A radio promotion stands apart from traditional advertising in that it utilizes in-programming inventory. This inventory can be live or recorded, but what makes it special is where the mentions fall on the clock.  It’s not during a commercial stop set, like traditional advertising. They are woven into the programming portions of each hour.  With our live mentions, we’re getting the on-air personalities to read our client’s tagline before, during and after a contest which actively engages the listeners. A station’s “loyal listeners” tune in each day, like clockwork, to hear their favorite DJs. Then, they’ll tell their friends and co-workers what they heard during the show. What a great placement for a brand’s message!

We’ve been seeing more of a movement to online promotions with stations. With this, we still get our brands’ messaging in promotional mentions, but the actual contest execution is done on the station’s website, Twitter, Facebook or blog. Stations have fully embraced the digital side of radio and are constantly driving their listeners to interact with them via their websites and social media elements. The digital side offers us space to really showcase our brands. We received a lot of great on-air exposure for Rold Gold’s new Bakery Snacks, but what was even better was that those mentions drove listeners to a dedicated webpage on the station’s site that included product information with a full-color photo of the four new flavors. Our promotion will drive people into stores with a perfect image in mind of what the new product looks like.

Promotions that run as a stand-alone marketing effort can be cost-effective for clients and can get the brand’s message heard. Traditional commercials can incorporate numerous product benefits and features into the messaging. Is one better than the other? In an ideal world, we’d do both. Unfortunately, that isn’t always possible.  And, that’s why we’re here. Our team can evaluate a brand’s needs, the goals of the product campaign and the budget available and recommend the most effective marketing plan.

Do you have a product launch on the horizon? Give us a call to see what we kind of multi-faceted campaign we can put together for you.

Theresa Russell is Director of Promotions at The Radio Agency. Please follow The Radio Agency’s Blog “Sounding Board” by subscribing to the email or RSS links above. Visit our website TheRadioAgency.com