Connecting the Dots…

Sometimes connecting certain dots in an industry eco-system throws up patterns similar to a kaleidoscope. Certain patterns spark thoughts which might earn incremental revenues or create an offering that differentiates one from the competition. Today I picked up three dots.

The first dot – Brands that advertise on radio

The radio ad of Dominos Pizza is on-air for some time and I heard it even today. Three things that stuck in my mind after listening to it over the campaign duration are; they want me to buy their pizzas more often, the ad mentions Namma Bengaluru (My Bangalore) and has something to do with, what I like about Bangalore and third is that one of the voices in the ad belong to RJ Darius from 104 FM Fever Bangalore. I am not sure about the last bit, but if I have heard RJ Darius enough, I am sure the voice in the ad that says Namma Christ College Da belongs to RJ Darius. Darius if you read this post, please correct me if I am wrong.

It is not uncommon to hear radio ads featuring voices of station’s on-air talent. This could be because the station also offers the services of radio ad production for a fee or gratis, based on the deal with the advertiser.

The second dot – Driving listener engagement through on-air contests/off-air, web based contests

My earlier posts Crude Shock, Bollywood Bingo etc., contain examples of such on-air contest mechanics. Example of off-air web based contest is where the listener identifies the voice or content/ title (e.g. who said this dialogue and in which film?) from the audio clip and mark one of the options as the right answer. This could be hosted on the social media profile of the radio station/ Radio Jockey or the station website.

The third dot – What value add one can offer to the advertiser on a radio station

According to the recent forecast for year 2012 by media buyer Group M, advertising revenues of radio will lag behind those of TV, Print, Digital and Outdoor. Digital’s share of advertising will rise to INR 1,969 crore in 2012, overtaking outdoor (INR 1,841 crore) and establishing a clear lead over radio (INR 1,618 crore). To make matters worse, the radio station or for that matter any media is asked by the advertiser/media buyer…so what value add you’re giving to sweeten the deal!

Connecting the Dots: Enkindle the past, energize the present and entice the future.

Enkindling the past:

Dear Past Advertiser,

[P1] In the xyz segment we have launched a new contest property titled “Who’s the RJ”. The listeners will be played an audio clip in which one of the voices belongs to our station RJ. The audio clip will be played thrice during the segment. The listeners have to text the right answer and one of the lucky listeners to get it right, wins goodies.

[P2] In the past we had produced an ad for you in which our RJ had lent the voice. We would like to include that .30s ad in this contest dated dd/mm/yyyy.

[P3] This is an ideal opportunity for your brand message to reach out to our listeners once again, without you committing a campaign. This opportunity comes to you for INR xyz/- , which also includes the cost of gratification.

Energizing the present:

Dear Present Advertiser,

Retain [P1].

[P2] Our RJ has lent the voice in ad we produced for your current campaign. We would like to include that ad in the contest dated dd/mm/yyyy.

[P3] As a token of our thanks, this opportunity comes to you without any charge. However, we request you to provide for contest gratification.

Enticing the present:

Well you would have got it by now :-) What you would have also figured out is that one can also plug in-house ads of radio stations promoting their various segments.

There are no templates in sales and probably this could be an opportunity for a station to serve the interests of its advertisers, listeners and itself!