I don’t have any clever references to stories about buying radio, so we’re going to dive right into it! Radio is probably the only media that will truly give you added value. Radio reps are willing to negotiate and give you free bonus time, tickets to events, advertising on their station’s website, etc. Use this to your advantage!

Radio buying is similar to TV in that you’re buying air time for certain period of time,:30 or :60 second spots, during day parts and on stations that hit your target audience. (You can apply the TV buying tips to radio from my Advertising 101 – Pt 2 blog) But, where you can get even more out of your radio buy is through what is referred to as added value.

Typically you can ask for bonus spots. They’re usually run of station, meaning that most likely they’re empty spots in less desirable time periods on weekends or 12a- 6a time slots, but hey, something is better than nothing! On air traffic/news sponsorships are also another added plug in stations are willing to throw in.

On a larger scale, there are two great ways to generate buzz for both you and the radio station:

One, live remotes. You’ll have to check with the radio station on extra costs. If you want a very popular DJ to be at your venue, it will most likely cost you extra money, but to have Joe Schmo radio DJ come on a weekend and promote an event or sale that you may be having, typically won’t cost you extra dollars.

Two, depending on your ad spend, you may be able to negotiate some on air promotion. For example, you’re a retail store having a big giveaway for the listeners. Both of these options are a win-win for you and the radio station.

So to conclude my radio buying words of wisdom, ask about added value! More often than not reps are more than willing to give you something extra beyond your buy.

Giveaways are the perfect way to get your product into the hands of your consumers.  But sometimes, we as marketers tend to get a little too ambitious with our out-of-the-box amazing ideas.  Somehow, that crazy giveaway seems like a phenomenal idea at first. You know, the one that requires the consumer to go out and buy a hula-hoop, make a video of themselves doing the “craziest” tricks ever (like jumping through it while it’s on fire – backwards), post it on Facebook, and tag 400 people, all just to get a coupon for 10 cents off. And when our giveaway only resulted in two entries, we wonder why everyone didn’t enter because it was such a creative idea. Turns out that the simplest ideas are the best ones.

Whether a client’s goals are product awareness or trial stimulation, giveaways are a one of a kind way to get the word out about something. But if we’re going to ask the consumer to “jump through a hoop” (get it?), it better be well worth it.  Marketers have to look at two things – the barrier to entry (number of steps the consumer has to take to enter) and the value of the reward. The key to a successful giveaway is to create a balance between the two, but also keeping in mind that the consumer likes to feel that they are getting the better end of the deal. If you want consumers to put some time in, you better come strong with an AMAZING incentive. And these incentives don’t always have to be huge, they just have to be something of value to the consumer – a coupon, exclusive deal, or even providing a head start on getting the latest concert ticket.

Next time you are planning a giveaway, remember that the more you can make the value of the prize outweigh the barrier to entry, the more successful you are going to be. And the happier your consumers are that they’ve gotten something pretty sweet.

In the marketing world being “the first” is an incredible thing. Whether it is being the first brand in a niche product category, the first to use a new media strategy or the first to make a creative new ad claim, people take notice. Firsts also provide tremendous competitive advantage. The only thing worse than being second is blatantly copying the brand that did it first. We’re talking to you Dairy Queen!

If you haven’t seen Dairy Queen’s latest campaign – take a look. For me, it’s a little too close to Old Spice’s campaign. We all know how popular and successful Old Spice’s use of the sarcastic new icon was with the over-the-top irony of their spots. They scored a huge “first.” They came up with a creative strategy that really worked to grab (and hold) the attention of their target audience. It was so popular many of the spots went viral, topping the most watched YouTube video charts. So I can certainly understand why someone in a board room at Dairy Queen must’ve thought – let’s do that! And granted, the two brands aren’t even in the same product category, but still – did they really think the copycat campaign wouldn’t be obvious? And the worst part? Others (like Edge Shave Gel) have starting shamelessly jumping on the bandwagon.

Lesson learned: do your own thing. Sure, plenty of people say there are no more new ideas out there; that everything we come up with has probably been used in some way, shape or form at some point over the past 100 years (even if we don’t know it). Maybe that’s true in many cases, but that doesn’t mean we’ve lost our ability to create new and impactful advertising. And I’m not saying we shouldn’t use creative ideas and strategies from great campaigns that are already out there. We should be inspired by the great advertising around us, not take the easy, copycat way out.

An old mentor of mine once talked about strategy as a carefully designed plan to destroy the competition. If you share that strategy with someone and they can’t say yes that’s me, or yes I want it, your strategy stinks.

Our account team is the creator of these diabolical plans. Strategy is simply the way you plan to sell a product or service. It’s not the copy or the images. Way before creative gets ahold of it, these folks make the first bit of magic. Strategic planning is the stage between fact finding and the big idea. The strategy is the road map for the creative team.

The Suits determine what we’re going to say in our marketing. I always say that good account people know how to think like the consumer and that they have to have big ones. You know, the kind of big ones that give you confidence. The kind of confidence to take the facts and drill them down into ONE unique strategy, one unique message that will make a brand successful. Bad account people lack this confidence and give you SEVERAL reasons why the brand is unique. Do one thing and be known for it, my Dad always said. He never said don’t be known for anything special, just do several things okay and blend into the woodwork. When I see a positioning statement with a string of adjectives and commas to represent what makes a brand unique, I know we’re headed for a diluted ad message.

To the facts they add their insight. They see connections that no one else may notice. All to create a strategy that makes a brand irresistible and get so little credit for it. So, here’s to you Account Service. Thanks for making creatives look so good for decades!