While reading Demetri Ravanos’s excellent article on selling exclusives, I wanted to delve deeper into some developed ideas. Live reads, play-by-play, and special event promos and programming like watch parties and conference media days coverage are all opportunities to sell exclusives.
Just don’t sell yourself short. Here are some ideas on how to go long on exclusivity.
FAKE IT.
If you don’t have a lot of interest from a category of advertisers, go to one and make them exclusive. I have seen that motivate specific clients because they want to be the only Chevy dealer in a high-profile piece of programming. I would sell the INDY 500 network broadcast and make a local car dealer the exclusive automotive client. They loved it and appreciated the association with the race and bragging rights.
SPREAD IT AROUND.
I live in the Dallas area and frequently will listen to The Musers on KTCK The Ticket. George Dunham and Craig Miller do live endorsements together for D& M Automotive Leasing. That enables Gordon Keith an opportunity to endorse a separate dealer solo. Keith and Dunham do a shared live spot for Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers as well. Allowing each talent to do individual competitive clients would dilute the effectiveness of the live reads. The Ticket also has All-Star Foundation repair using all the station talent on a recorded spot that is unique and probably expensive! All-Star uses it as a web page.
DON’T RUSH IT.
Allowing talent a chance to try a new product or service before they start an endorsement is the only way to go. Insincere endorsements are money grabs, and the audience will know it. I have done plenty of that in my time and skipped some opportunities that didn’t fit me. If it is something new for the talent to try, let them say that. If they were doing business with the client before the endorsement, let them say that as well.
EXCLUSIVES FOR EVERYBODY!
If the market allows for it, there’s nothing wrong with offering multiple exclusives for a play-by-play broadcast. Official truck, sports car, or SUV are all categories you could put up for sale if you have competitiveness amongst the dealers for your air time. When you sell your local team “watch parties,” go ahead and sell several to different parts of your MSA or TSA. You could go a step further and sell the watch parties to one sports bar with several locations separated by thirty miles or more.
BENCHMARKS.
If it is important enough for you to benchmark a programming element, it may be significant for a client to be the exclusive advertiser. Monday morning QB segments, weekly parody songs, daily listener feedback segments, news, traffic, and weather are all great programming islands for clients to stand out.
Remind your client of the best you have to offer. Paint the picture. We all know that Toyota sponsors the Sunday Night NFL halftime show. Macy’s presents the Tom Brady interview on Westwood One Monday Night Football. And, Matthew McConaughey drives a Lincoln. Make it exclusive!
Jeff Caves is a sales columnist for BSM working in radio and digital sales for Cumulus Media in Dallas, Texas and Boise, Idaho. He is credited with helping launch, build, and develop Sports Radio The Ticket in Boise, into the market’s top sports radio station. During his 26 year stay at KTIK, Caves hosted drive time, programmed the station, and excelled as a top seller. You can reach him by email at jeffcaves54@gmail.com or find him on LinkedIn.
