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December 12, 2011 By

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The challenge

With a relatively small budget, South Africa’s first and only alcoholic spring water cooler, Vawter, wanted to communicate its unique intrinsic qualities which are premium vodka and spring water. As a differentiator and means of building brand personality, they also sought to reinforce and educate consumers on the pronunciation of the brand name.

 

Why Radio?

“As a relatively small brand with small budgets, we felt that using Radio was the perfect medium to use to achieve our objectives as it has the greatest reach and allows us to use audible cues with respect to the brand’s name and personality.

Radio allows us to create a large amount of mystery around, ‘Tatiana’, the character used in our ads as well as creating talkability around the brand”, explains Vawter Global Marketing Manager Claudia Mills.

 

Implementation

Perhaps the most important aspect of the campaigns is the humorous play on a stereotypical human truths – for instance, Book Club. These meetings between ladies are more often than not focused on socialising more than the reading of books. The use of witty humour that plays on stereotypical human truths is a ‘recipe’ that the brand has now come to be known for – and through which objectives are met.

 

The Results

Through consumer feedback via social networking sites, the radio ads have been found to be a resounding success. Testament to this is the fact that people on the Vawter Facebook page engage with the brand in the same humorous tone and manner that the radio executions are so well known for. Advertising objectives were reached by increased brand awareness and likeability scores.

 

 

Learnings

The intense marrying of radio with digital media to increase a 360-degree interaction and awareness with consumers is essential to making a successful Vawter campaign. Tatiana –the mysterious on-air character is active on the brand’s Facebook page in the same humorous tone and manner as her radio profile. This further increases brand awareness, personality and engagement.

Listen Up:

Title: Vawter – Book Club

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December 12, 2011 By

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December 12, 2011 By

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Listen Up:

Title: Festive Season

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Title: This Heritage Month

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Title: Planning for the future

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Title:Life’s breath taking moments

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December 12, 2011 By

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December 12, 2011 By

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The challenge

In addition to creating awareness for their part time courses in Cape Town, Varsity College also wanted to communicate its offering as an institution that’s not just for school leavers, but one where professionals can further their education.

A secondary objective was to run a test campaign in preparation for the re-launch of the Business School in 2012 and to drive registrations.

Why Radio

Radio would allow Varsity College to be integrated into the conversation between presenter and listener in a subtle, unobtrusive way. The college then selected Heart 104.9FM as it best delivered the market they were targeting, and fitted within their budget.

Implementation

A high impact information led campaign was created, including promos, interviews and a combination of both live and recorded messages.

Pre-promos flighted a week prior to promote the campaign and encourage listeners to tune into Heart 104.9FM. In the week that followed, a high frequency radio campaign which included interviews, live reads and generic ads, encouraged strategic engagement with the brand.

‘Throw forwards’ were flighted before each feature to inform listeners of the upcoming Varsity College topic of the day.To keep the on-air elements relevant, discussions focussed on different aspects of the College that would be relevant to the Heart 104.9FM listeners.

The Results

“All core objectives of (1) increasing awareness of Varsity College, (2) informing and educating the market about the College’s offerings, and (3) generating an increased number of enquiries were achieved.The client reported a 300% increase in enquiries”, says Pippa Cohen of Ultimate Media

Learnings

To achieve the desired results, the client should always be given the liberty to be involved in the process of briefing the on-air presenters. Information should also packaged in such a way that it becomes valuable content for the presenter to use within the show.

RAB Commentary

A good example of how brands looking to raise awareness or understanding of their offerings can align with a station’s programming objectives and leverage their campaign through editorial content.

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December 12, 2011 By

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The Challenge

With a view to spreading the following central messages;

  • In the right hands, anything, no matter how small, has the potential to be more.
  • And with over 165 years of knowledge and experience, Old Mutual can help you make the most of what you have, today,
  • Old Mutual embarked on a combined campaign across all Old Mutual divisions, with the objective of driving call centre leads.
  • The campaign needed to create impact within 3 very different markets, namely mass, affluent and corporate.

