Imagine you did a promotion 33 years ago that people are still talking about today. Granted, times have changed, and now there are lawyers in the C Suite who will stop many things before they even get out of the Promo Meeting brainstorm.
But are you really doing anything that will stand out and be remembered even six months from now? Are you recycling the same things that you do year after year because, “that’s the way you have always done it.”
Bob Rivers passed away on Tuesday. Rivers was known for so many things. 25 years in Seattle radio, Twisted Tunes and a 1992 promotion called, “Nudestock.”
Yes, it is exactly what you think. Listeners, bands and even Rivers himself at the event au natural.
Before we go any further, I’m not suggesting you throw a party and have your listeners strip and go naked. The point is that when Rivers passed, people were still talking about it.
What have you done promotionally to create a legacy? I have more than once expressed my disdain for caller number nine and my love for people that seize the moment.
Spring and Summer are here. What have you got planned? Let’s brainstorm some timely topics as idea starters.
Spring Break. It’s not just for the 18 and 20 somethings. I was a fan of come-along trips. (Mainly because I got to go along). I live in Las Vegas, a 24/7 365 town, spring break town, and I get to see many friends when they visit. I recently met up with friends that had been on one of those trips 20 years ago and the first thing we talked about was the shenanigans in Ixtapa.
Egg prices. I recently saw a station that gave away chickens. A cute way to attach themselves to the issue in a positive way. What about a virtual egg hunt where you hide an egg on pages within your website? Listeners who collect all the eggs go into a drawing for an Eggcellent grand prize.
Truck and car prices. I once did a promotion called “Truck Load Of Tunes.” At the time CDs were still a thing, but you can use album art just as effectively. We filled the bed of the truck with CDs and album art and listeners had to guess the total number of songs in the “Truckload of Tunes.” Make sure all album art is visible. Closest to the exact number without going over wins the truck and the tunes.
That reminds me of a sidebar issue here and another lesson, unfortunately, learned the hard way. If you’re drawing winners from something where a guess to the total number of anything, make sure you carefully word the rules. Never say, “we will draw from all correct entries.” If you do that, you must go through every entry. Instead, always state, “First correct entry drawn” will save a lot of time and effort.
DOGE is top-of-mind, so stay away from it. I recently saw something I thought was a clever use of the term in a non-political topic tease sort of way. When I reached out, I discovered it had not been such a good thing. The entire message was lost in America’s love/hate relationship with Elon Musk.
So back to the original question. What have you done or doing that will be memorable?
I would love to share your ideas. Hit me up at 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.
