CPR Promotional Check-Up - Apr 29, 2016

"Don't Wake The Baby"

When I worked in San Francisco and there was a guy named Cliff who had this job before me, I found that I was really competitive with other stations and their promotions. I'd get the daily fax from Cliff and see that the station in Mobile had done a way way better Valentines promotion than we did, and it would just piss me off.

The new contest at WiLD in Tampa, the brainchild of Orlando Davis, is like that.

http://wild941.com/dont-wake-the-baby

Since the dawn of Radio Man, any version of Beat The has been huge because it plays to the 93% of people who are sitting in their cars waiting for their favorite song. It sucks them it. It's like watching "Family Feud" and shouting "In the bedroom!!!!" at the Miller family.

The reason this is the best new contest? Because they put time and effort into teasing it.

Most of what we do is a mugging. We just BANG hit them out of the blue. We're so desperate to be loved that we tell them everything up front. There's no mystery.

KDWB "turning off the power" was 12 years ago and probably the last great radio tease. Literally a major market was tuned in to hear the pay off after three days of stunting.

KGGI moving to Riverside? 24 years later shows up in research. You don't get that with Filthy On The :50's.

102 Jamz losing the 1? Same thing. Plutonium has a shorter half life than that.

The on-air portion hinted at one of the staff being pregnant or a father-to-be. There were signs plastered around town that told people not to wake the baby. People in diapers on street corners holding sandwich boards. Even the WiLD airstaff wasn't let in on the bit until Friday.

Again, a great tease is an amazing thing. And they launched with a huge rush of buzz already built around the contest.

This is never a bad thing.

Things You Can "Beat"

The methodology works. It's been done as Beat The Bank with an ATM machine. Beat The Bump with stealing gas. Beat The Heat (when the temp hits a dial position, special contesting kicks in). Beat The Box Office (stealing concert tickets).

It's like any great TV game show. There is a TBD payoff. There could be a big winner or someone could also lose it all.