Why Radio?

Taking into consideration, the diversity in markets, and the depth of the message, the campaign needed to be executed on media platforms that could deliver maximum reach, while allowing for more than a generic message. Old Mutual appreciated the power of radio’s relationship with its listeners, and used radio to tap into meaningful engagement with consumers. The decision to flight across 14 different radio stations including African Language stations and go beyond the use of generic 30 second ads, was the perfect fit

Implementation

A multi-platform, non-traditional radio solution flighting simultaneously across 14 different radio stations was created. A combination of both national and regional stations were used, namely; Metro FM, Ukhozi FM, Umhlobo Wenene FM, Lesedi FM, Lotus FM, Kaya FM, 94.7 Highveld Stereo, Jacaranda 94.2, Talk Radio 702, KFM, 567 CapeTalk, East Coast Radio, Algoa FM and OFM.

The 2-week campaign was comprised of 2 distinct parts;

  • Week 1, which was about engaging listeners and making the message tangible, saw 14 stations run with the same competition mechanic, delivered in a tailored manner that best suited each stations format. Listeners were invited to call in and share the goal that they were saving for. The most compelling and inspiring stories won cash to help them achieve that goal.
  • Listeners entered via the station websites or by SMS (in the case of African Language Stations). This allowed Old Mutual to generate an option where listeners agreed to be contacted by its representatives and generated thousands of direct leads for client.
  • Week 2 was about capitalising on the momentum created in the first week. It was about pushing a strong call-to-action and driving listeners to contact Old Mutual. This was done through endorsements / live reads by the same presenters who had hosted the competition the week before. They highlighted the best stories of the previous week and reinforced the benefit of starting to save and invest. In addition, a high frequency schedule of recorded generics carried the same call-to-action.

The Results

The stories were what made this campaign work, proving that radio is the most personal medium.

Everybody has a savings or investment goal and we immediately relate when we hear others talking about their goals. The beauty of this campaign is that the inspiring goals coming in kept the presenters interested and ensured that they didn’t rush to get through the execution as quickly as possible. As a result, thousands of qualified, direct leads from all sections of the market as well as a massive increase in volume of incoming SMS traffic to the Old Mutual call centre has been achieved.

Learnings

Old Mutual’s Thembeka Ngugi says; "Our objective was to engage South Africans from all walks of life around the importance of saving for your financial goals. It is a subject that can easily inspire and motivate. We understand that radio is the ideal medium with which to engage people on issues which really matter to them. By getting ordinary people to share their goals live on air we helped create compelling and meaningful content for the stations.  Once you’ve connected with listeners on an emotional and meaningful level they are far more likely to respond to your generic call-to-action message”.

RAB Commentary

It’s truly encouraging to see a client like Old Mutual who appreciates that consumers are people too. And that in order to entrench their brand philosophy and generate leads, they need to go beyond the 30” and engage the listener via compelling on-air content.

 

 

*Campaign was conceptualised and executed by Ultimate Media and Carat

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Castle Lite brews up a concept that’s a perfect fit for radio

December 12, 2011 By

The challenge

With an objective of driving entries through product purchase, the Castle Lite ‘Enter a State of Cool’ promo needed to take a creative concept that was being executed via an on-pack promotion and bring it to life.

Consumers stood a chance to win a trip to the world’s biggest ice bar in Miami with 3 friends, valued at R300 000.

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Why Radio?

In order to drive entries via product purchase and gain traction within the attractive Metro FM market, the concept needed to be brought to life on radio to drive awareness and excitement about the brand and the competition.

Radio, being the original social medium was used to continue the dialogue with the target audience and drive excitement for the trip.

Implementation

The result of this collaboration was an innovative concept to have a ‘Live’ on-air draw for the winner. 10 Finalists were flown up to SAB’s central offices in Sandton, whilst the Metro FM afternoon drive time show broadcasted live from SAB. Contestants then competed in a series of challenges related to extra cold touch points and Castle Lite. Listeners on the station were kept up to date on the elimination, thus extending the reach to the MetroFM audience.

