Radio Direct Response: Direct Response Radio Advertising Agency | Blog Zone

When it comes to radio promotions, it’s best to think of a radio station as a very selective courtesan. She has numerous suitors vying for her attention but only selects those who have the means to give her what she truly wants. Those who can provide her with quality items that speak to her interests are the ones she’ll repay with her “attentions.”

For radio stations, those quality items should appeal to their listeners and those “attentions” will come in the form of mentions that highlight your brand when listeners are actively engaged. Your product should be relevant to their core demographic. A radio station is not going to give up valuable, in-programming airtime for something that doesn’t speak to their audience’s interests, needs or wants. If you are targeting Adults 25-54, there are a slew of demo-appropriate formats that might work for your brand. If, however, you have a more focused Women 35-54 demo, the field is certainly narrowed. Depending on the market, the field of available stations was just reduced to two or three but those stations are very interested in what you have to offer.

Here is how to position your radio promotion. A radio station will get behind your message when it is something their listeners want to hear or pertains to something they want. Promotional inventory is very limited and numerous brands with the same target demo are courting the same radio stations. You’ve caught their interest with the relevancy of your product to their listener, but you also need to secure that in-programming inventory. And, that’s where prizing comes into play.

Every courtesan likes the baubles bestowed on her. With radio, the prizing is crucial. Prizing is the bait that radio stations can dangle to get their listeners to interact with your brand – calling into the station, online submissions, texting, etc. Stations are looking for something that will cause the listener to sit up and pay attention to that segment of the broadcast. Cash always elicits a response and it can be positioned in a way that reinforces your message. For instance, a promotion for a television show about makeovers would include a cash prize that allows the listener to get a makeover of their own – clothes, hair, and makeup. However, your product may be the gem that wins over the radio station. A gaming system promoting its new platform-specific game is a no-brainer. Any 18-34 male would pay attention if they have the chance to win a new system and the hot, new game.

The combination of product relevancy and attention-getting prizing will make for a very happy radio partner. That happy station, in return, will bestow a strong radio promotion on your brand. Now, we just need to get to the perfect station before anyone else does.

Theresa Russell, Director of Promotions
RDR Promotions

Curses.

I bet a couple of infamously “cursed” baseball teams easily spring to mind.

The Red Sox suffered from the Curse of the Bambino, sitting back and watching the Yankees win 26 Championships before they broke the curse in 2004. The Curse of the Billy Goat still haunts Wrigley Field. The Cubs have not won a National League pennant since 1945 when Billy Sianis and his pet goat were ejected from Wrigley during Game 4 of the Series, prompting him to curse the team for insulting his beloved goat.

How about a cursed city…where not one of the four major sports franchises can win a championship? Have you heard of the Curse of Billy Penn?

Atop City Hall, a statue of William Penn watches over the city of Philadelphia. A gentlemen’s agreement promised to never build another structure that would loom taller than Billy Penn’s hat. The Flyers win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975. The Phillies win the 1980 World Series. The Sixers get their parade in 1983.

Fast-forward to a change in the Philly skyline and the approval of a building that rises almost 400 feet above Billy Penn. The Flyers lose in the Stanley Cup finals twice. The Phillies lose in the ’93 Series. The Sixers lose in the 2001 NBA Finals. The Eagles finally make it to the Super Bowl in 2004, only to lose by three points.

Not one sports franchise in Philadelphia has won a championship in 25 years…until the Phillies last night…after the first-ever suspended World Series game. That’s right. Game 5 began on Monday night. Inclement weather caused a suspension of the game in the sixth inning. Forty-six hours would go by before the game would resume. The final out came at 9:58pm on Wednesday night.

This is Philly. Did anyone really expect our first World Series win since 1980 to come easy?

I’m 29 years old and a huge Phillies fan. I have literally waited my entire life to see this day. Considering I was four when this city won its last sports championship, I have never experienced the euphoria that comes with winning it all. I have a much clearer understanding of curses, losses, and dashed hopes. Our teams have come this close over the years only to have it slip away. This city has been starved for a championship. There is no other way to describe it. I have listened to Harry Kalas call the last out so many times that I’ve lost count, yet it still sends chills down my spine.  (Take a listen: Phillies Win!)

On Friday, we will have a parade down Broad Street. People will take off from work; parents will keep their children home from school. In fact, most of this office will be empty tomorrow. Don’t bother calling. Even those that come to work (I won’t be one of them) will most likely be huddled around a computer watching the live stream of the parade. The people of this city will savor every second of this win.

Oh, and that Curse of Billy Penn… We have a brand new building in Philadelphia. The Comcast Center is now the tallest building to grace the city skyline. Resting atop that building is a small replica of Billy Penn. We can’t see it from the ground, but we all know it’s there. That’s the beauty of Philadelphians. We’re fans through and through. Even when completing the construction of a high-rise in Center City, thoughts run to our sports teams.

You might not believe in curses. You might think it’s all a coincidence. Maybe all four major sports franchises in this city just couldn’t measure up to the other teams in their leagues…for a quarter of a century. It could be possible.

All this Philly girl knows is Billy Penn once again stands tallest above my city and my Phillies are the 2008 World Series Champions.

Theresa Russell, Director of Promotions
RDR Promotions