Broadcast Promotion / Marketing & Promotion Essay, Research Paper

Broadcast Promotion / Marketing

In today’s market you must:

1. generate and understand new ideas

2. tackle challenges of:

a. building ratings

b. building revenue

3. understand that the marketplace is cluttered and noisy with 2 – 3000 commercials each day

4. it’s like the Field of Dreams: you have to think outside of the box to market what you “build”

Marketing is defined as:

1. a philosophy, not a department

2. winning the perceptual battle

3. being much more multi-dimensional

4. having a much greater sophistication

5. for example:

a. on-site display (”signage”)

b. balloons

c. live remotes

d. movie screenings

The evolution taking place in promotion / marketing:

-p/m directors think more like executives

-their job extends into stations and handling of clients and creating an increase demand for sales

-they have to get people interested in the station

-according to a recent survey, station GMs want p/m directors to become a marketing executive

-the same survey says they have to look beyond the next promotion

-also, a good mix of business management and creativity is essential

-lastly, the survey said that a p/m director has to be able to generate:

1. ratings

2. revenue

3. goodwill

P/M has four basic parts:

1. audience

2. sales

3. value-added

4. non-spot revenue – since there’s limited space to sell ads, have to find other ways to make $

When promoting your station, there’s countless avenues to take:

1. newspapers

2. TV

3. radio

4. billboards

5. bus/taxi placards

6. transit shelters

7. direct mail

8. special events

The promotion must be:

1. in good taste

2. consistent with the station’s public image

3. all literature must be factual and not lead on potential advertisers

The basic skills needed for P/M are:

1. broadcast ratings

2. research techniques

3. budget planning capabilities

4. motivational techniques and how to apply them

5. advertising including characteristics of various media and how they can be used

6. media selection – know the buying process

7. on-air effects and results

8. generate favorable publicity

9. station promotion – other than non-air

10. effective sales promotion

3 ways to get message(s) to the public:

1. advertising

2. promotion

3. publicity

Who are these “publics”? (everyone on local level or national spot level is public)

1. listeners/viewers

2. potential audience

3. special interest groups

4. community leaders

5. ad agency buyers

6. clients

7. potential clients

8. minority groups

9. the press in general

The Promotion Director’s job responsibilities (con’t):

1. community relations – enhances image of station

2. audience promotion – informs or motivates them to watch a program

3. image promotion – reaffirm the station’s image

4. sales promotion – media buyers and potential clients

5. marketing

6. merchandising/value-added – extras offered to clients

7. advertising – ways the station gets image to the public

8. publicity – like free newspaper space

a. advantages: low cost & it’s 4 times greater than an ad because it comes from a 3rd party

b. disadvantages: you lose control of what’s said

The biggest promotional successes are those that the promise you make has to be different.