The Results

As the first of its kind (live draw and interactive element), this promotion has driven an incredible amount of hype for the brand, thereby increasing the brand’s credibility within a broader Metro FM listener base. The total promo also recorded the highest number of entries against similar SAB promos run in the same periodand exceeded campaign volume targets.Over the promotion period, the Castle Lite Facebook page fan base increased from 800 to more than 10 000, while Twitter followers grew from 184 to more than 2000.

Learnings

“Interactive on-air competitions need to be differentiated and unique to the brand message to break-through the clutter.

Moreover, integrating the brand’s persona with media channels and programming to create engaging branded content can deliver an exciting promotion”, says Brand Campaign Manager for Castle Lite, Gugu Nkabinde.

RAB Commentary

While the campaign was short-lived, the mechanics with which the promo was executed helped to break through the on-air clutter, with long-lasting results.

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December 12, 2011 By

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The Challenge

MiWay were looking for an original and contemporary campaign to enhance their brand profile within central South Africa.  They wanted to get close and personal with OFM’s loyal and affluent listeners, in a way that drove home the MiWay brand attitudes.

Why Radio

Appreciating that radio listeners have a loyal and emotional bond with their station and favourite presenters, MiWay Insurance realised that, with the right campaign, radio could position their brand in a closer and more personal manner within their central South African market.

With radio being able to deliver across multimedia platforms, from online, social media and sister publications, the campaign could be further extended, while maintaining the station – listener relationship.

Implementation

MiWay Insurance had been advertising on OFM for more than 18months, with great results. OFM’s 25th birthday celebration, which took the party to Mauritius, presented an ideal opportunity for MiWay to further extend their brand relationship with their market in a manner that could drive their brand attitudes home.

OFM’s morning show, The ‘Breakfast Club’ got behind the campaign, using the power of radio’s theatre of the mind to creatively conjure up ‘warm’ holiday images. – albeit in icy cold June Free State conditions.

Listeners saw themselves slipping their toes into warm beach sand and soaking up the sun in anticipation of the grand prize to Mauritius. Over the next 5 months, a series of fun promos and hilarious on-air antics were executed by the‘Breakfast Club’ team. ‘Mildred’, a character created by MiWay Insurance became a regular guest on air in the build-up to the trip and the team spoke to her often whilst she was having fun in Mauritius.

OFM delivered continuous momentum right up until the listeners departed for Mauritius on the 24th of October, including a week of outside broadcasts in Mauritius.

The ‘Breakfast Club’ entertained listeners in Mauritius and posted updates on their blog. Listeners who did not have the opportunity to go to the island were able to share in the experience via posted videos and pictures.

The Results

This campaign engaged OFM’s listeners from beginning to end. MiWay Insurance was positively showcased by integrating their brand into the heart of OFM programming. MiWay Insurance has seen an increase in leads and conversions over this time. They have attributed this to a more interactive campaign, buy in from OFM and their presenters who brought the campaign and their brand character to life on air.

Learnings

Head of Marketing at MiWay, Carine Conradie-Haffejeesays;

“The MiWay Mauritius initiative gave our brand an opportunity to get up close and personal with a very loyal and affluent OFM listener on a high frequency basis.  Rather than focus on hard sell messages during this campaign we aimed to be playful and give the audience a taste of the MiWay brand attitude. This approach and the dedication of OFM (and Thompsons Holidays) meant we were able to reach our audience in a less obtrusive and much more positive way – the results speak for themselves”.

RAB Commentary

Adding even more weight to radio’s argument as the medium that makes listeners most happy and energised, this campaign is an excellent demonstrator of how advertisers can benefit from engaging with listeners in a ‘feel good’ environment, with great results. It’s also worth noting that the most impactful radio campaigns not only start well but also sustain interest throughout.

