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Date My Dad!
April 24, 2012
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. A PD or morning show team reading this one email and deciding to act upon it can completely change the lives of one family in your TSA.....it can also generate amazing content for your morning show and station.
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What would happen if your morning show received an email (or in this original case, a letter) like this........
Hi Kym and Ali and Dzelde (morning show team).
My name is Astrid, and my brother is named Gus.
Our Dad Darren is the best Dad and has lots of good points. Dad cooks good food, is good at fixing stuff and is tidy. Dad likes the beach and listens to you when he is off the phone.
Dad does not live with Mum, and Dad has been by himself for a while now. We want to get him someone nice so he smiles too.
We go fishing lots, he likes skateboarding and eats vegetables, Dad is good at making friends.
Can you help Dad find someone?
Astrid and Gus
A PD or morning show team reading this one email and deciding to act upon it can completely change the lives of one family in your TSA.....it can also generate amazing content for your morning show and station.....
This is real life, and it's the reacting to real life situations that offers you the opportunity to engage - really engage - with your audience.
Reality TV has done it for years, but in many parts of the world "reality radio" is still in its infancy. Many radio stations believe it's too uncomfortable for their listeners. "Hey, we're the feel good station at breakfast time."
How you and your team react to these kind of opportunities can go a long way to defining your future, because it's this kind of reality or "story arc" radio that acts as a "tipping point" to success.
In this initial case, Astrid and Gus were looked after by the morning show on Triple M. They got it right, and you know what? They also got involved for the right reasons.
It wasn't about ratings...they were a result of the good work, sure, but it was all about helping out a couple of local kids with their wish to see their dad happy. Kym, Ali & Dzelde put a call in to the family and spoke to Astrid and then to her dad, Darren, who didn't know that his kids were so keen to find their dad someone special!- What was Darren's story?
- Why didn't he have a partner?
- What was he like? A good guy?
- Does he have a job??
- Let's talk to the kids again..........
And.........the broader issues...........
- How hard is it to be a single parent and still get out there and meet people?
- Are there plenty of single dads and mums out there looking for love?
- How do you go about getting out there?
What should a radio station do in this situation?
Get to know the "cast"! Listeners got involved, and they connected emotionally. They cared about Darren
Kym, Ali & Dzelde were inspired. They got on the case and on the hunt to help find Darren love.
What transpired over the next few weeks was an amazingly compelling soap opera.
The radio station put the word out ........ everyone became involved ... Darren, his kids, his family, his mum, his mates ....... and we the listeners were taken on a journey to find true love.
The search for Darren generated great content for the morning show and for all other dayparts, the Triple M website, and Facebook.
The media got involved.
Reach growth and forced listening was the result. Oh yes .......... and involvement for five of the station's most important clients as well as the opportunity to bring on board lapsed and new clients.
And the total cost to the radio station?
Nothing!
This is "Date my Dad" ...... from a chance email to a radio station into a great radio campaign that allows you to help your listeners and drive ratings and revenue at the same time.
We have now executed this campaign multiple times right across the world, including on Jacaranda 94.2 in South Africa, which offered the following promo during its experience with the campaign:
If you'd like to know more about this great campaign, please feel free to get in touch at phildowse@phildowsemedia.com or +44(0) 7811961166. Next week: we'll talk about the "Who Cares?" test.
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