That is quite a powerful claim for such a short blog post – but I am prepared to stand by it – are you ready?
Those 2 words are… “WHAT IF…”
Don’t believe me?
Next time you are having a brainstorming session – or in a promotions meeting – ask the question – “What if we had no budget for this – what could we do?” or “What if we could only stream our station because we lost the transmitter?” or “What if this client didn’t like the colour red?” (We did this at a previous station with a client whose building was painted red, and all of their staff wore red and vehicles were red – and the ideas that we came up with were amazing), but you get the idea – right?
Now you may be familiar with the MARVEL ‘What If’ series – in which each popular story in the MARVEL Cinematic Universe (and later TV Universe) is told in a different way – without affecting what actually happens – it is based on the comic book version which allowed artists and storytellers to try out some weird ideas and some of them were truly inspired.
The point of doing it with radio promotions is to give a twist, serve as inspiration and to do away with preconceived ideas and old sacred cows (that’s something like, “we have always done this way and we are not changing it!” type of thinking) that you might have around your station promotions.
By asking this question of yourself and your staff you might discover that the old way was the best – but equally, and more likely – you will find a new and interesting twist on an old idea that will not only inspire your staff, but your listeners too.
Tackle each of the ideas that you generate separately, discover what is feasible, and what isn’t. And most importantly – follow through with your ideas – you will be surprised where the results lead you.
Also, staying fresh like this, and asking questions of your staff and those involved – you will get a different perspective each time you do it, and those unwritten rules around the sacred cows of your stations promotions can finally be gotten rid of.
