CPR Promotional Check-Up - Oct 17, 2012

Poppa Razi

The Art of Promotions is essentially to be noticed. To stand out. To be the ONE message that somehow slips through the radar and drops its bombs. Tommy Kramer had a great line: If everyone is doing something...don't do it.

There are a LOT of things that radio stations are beholden to do and occasionally brilliant people or stations will do it in a way that's memorable;

EBS Tests: KQRS in Minneapolis for eight years had a stoned Bill Clinton read the legal verbiage. And eleven years later, my non-Radio friend Tim recalled it at a grad party. That is a Promotion.

Traffic: Haiku Traffic as done by Katie Fitter at KOB-FM in Albuquerque. "Out of work phone sex operator traffic" done at Alice in Denver.

Movie Reviews: "Deaf Woman Movie Review" as done by Laura Daniels-as-Jennifer Plovnik at Pamal in Albany. Bay Bridge Toll Plaza Reviews as done by a tolltaker on Wild in SFO. The same info you would get from some prep service film critic but delivered in a memorable way.

TV Reviews: Three words: "The Clarence Update". In Charlotte people called and asked when it would run.

Jock Bios: Most are awful, pretentious, self-involved fluff spiced up with "Ten Questions!" and a Glamour Shot photo. Dave Ryan is about to pop with a GREAT new one. And these are some great examples. http://www.hot935.ca/index.asp?mn=2&id=6&cc=8 and http://www.thepointontheweb.com/djs/nikki.php

Weather: Dope Smuggler Weather as done by Mark Mosely at Power 96 in Miami.

And then there's celebrity gossip. There's apparently an appetite for knowing who Brody Jenner accidentally switched car keys with at Hyde on Friday night or that very important piece of info would not be on 9000 websites the next morning. How many of you are carrying the Will Smith/Marc Anthony gossip today? Zactly.

What if you had your inevitable celebrity gossip done by an old Italian man who ran a sausage shop on University Avenue for 45 years and now spends his Golden Years trying to figure out what the heck is up with Taylor Momson. "Why's she got to be such a whore? In my day....ah forget about. And what's with Kim and that ball player?"

Why give them something that they can get 1000 other places? Do it with some finesse and fun and be the message they"ll come back for.