(By Jeffrey Hedquist) Often we tend to think of radio as a stand-alone medium. While it can work effectively this way, it can become a powerful multiplier when used in combination with other media.
It’s well-documented that a radio version (not just a direct lift of the soundtrack) of a TV spot helps the listener recall the TV spot. Every day you can hear dozens of spots directing you to advertisers’ websites. Radio is a fantastic multiplier of the results from other media as well: newspapers, direct mail, billboards, magazines, email, point of purchase, social media, skywriting…
“In the middle section of this Wednesday’s Press Chronicle Citizen is an ad you’ll want to cut out, stick on your refrigerator, keep for reference. It describes an offer we can’t mention on the air…”
“This… is your mailbox, yet it’s somehow different. Waiting inside is something that will change your life… for at least 6 weeks. What looks like an ordinary coupon book, is really…”
“You’re walking down the cookie aisle at Safeway and you see it – the big blue banner. You pretend not to notice, but it beckons you on…”
“’What the heck does that mean?’ That’s what you’re thinking. You know, that huge billboard on I-17? The one with the red letters that say ‘Help’ and lists a phone number? You’re tempted to call it but… nahhh… Well, so far this week 1,357 Dallas commuters have called that number, and here’s the kind of help they got…”
“This month’s Arizona Highways magazine has a surprise waiting for you, right in the middle, is an advertisement that may be more compelling than any story in the issue. It describes a jewelry store that custom-designs…”
“SFX: alarm clock
Guy: Yawn
SFX: computer keyboard, email logging on, more typing
Anncr: It’s 2:30 AM, but you don’t want to miss the Uptown Travel Sweepstakes coming to your inbox at any moment. Don’t mistake it for spam. It’s a chance to win one of 13 all-expense paid trips for two to the Grand Canyon…”
“Tonight on 60 Minutes, you’ll see an amazing commercial for TV Town. Right when Leslie Stahl is confronting her guest with another career-changing question, you will be confronted by the never-before-mentioned savings on every home theater system at TV Town…”
Remember, you’re not a sales rep, you’re a marketing resource for your clients. We’ve created commercials designed to draw listeners’ attention to free-standing inserts in newspapers that multiplied the advertisers’ results by several fold. You can too.
Now go out and do some multiplying of your own.
Jeffrey Hedquist, “Advertising’s Storyteller,” has won over 700 awards and brought in millions of dollars for clients. His articles, ebooks, seminars, and coaching have helped stations nationwide prosper. Got a question about radio marketing? Email [email protected]. Read Jeffrey’s Radio Ink archives here.
