Part of the sports radio business fun is getting to do big promotions that pay off for the sales department. I have rarely seen a promotion NOT get executed by a sports radio station if it provides the opportunity for the station to make money.
The Promotions Department often asks sales to get a sponsor to attach their name to a fun run, fireworks show, parade, etc. The value of those events is the number of promos on the air and exposure provided at the event for the sponsor. Sometimes the event is natural. A golf tournament tied in with a charity and on-air person and sponsor who uses the on-air person as an endorser. BINGO.
So, why not drag out the FREE GAS promotion about now? A few factors point to it being a grand slam if done this summer.
Gas prices are high. Budget-altering high. Find a brand of gas in your area that would like to explain how much they appreciate their customers, and your listeners, with a station promotion aimed to reward, educate and promote loyalty. Grocery stores and supercenters that pump their gas are hurting for store traffic. It makes sense that lower-income consumers fill up at 7-11 and walk away without buying a pack of smokes and energy drinks.
Sports radio’s core demographic, and younger at that, are ALWAYS found at your local convenience store. The 2021 4th of July weekend had most of us paying $3.21 a gallon for gas; now, we are almost at $5. California is already at $6.34 a gallon, and who knows where we will come Friday, July 1st when we gas up for the three-day holiday. The experts say these prices are here to stay for the foreseeable future.
So, why not have some fun and give away FREE GAS?
BLAZE FM, a HIT music station in Longview, Texas (market #141), did just that. They pumped free gas for an hour to just over 100 listeners at a local convenience store, Scotties 2.0. It was a hit. The retail value of the gas was about $8,000. Their on-air staff pumped the gas, the local tv stations ate it up, and they were stroked on social media as being the good guys.
I am sure you could alter the promo and let the first 100 cars line up for the gas sometime between 3-7 pm. That way, you turn away fewer disappointed drivers. This is an excellent opportunity for the retailer to sign up customers for their app to save ten cents a gallon.
You can add on remote fees, spot schedules, live interviews, and web and social media content and come up with a nice package for which the convenience store and their vendors can pay.
While some of us get FREE GAS with every Taco Tuesday, why not hit a home run with this FREE GAS promo and fill the tanks of your core listeners? Why not do a FREE GAS promo near your local minor league or pro baseball team? Then they can look like the good guys for giving away free gas just for coming to the nearest convenience store near the stadium.
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.