Listen Up:

Title: Mauritius MiWay

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Title: Post Promo

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December 12, 2011 By

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The challenge

As the next step in its Reality Check advertising campaign, SAB’s ‘No Regret Friday’ initiative calls upon all South Africans to ‘Regret Nothing’ by consuming alcohol responsibly over the weekend. Given the fact that regret is a particularly complex emotion to evoke or express, the alcohol brand needed to utilise a medium that could make this message more accessible and as a result, more powerful.

Why Radio

“Radio’s strength as a ‘theatre of the mind’ medium provides an effective means of expressing a difficult emotion like regret in a way that a billboard or a print ad can’t. In addition to reaching a wide and varied audience with good penetration, the medium also enabled us to speak to our target market in apt environments, when they are in the process of going out after work or in their car”, says Corporate Reputation Manager, Jessica Yellin.

Implementation

“In order to inspire behavioural change, the campaign was launched using radio to generate awareness around ‘No Regret Friday’. Radio was chosen as the key medium for this element of the campaign, and we opted initially for two national stations, 5FM and Metro FM.

These allowed us national reach against two sets of audiences, which we supported with the big SABC ALS stations to broaden our reach across a further segment”, says Yellin.  Every Friday, SAB reminds consumers to behave responsibly through radio advertising spots, brand ambassadors such as 5FM’s Gareth Cliff as well as through its website.

The Results

Radio was the only medium utilised to advertise the No Regret Friday Movement along with support from chosen ambassadors and bloggers. On the day of the launch, there were 1 183 unique visits to this site.  #noregretfriday has twice been a trending topic in South Africa.

To date, there have been 2 342 online conversations, 2 768 pledges and mentions by more than 50 blogs and newspapers. More than 4.3-million people have been exposed to the campaign through social media.

Learnings

“After this particular Reality Check campaign, we’ve learnt that radio is a fantastic medium to generate awareness through ambassadors and live reads and to create a movement. Using radio alone, we managed to draw people to our ‘No Regret Friday’ website where they could pledge their support”, says Yellin.

RAB Commentary

Tapping into the credibility that goes along with DJ endorsements as well as radio’s strength as a personal medium is a great way for  brands to literally ‘drive a message home’.

Listen Up:

Title:Dear girl I took on a date…

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Title: Dear Mom

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 Title: DearOfficer

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Up close and personal with … the Programming Manager

December 12, 2011 By

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Radio advertisers can learn a lot by understanding what frightens radio station programming managers the most, says Jason Brownlee. He should know. He’s tested the effectiveness of more than 400 radio case studies on RadioGAUGE…
In my experience, *the* most terrifying thing a Programming Manager has to contemplate is changing the presenter of his breakfast show. It’s no secret that listeners become very attached to their favourite DJs who weave themselves into the routine of daily life and become like real friends.

The second thing would be putting new music onto their playlist. People don’t like songs they don’t recognise and have been known to switch off from a station playing something unfamiliar and cruise around the dial until they hear a song they know and like.

Interestingly, the top 25% of radio ads in terms of creative effectiveness, as measured by RadioGAUGE, were on average 13% better at generating brand campaign awareness than the bottom 25% of ads. Top-performing campaigns often exhibited common attributes such as long standing creative strategies, familiar jingles, recognisable voices, regular characters and consistent story lines.

What am I saying then?

Here are three things, my points above prove;

1. Personalities need familiarity to be successful on the radio – presenters need to develop a rapport with an audience that, over time, will come to embrace them.

2. Music needs familiarity to be successful on the radio – as a song begins to break its way into awareness it builds familiarity within the minds of listeners, who will eventually take it to heart.

3. Commercials need familiarity to be successful on the radio – advertisers need to develop creative themes or templates that express the personality of their brand on the radio and commit to them over a long period of time.

Bottom line; building familiarity on the radio is crucial for any presenter, song or band that wants to cut through into audience consciousness and be taken into the hearts and minds of listeners. Brands that ‘find their voice’ on the radio build the strongest relationships with listeners, which invariably delivers the best ROI from the medium.

Jason Brownlee
Development Director, RadioGAUGE International

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