CPR Promotional Check-Up - May 6, 2022

The Loan Shark

Regarding, ‘great campaigns usually have great spokespeople’, Tommy at BBGI in Tampa has introduced The Loan Shark as the voice of 98.7 The Shark’s cash contest.

Endorsements

Tommy Kramer, who admittedly is a little rough around the edges had a great line. “When a talent says ‘My friends at…’ no one listening actually believes that this is anything more than just a paid advertisement because in their minds, no one in the entertainment industry would voluntarily choose to hang out with a guy who sells cars or vein stripping.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch...

We think our listeners are idiots but they catch a lot. I was at a non-radio thing with a non-radio friend and I mentioned a local station that I worked with. Without blinking she said “(Afternoon guy), what a whore.” Huh? Possibly one of the greatest talents I know and definitely one of the nicest guys I know? “Yeah, he’d endorse a skin disease if there was a buck in it for him.” I was sincerely offended. This is a guy who’s my friend.

So I listened the next day? Holy balls. He had at least six endorsements happening. “My friends at Gutter Guard….”

But, there are ways to do it that might actually work and cut through the clutter.

Hot in Houston had a Toyota dealer who wanted to give each and every member of the staff a car to drive and talk about.

Repeat after me: No one cares or is impressed that someone they perceive as being over-paid and over-privileged now gets a free car. So Mark Adams created the Mommy Bloggers and they found four women listeners from four different life circumstances, THEY got the cars and they authoritatively blogged about how this car really made their life a lot easier.

One of the stations had the morning guy’s dog endorse a car. Because who loves a car more than anyone else? A dog. And it pushed the Pet Hot Button.

You could have babies endorse cars with video testimonials and thought bubbles. Anything is better than a DJ talking about their free ride.

Tastimonials

Possibly there is no Radio worse than a DJ eating food on the air. Again, who cares? If you have a whole bunch of the McDonalds Cajun Scallop Nugget Dogs that they’re testing in your market, take them to businesses and feed the at-work listeners and have them (veiled in a call in) mention that these were really outstanding and who could possibly believe they’d been ranched in a pond in Utah and deep frozen five months ago?

This was brought up at a station and the client told the GSM, “Well, what if they don’t like it?” Well, that would be a problem but we also would never air someone bashing a client’s product.

With that said about “people not caring”, I’ve seen a few talent over the years have their own dish or concoction. Corey Foley, when she was at Wild in Tampa, had her own cocktail that was available at her appearances. (She drank a LOT so this actually fit into her on-air persona). Leah Black at KOB-FM in Albuquerque had her own smoothie. One of the talent at KSFM had their own pizza at Mountain Mikes. I give this stuff a pass because it’s marketing.

And you can never ever go wrong with a character.

Comedians On The Air

Sometimes, they don’t entirely suck. But when they do suck, it’s a kind of suck that can’t ever be matched by any other kind of suck.

“We have a comedian who we’d like to put on the afternoon show for 30 minutes.” No. God. Please. No.

But, you could get him in and take him on a bus and video him cracking up commuters. You could take him and have him break bad news to someone like Rush does with Bad News Ballads in San Antonio. You could take him down to represent the morning guy on a traffic ticket in court. Anything but sitting in the studio and telling jokes to one person.

Or, do what Kruz did at 94.9 in Cincinnati and have the client give your talent a bootcamp in Funny. Create a vid series as the DJ learns how to write and deliver material. And then do a “night” at the client where he or she gets up and throws caution and comedy to the wind.