If you are not a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles or The Kansas City Chiefs, there is a likelihood you have uttered the expression, “Oh well, pitchers and catchers report in X number of days.”
If you have a major or minor league team in your market, Opening Day can be a time to get in front of baseball fans.
This is not for the weak-hearted or the Soft AC station. When I was Promotion Director early in my career at KGGO, Des Moines, we had a great relationship with the Chicago Cubs AAA affiliate the Iowa Cubs.
Leading up to the home opener, we encouraged listeners, even if they weren’t going to the game, to join us at our pregame tailgate party and “Show Us Your Balls.”
The most creative display of BASEBALLS won a pair of season tickets. It was a lot of fun.
Prom
Prom season creates a great deal of stress for many. It’s an expensive proposition that not all families can spare the money for.
Giving away the complete package can gain a lot of attention and goodwill: the prom dress, tuxedo, dinner, and limo. The winning couple will have everyone’s attention and your station by proxy.
If local laws allow, have one of your staff serve as chauffeur and another serve as waiter or waitress. Set up your station’s step and repeat at the dance, where everyone can take a photo. The real fun part is to send your social media person along for the evening, acting like a paparazzi capturing everything.
Pizza
I worked at cluster once, where a local advertising agency constantly hounded us to giveaway pizzas, sub sandwiches, and various “Be Our Guest” coupons to mainly chain restaurants.
My attitude toward this was meh, and I tried to package them with something else so that we would not be known as the station that gave away value meals.
That all changed one day when I was called by the receptionist (remember when we had those) to the lobby. I was told a listener was there to talk to me. My experience with that kind of call had never been good. That is until that day.
Bracing for the worst, I was introduced to the man. With tears in his eyes, he told me that he had recently been laid off from his job, that his wife was ill, and that his family was going through a tough time.
This man came all the way to the radio station to tell me how his family had enjoyed the free pizza that they had won. It was a treat they couldn’t afford then, and the entire family had gathered for dinner for the first time in months, and he came to express his gratitude. He also asked that I send it along to the sponsor.
While those “little” giveaways seem like clutter to us, to some, it is the same as getting dinner at Peter Lugers to others. Package them with something else, but don’t doubt their value to some. It might just make their day.
Free Charge Friday
This will likely go over better in some areas than others, but we can all agree that we are seeing more and more automobile charging stations pop up.
Make Free Charge Fridays the day you give out charging credits to be used at the listener’s convenience.
Let Barrett Media showcase you best. Email me here, jeff@barrettmedia.com
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Jeff Lynn serves as Editor of Barrett Media’s Music Radio coverage. Prior to joining Barrett Media, Jeff spent time programming in Milwaukee, Omaha, Cleveland, Des Moines, and Madison for multiple radio groups, including iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, NRG Media, and Entercom (now Audacy). He also worked as a Country Format Editor for All Access until the outlet shut down in August 2023.
To get in touch with Jeff by email, reach him at Jeff@BarrettMedia.com.
