Think Like a Radio Promotions Manager
I was one of the lucky ones. Straight out of college, I worked 10 years at WPEN-AM and WMGK-FM in Philadelphia during its “Camelot” years when the AM/FM combo was ranked #1 in the market for both ratings and billings.
As Director of Advertising & Promotions. It was my job to attract new listeners, keep current listeners listening longer and help our sales department leverage major advertising buys with clever on-air promotions. I was also the gatekeeper that politely said “No” to more than 90% of the clients and companies that wanted to run promotions on our radio stations because their products or ideas didn’t “fit.”
It was my job to convince an advertiser selling fiberglass insulation that it was better to pay a listener’s utility bill than give away icky pink fiberglass. They still received the on-air exposure they desired; only now the promotion was a “fit” for the radio station.
If you’re pondering the possibility of a radio promotion for your brand, take time to look at the opportunity from the perspective of both the radio listener and the radio station.
RADIO LISTENERS want cool, fun prizes. Cash, cars and travel still top the list. But if there’s an element of cool – or an exclusive prize that “money can’t buy” - you’ll capture their minds and imaginations better than a cash prize worth twice the price. Back in the 80s, I worked with the American Lung Association on a promotion that sent radio listeners to Hollywood to watch Cybill Shepherd (the ALA’s spokesperson) and Bruce Willis shoot an episode of “Moonlighting.” Ms. Shepherd then took the winners home for lunch. At a time when “Moonlighting” was the hottest show on television, radio stations were all too happy to let the American Lung Association deliver their marketing message in return for such a cool prize.
RADIO STATIONS want new listeners. They also want their current listeners to listen longer. And they want revenue. But they’ll overlook these three textbook criteria if the promotion you bring them is so cool that it enhances the brand of the radio station.
There are countless ways to promote a product or service on the radio. The “how” of promotion ranks a distant second to getting the radio station to say, “Yes, we’ll air this promotion without making you buy airtime.” So long as you ensure that your salient marketing points are embedded in the promo copy, you’ll deliver your message in programming and likely command more attention than a typical radio commercial.
Curious as to how your brand might fuel a radio promotion? Send us an e-mail. Tell us what you have in mind. We’ll schedule our team for a free brainstorming session to explore the possibilities. This is, after all, what we do here at RDR. All things radio.
Mark Lipsky, President & CEO