CPR Promotional Check-Up - Mar 25, 2015

Laura-FM

KDWB has done some of the bigger promotions ever, but maybe the biggest thing they've done in the last decade was to change the name of the station for a day to recognize the #1 story in the state, which was a highschool kid who got paralyzed in a hockey game. It completely squashed the concept that you need to give stuff to people to be successful.

Kiss in Dallas did a similar thing with a young woman named Laura who was fighting cystic fibrosis. Well, she just lost the battle and on Tuesday they brought back Laura-FM for one last tribute to her. http://www.1061kissfm.com/articles/whats-happening-423626/we-are-1061-laura-fm-13280074

They re-did the imaging, got promos from artists like Nick Jonas and even had ten boards up. Really amazing stuff and one of the reasons they're #1 in a pretty huge market: they totally get it.

Fun On Facebook

Ray and Karen at 94.9 in Cincinnati had Jay Kruz come in and (badly) warble fast food jingles. ID and win a chance to see a cheeseburger in paradise; Jimmy Buffett tickets.

And for a $300 beauty salon package, 98.9 Magic-FM in Colorado Spring did "Stop It & Win". Make a comment on the post and at some random point, the station was going to close the post. The last comment won. They got 13,145 comments in two hours.

"I Have This Client And They Want Something More Then A Standard Remote"

I seriously seriously doubt that you've NOT heard that before:)

One of the CBS AE's emailed with a pretty cool client wanting something to drive traffic during the week. It's one of those indoor playlands with games and bouncehouses and other cool stuff, plus, an area with wifi for the parents to chill.

Back in the day (1997) I was at KSFM in Sacramento and their hook for their booth at the fair was Kid Printing. Volunteers from the Police Youth Corps rolled and printed fingers as a long line of parents and their children formed to get a sample card to store in a safe place.

In reality, Kid Printing is only valuable in cases of extended custodial abductions when the kid has been gone for years and years and they're trying to prove that the kid with the new name is the old kid. Or, in the other far more grim scenario that doesn't need to be mentioned.

In the hours and days following an abduction the MOST valuable tool the cops have is a video of the kid. Not a still photo. A video that shows personality, traits, movement, and the child from various angles.

So...you have a client that wants to drive traffic? Set up a video camera, put out some toys and stuff for the children to play with, and give every parent a 2-3 minute video of their kid, talking, playing and being themselves.

Mobile Phone VM's

A PD to-remain-nameless has just been elevated to Dad Of The Year. All teenage angst by his daughter will now be focused like a laser on his wife. Why? He got Bruno Mars to cut the 'tweens cellphone message.

(Back in the day, Amy, the Promo Coordinator from KQRS, had the guys from RATT over at her place. I didn't ask questions; somethings you just don't want to know. They cut her answering machine message and it was on there for a decade)

Country stations used to do Answering Machine Parties. Go to a club or record store, set up a table, have an artist sit there and listeners would parade up with the little machines, plug them in and the artist would take 20 seconds and record "Hi, this is Hankshaw Hays. Annette can't come to the phone right now. We're all hanging out with Bobby from KKFM! Leave a message at the tone."

As a fan and a listener, these things would be on their machines for years.

So...you have a mobile client who needs a promotion AND an artist who is coming through and is willing to do something for an hour or two. Here's your bit. Have him/her/it/them cut listeners' VM's. OR, have them cut a variety of slightly generic ones for download off the website.