Contests Work! Contests Don't Work!

As somebody who places a high premium on the value of research as a tool in the effort to build better radio stations, I continue to be fascinated by the controversy over contests. In no particular order, here are some of the often contradictory opinions held regarding this subject.

Contests work.
There are program directors who swear by all that is holy they get better ratings when they run a particular contest.

Contests don't work.
I have seen carefully constructed charts that try to match up ratings with contest activity - and completely fail to show any correlation.

Contests work.
Look at television. What is a game show, if not a contest?

Contests don't work.
Television is block programming. People who tune in for "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" are not expecting to hear their "favorite light rock mix of the '80s, '90s and today back-to-back in a 30-minute music marathon without commercial interruption so that they can listen longer at work to the station everybody agrees on." And so they aren't disappointed when they see a game show.

Contests work.
There is one thing that has been consistent in studies over the past 30 years. People tell us that on radio they like trivia contests better than any other kind. And they say that the prizes don't have to be large.

Contests don't work.
The same studies consistently show that listeners rarely participate in radio contests. In fact, when asked if they have ever participated, usually the result is in the 3% to 9% range.

Contests work.
One researcher informed one of my clients that people simply will not admit to liking contests. I guess this is supposed to be similar to the responses interviewers get when they ask people if they read Playboy magazine.

Contests don't work. Contests work. Somebody slap me! ... Thanks.

If you were hoping I was going to step up and settle this controversy, give it up. I can't. My own personal experience suggests that we put too much faith in contests, but it also suggests that contests are fantastic tools to win ratings.

The secret is in understanding the benefit.

Can we agree that we hope our programming will interest people, entertain people, remind people of who we are and why they should listen to us? Can we agree that we hope to delight and surprise our listeners? Can we agree that our listeners are curious?

Great! I'm confident that the answer is buried in all those potential benefits. Are there contests that deliver one or more of those benefits? Yes. Those are the great promotions.

Trivia Contests

In general, do trivia contests seem to have a particularly easy time providing some of those benefits? Yes, it seems that they do. Maybe they are just easier for radio stations to do well. But historically, they tend to work.

Music-Oriented Contests

But not all popular contests are trivia contests. A contest like Song of the Day would seem to fall flat in several areas. It doesn't really seem to be very entertaining. On the other hand, could it do a great job of providing a daily example of the very best of your music, and promoting that music and your belief in it?

Could Song of the Day give you an excellent opportunity to talk about your morning show? Could it communicate, over and over, the idea of starting the day with your morning show, but then taking the radio listening on into the workplace?

Maybe the Song of the Day contest doesn't entertain, and maybe it isn't supposed to entertain. Maybe it defines and illustrates.

So perhaps it is true that the generic term "contest" doesn't rank high as the motivating force in actually choosing a radio station. But, if only for the benefit of the station's advertisers, contests are here to stay.

One thing is certain. The better a job you can do of delivering real benefits like those listed above, the more successful your contests will be.