We are in a battle of messaging and are constantly finding ways to tweak what we send and say so that maybe, hopefully, get it to cut through.
Today I introduce you to the Promotional Prefixes of “World’s Largest” and “World’s First.” If you stick “World’s Largest” in front of a charity car wash with firefighters, it would get people’s attention. But you better have a ton of firefighters for the visual payoff.
There aren’t a lot of “firsts” left and most of those are digital, ie: for Labor Day, doing a live birth on the morning show could potentially be a first.
Let’s look at St. Patrick’s Day, shall we? We all have club gigs to do so you need a hook. KLUC in Vegas did The World’s First Mixing Leprechaun. Boom goes the dynamite.
Earth Day? World’s Largest Tree Hug: have people hug trees and post photos all day.
I’m sure that I’m missing other prefixes but if you were able to elevate a promotion or event in 2025, it would certainly be something that would cut through the clutter.
And now on with the Dumpage.
Blizzard Bingo
Bingo has always been a great web diversion for people stuck at monotonous jobs, like, working a 12-day festival at a radio booth. One of the Twin Cities stations created State Fair Bingo for their staff at the Fair. Basically, the panels were all stuff you’d expect to see at the event, like a pregnant woman smoking or a family in matching camo.
Blizzard Bingo could be something to stick on your social media for these weather moments:
Int’l Working Women’s Day
It’s March 8th and you don’t need to rebrand like the JACK-FM stations in Canada, where they become Jill-FM, but it would be an outstanding opportunity to do something to honor or recognize that demo.
Make Your Own Wordle
Thanks to Jillian with iHeart Albany for sharing this site where you can create your own Wordle contests.
March Catness
It’s back for another year at Y94 in Fargo. Now, I’ve been on social media and have yet to ever see someone post a photo of their cat. I suspect that asking listeners to submit their pics will fail miserably.
Blarney Phones
Several stations have hit gold with versions of the Cash Blast from Power 96 in Miami: you open the phones at a pre-appointed time and for 20 minutes EVERYONE who gets through, wins. KAJA did it for a George Jones show when they had 300 pairs of tickets. KDWB did it with Last Chance Summer Dance. Hot in Houston did it with qualifying people for the Robin Thicke Pool Party in Vegas.
St. Hat Tricks
It is inevitable that on March 17th, there will be strolling and drinking and crawling and drinking. Terry Mathis with KSPN in Aspen came up with St. Hat Tricks Day. Go to one of three bars, get a faux Irish passport, get it stamped, go to another bar, get it stamped, and go to the third bar, get it stamped, fill it out and enter for a weekend in Denver for an Avalanche game. Boom. That’s great.
St. Pedi’s Day
I was stuck in a hotel a couple of weeks ago and my ride for the night (sounded better in my head) was delayed two hours while getting her nails done.
Mani/Pedi? That’s a great prize. Theme a day of giveaways around them.
St. iPaddy’s Day
AMP in LA was the first station to discover that iPads are great prizes when they did iPad Tag. ALT949 in San Diego has done four HUGE ratings promotions based on them.
Get a couple for the 17th and then find a way to incorporate a pot of gold or a rainbow or a four-leaf clover into the contesting. Topical + Great Prize = Excellent Promotion.
St. Poodles Day
Facebook, at the end of the day, is really nothing more than posting silly pics of your pets. Now you have a reason.
St. Cow Patty’s
One of the country stations had an event that needed a hook. Great: Bovine Bingo. That was easy.
St. Caddy’s Day
Award green… fees.
St. Petty’s Day
Or play a ton of Tom.
St. Baldericks
Part of my mantra (I have a mantra, damn it!) is that anytime you have a talent shave their head for charity, you will get TV. Like Sarah Pepper in Houston when she hit her $50,000 goal for cancer research. Cat Thomas has a connection through a family friend with childhood cancer and has been a part of this for years.
If you have hair and a hole that needs to be filled next month, whoop, there it is™.
How Is This Not A Morning Show Feature?
When I’m bored, I’ll bait and switch and lead Nigerian scammers along. This was found by Terry O’Donnell.
Wiki Wednesday
I remember that the PD at Power in Miami was spot-checking other station sites and noticed that Power’s jock bios were pretty much identical to everyone else’s in town: “Paige will wake you up with a smile as he brings his own unique brand of family-friendly humor…”
So he had the audience rewrite them. It was great and funny and just an excuse to do something stupid.
Look at this thing. You could either have the audience create your Wikipedia page and do it semi-funny with some little things worked in, “Following her early release, Elizabethany was brought on board in 2014…”
Or do it straight and once a week make a minor edit. Have the audience give you a word like “moist” that needs to be inserted into it. Wiki Wednesday?
Sherri with Hot 93.5 in Sudbury was thinking of having a listener every Friday rewrite the morning show bios just for that weekend.
The Ten-Word Movie Review
One of the midday talents was looking for something her listeners could get engaged with online during her shift. People love movies. Doubt me? Post, “What movie was so bad that you had to get up and walk out?” on Facebook. Anything movie or film-related will “stick.”
So a different “10 Word Movie Reviews” would be fun. Stick a different current film up on Facebook or the site and let listeners critique it in 10 words or less. A pair of movie tickets would be a nice prize but whatever you have in the prize closet or from a client would work.
The Brew Review
Yet another station had a request from a beer for something online. What about the (station’s)(beer’s) Brew Review? A web poll that focuses on listeners rating all the local bars, pubs, taverns, and lounges on a variety of criteria. “Best Happy Hour.” “Best Pool Tables.” “Best Retro Video Games.” “Hottest Waitresses.” “Cheapest Draft Beer.” “Best Kitsch Décor.” Have about 30 categories. Have people vote and go out and give each winner a trophy to be prominently displayed.
