CPR Promotional Check-Up

Because The Super Bowl Can Be More Then Just A Viewing Party

One of the more original (in 1974) ideas is to give a winner a big screen TV to watch the game on. A couple of years ago a station in Green Bay took over a movie theater and invited 300 listeners and guests to watch the game on the screen there. Now that's big. KKDA in Dallas does this at a "cinema cafe" kind of establishment and it has people lined up around the block. A cute hook is that they show a football-related movie before the game and bring in an act for halftime.

Z-102.9 in Cedar Rapids did a promotion that allowed listeners to play Playstation II games on the screen at the local IMAX theater. What a great venue for watching bone crunching action? A station has already jumped on this and found out that they can't have food or drink in the theater. Which is fine: just leave it in the hall or lobby.

"Watch And Win"

There are few promotions that give me searing gastral cramps more then "Watch & Win". Seriously. It's not like we don't have enough problems as it is without telling people to turn off the radio and go watch TV. (And the person I feel especially bad for is the poor night jock who has to play a promo that essentially tells people to turn him off, flip on UPN and watch some sitcom.)

I know of GM's who refuse to do this methodology. To them I say, "Kudos! And even a few accolades!" That doesn't mean we have to blow off these TV promotions entirely. It just means that we have to add an element that provides some value (other then monetary) to the radio station.

For instance, turn on UPN, watch the sitcom and wait for your morning show to pop up and announce a song to listen for tomorrow. The only way to know what song to call in and win with is to sit through the sitcom. The TV people are happy because our listeners are plopped on the sofa watching their program, and we're happy because said people are now listening for the song that Dave and Corey told them to tune in for.

One last thought: the prize. Generally you'll get a "(Insert Name Of TV Show) Prize Pack." Yawn. Wow, I won an "According To Jim" t-shirt and refrigerator magnet. That is so cool. To make your audience actually care about these things, throw in something from your station, like a sweatshirt or movie passes.

Dunkin' Donuts

One of my favorite Promotion Directors was at the office last night at 6 pm because this client: the AE was going batshit(r) that they needed something to them today or the world as we know it was going to end. I think more then a few of you have been in Donut Hell for the past week.

A morning show bit that was huge circa 1991 was The Cosby Sweater Game. They would take ten guesses from listeners in the morning on what color or pattern Cosby's first sweater of that nights' show would be. Whoever nailed it or got closest got some swag.

What if you had people on Friday morning guess what time will elapse on Sunday night's Simpsons before Homer eats a donut. 3 minutes. 8 minutes. 12 minutes. Never? Might satisfy DD's request for something/anything "on-air".