In 2025, social media videos are essential for backing up the regular imaging that we run for our promotions. They allow you to have some fun and not necessarily have to stick to the corporate-dictated appointment times and music positioning statements.
When we started Wild in SFO, there was a Vibe category of on-air promos that we borrowed from Power in Miami and Jams in Orlando. Jammin in New London is doing $1,000 with keywords. Here are a few Sora-generated promo videos that I worked up.
And now, on with the Dumpage:
Christmas Music, yeah!!
It goes without saying that the majority of you will have a station in your cluster doing The Christmas Thing. Which is cool. I’ve launched two stations with faux‘rmats of Christmas music. Both times, we added the visual of sticking street teamers in Santa costumes on street corners all over town. Cheaper than outdoor and frankly way more effective. I’ve never seen someone put up a board with three artist photos and a position statement and watched as one in four motorists leaned over and turned the channels on their radio. But I dressed up as Santa, stood on a corner in 100-degree heat, and watched that happen. Why wouldn’t you have some fun on the day you switch the music?
Who’s Down With BBB???
From the minds(?) at Hot 89.9 to award cash or trips to sunny destinations, Beach Ball Break-In. With the cooperation of the contestant, they get into their home and hide a beach ball. The listener is then allowed into the home and has a dial position number of seconds to find said ball, to win.
Blingle Bells
One of the stations has a jeweler client that wants to, begs to, has to give away product around Christmas. We obviously love clients like that. So, they’re going to do “Blingle Bells”: come out and ring a Salvation Army bell for a 12-hour marathon and for helping the needy, they’ll hook up the guy’s sweetie. And the Marketing Director is a songstress, so she wrote a Blingle Bell Rocks jingle in about ten minutes that is unbelievable.
Smash & Pass
BOB-FM in Spokane once awarded tickets to either the Smashing Pumpkins or the local haunted attraction. I like TBD contests. It’s a tiny bit more interesting for the people listening along: the 96% of people who don’t play contests.
You will have thousands of former-Jack ‘O Lanterns littering doorsteps around the market starting next Tuesday. Perhaps you present it as if you’re cleaning out all pumpkins from the prize closet. Get a caller, get a pumpkin from the closet, “smash” it on the studio floor, and let them know what prize was inside.
The Social Security Game
94.9 Star-FM in Roanoke has an annual ratings promotion that plays into a Universal: everyone has a social security number. Four times a day, they give out two digits, and if they’re in your social security number, be caller 12 and win $100. You can then try your luck for $200 if the next two digits they say are in your number.
The Crunch Lunch
95X in Syracuse has a client who wants something that can sustain all Sunday afternoon. What if you did an edible drinking game? Every time a player gets hit so hard that a helmet comes off, or a trainer has to come out, someone in the place wins a food item from the menu.
The Reverse Psychology Theory of Getting Attention
Q in Memphis once announced the lineup for Jingle Jam this morning and to juice attention and tune-ins, they had a Santa standing out at a busy intersection with a sign that said “Maney Hates Christmas!”. Maney actually doesn’t hate Christmas; the Santa was just mad that he had to score tickets to the show like everyone else: buy or win your way in.
Real Laps of Genius
One of the PDs who has had multiple successes with Secret Superstars is going to go through the audio archives and find ten quick clips from TV shows and movies of actors and actresses saying, “I want…” These will be collaged, and the presentation is that the station has a mall Santa, and a lot of celebs have come by to sit on his lap. ID them all and win shopping money.
Studio Decorating
Most stations abandoned camming the studio a long time ago. But if you felt like you needed an excuse, Tom Davis, who is with Beasley in Tampa, has done it at Jamz in Orlando, where he would decorate the studio to look like Santa’s workshop for the month of December. Why? Why not?
New Year’s Eve Countdowns
A station-to-remain-nameless did a version of the Wired/Philly Crunked Out Countdown last year (song #37 into song #16 into song #25, etc.) We were talking about some new options instead of just a dial position number of songs (ensuring that over half are stiffs) or, even worse, a syndicated countdown. A few of the things we came up with.
- Doing the ADD Countdown. Maybe 3 seconds of song #94. Four seconds of #93. By the time you get into the 30s, you’re playing the full song.
- Doing a standard countdown but breaking away to list other Top Tens of 2007, i.e., “That was song #18 and Kanye West. Now let’s hear another Top Ten for the past year…. The Top Ten Most Requested Songs by 3rd shift adult bookstore cashiers.” You name nine songs, play a song, and then return to the countdown.
- The Karaoke Countdown. You play only the music bed and have the scrolling lyrics on the website. Remember that the VAST majority of your listeners will be at house parties, so give them some karaoke entertainment for them and their guests.
