STOCK MORE BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM.  PARLORS THAT DON’T HAVE BLUEBERRY MUST BEGIN STOCKING AND DISPLAYING IT NOW. THE PLACEMENT OF BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT.  IT CANNOT BE HIDDEN LIKE SOME DENT IN A CAR.  IT MUST HAVE EQUAL DISPLAY TO THAT OF THE CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA ICE CREAMS. PERIOD.

MANUFACTURERS– ICE CREAM MANUFACTURERS SIMPLY NEED TO INCREASE THE GALLONS MANUFACTURED OUTPUT OF BLUEBERRY TO CREATE A FAIRNESS AND EQUITY IN OUTPUT.  THIS IN TURN WILL FORCE THE SHEVLING AND PRESENTATION FOR SALE AND CONSUMPTION OF MORE BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM.  THIS WILL BE A BEGINNING TO BREAK THIS CYCLE AND CULTURE OF ANTI BLUEBERRY BIAS.

PROMOTION– WE NEED TO MAKE JULY NATIONAL BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM MONTH.  LET THIS NOT JUST BE A SINGLE MONTH PROMOTION.  THERE NEEDS TO BE FIVE AND HALF MONTHS OF NATIONWIDE RADIO, TV, BILLBOARDS, FREE SAMPLINGS AND THE LIKE.  AFTER JULY THERE NEEDS TO BE ANOTHER FIVE AND HALF MONTHS HALO OF THE MEMORY OF THE USAGE AND DELIGHTFUL EXPERIENCE CAMPAIGN. ONLY THROUGH A ROBUST CAMPAIGN OF MARKETING CAN BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM CLIMB UP FROM THE YEARS OF NON-STOP BIAS FROM TWO OTHER FLAVORS OF LEGACY PRIVILEGE.

MANAGEMENT AND AGENCIES– TAKE A PAGE FROM THE LEAD OF THE US AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURERS.  WHEN TRUCKS STARTED OUTSELLING SEDANS TWO TO ONE THE AUTO MANUFACTURERS DID NOT STAND ROADSIDE IDLY BY.  INSTEAD THEY SHUT DOWN HALF OF TRUCK MANUFACTURING TO CREATE A SMALLER SUPPLY OF TRUCKS.  THAT EFFORT COMBINED WITH THE ARTIFICIAL FINANCIAL INCENTIVES CREATED BY THE US GOVERNMENT IN THE FORM OF TAX REBATES FOR THE PURCHASE OF SEDANS SLOWLY BEGAN TO CREATE MORE OF THE RIGHTEOUS BALANCE OF TRUCK TO SEDAN PURCHASES.  WHILE WE HAVE NOT ACHIEVED PARITY, GREAT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE BY THE SEDAN INDUSTRY IN PUSHING BACK ON THIS INGRAINED CULTURAL BIAS.

CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA GROWERS AND LOBBIES  COME ON!  YOU’VE HAD THE LEAD FOR LONG ENOUGH.  PERHAPS IT’S TIME TO PASS LEGISLATION FORCING COCOA AND VANILLA MANFUCTURES TO PURCHASE BLUEBERRY FARMS SO THEY CAN HAVE BLUEBERRY SKIN IN THE GAME.

EATERS AND CONSUMERS – REALIZE THERE IS AN IMPLICATION TO YOUR PURCHASE CHOICE.  DO YOU WANT THE FORECLOSER OF BLUEBERRY FARMS ON YOUR … LIPS? YOU MUST STEP UP AND CUT BACK AND SAY NO TO CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA FROZEN TREATS.  YOU MUST ADD BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM TO AT LEAST A MIX (FAIR MIX PLEASE) OF YOUR ICE CREAM PURCHASES AND CONSUMPTION.

LASTLY

THESE SOLUTIONS ARE NOT HARD, BUT THEY DO REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE. THEY REQUIRE PUBLIC COMMITMENTS, ACTION PLANS AND BENCHMARKS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY. THE DECISIONS DRIVING THE INDUSTRY SHOULD REFLECT AND REPRESENT ITS DIVERSE AND GROWING AUDIENCE. THE FUTURE OF ICE CREAM CAN BE ONE OF INCLUSION AND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL.