CPR Promotional Check-Up - Jul 12, 2012

Campus Invasions

The students will begin filling the dorms in a few short weeks so now would be the time to start planning. I'm attaching a one sheet from The Beat in Vancouver and a sample of doorhangers that B-96 in Chicago did last year.

Z-102.9 in Cedar Rapids was the first station I saw that had everyone (literally, everyone on the staff) at UI on move-in day to help greet and carry. Epic marketing. And Erich from Z-94.7 in Grand Forks was the first to broach the area of logo'ed ping pong balls. CHEAP and effective swag. You want something that won't sit in a drawer, and ping pong balls won't.

You know what would be cool? Printable labels from your station website. I go in, type "Paige Nienaber" and print and get 64 logoed labels to stick on CD's, DVD's, books and other stuff. Because anyone who's ever had a roommate knows how stuff gets mixed up. Sample or template at http://www.onlinelabels.com/OL1050.htm

Storming Up A Brain

One of the questions I usually lob out when I speak at conferences is "How often do you get together as a staff and brainstorm." This is proverbially followed by blank stares and some brave soul will venture "We have a Promotions meeting every Monday morning." Promotions meetings are crisis management. The van was late to the KFC remote on Saturday so what are we going to do about it. That's usually what is accomplished at a Promotions meeting.

We're allegedly in a creative industry. What's the last word in AFTRA? "Artist". So, how much time do you devote to being creative? Ha. Just what I thought.

Most of the Clifton stations I work with get everyone at the station away from the station (because you can't be creative within the walls of a station)(it's been scientifically proven) and they go somewhere, sit around a pool, get some beer and start throwing ideas around.

The key? To get everyone loosened up and get them to STOP thinking like Radio People. That's why there's so much crap out there. We're all conditioned to think a certain way. Play some games. Have some fun. And watch what kind of spectacular ideas follow.

Backstage Photo Op

The subject of giving away beds or bedsheets came up when I was at Wild in Tampa recently. Orlando's idea was to get a bed from a client, have it set up backstage and the (accommodating) artist would lay on it and get their photos taken with listeners. Though, the lineup-in-front-of a wall-with-a-couple-of-banners kills.

Backstage Live

With Wifi, it's possible to get live video feeds from pretty much anywhere. I have a link to pinhole cameras and transmit units if you're interested.

We take it backstage access for granted. It's what we do. But for the listeners, it's an awe inspiring experience. Seriously, watch your listeners when you take them backstage.

Wild in SFO, for The Bomb, had four people with live "helmet cams" that were covering the action down front and also wandering backstage. All of this was run in real time on the station website.