Memorial Day Radio Promotions That Work…

Wednesday, May, 21, 2008 by Mel Phillips.

With gas prices predicted to rise as high as $5 a gallon in California, KNX-AM Los Angeles pumped free gas for its listeners yesterday.  That’s about the best good-will promotion imaginable - that and free groceries, which they didn’t provide.  First we’ll feed your car and then we’ll feed you.  You can’t miss with that if you’re still searching for a promotion for the unofficial start of the summer this weekend.  Setting limits on either or both and you can get away with a great promotion without blowing your budget.  KNX set a limit of 10 gallons of unleaded regular per car in their promotion…

Here’s another good promotion being featured for Memorial Day.  Clear Channel and Geico teamed together for an American War Letters Campaign.  The so-called “Legacy Project” will honor war veterans by airing recordings of wartime letters by media, entertainment and literary figures.  Ten and fifteen-second spots will be donated by Geico and will run in the top 25 markets around Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day and Veteran’s Day.  Clear Channel Radio will also contribute PSAs and banners on its more than 800 station websites…

These are two good examples of promotions that tug at the heart-strings, sets your station aside from satellite, network and Internet radio and serves your community at a time when people really need it.  You don’t have to break the bank to come up with a meaningful promotion.  You do have to show some creativity and care enough to find the hot-buttons and push them…

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1881]  Clara cares:  Clara Barton  founds the American Red Cross and then starts a candy company (well, in New York anyway)…
2. 1891]  Pulling no punches:  Peter Jackson and Jim Corbett  fight to a 61-round draw.  Both fighters complain about fatigue after the first 50 rounds… 
3. 1927]  Touchdown:   Charles A. Lindbergh  lands his “Spirit of St. Louis” near Paris completing the first solo flight across the Atlantic…
4. 1945]  Wedding Bells: 46-year old Humphrey Bogart  marries Lauren Bacall, less than half his age.  They met while co-starring in “To Have And Have Not” and stay married until Bogey’s death in 1957…
5. 1968]  Buried at sea:  The nuclear powered U.S. submarine USS Scorpion  with 99 men aboard is heard from for the last time.  The remains of the sub are later found on the ocean floor 400 miles southwest of the Azores…
6. 1977]  Rounding second and heading for third:  Seattle Slew wins the Preakness and will become the first of two consecutive Triple Crown winners (Affirmed wins in 1978 and is the last Triple Crown winner) when he wins the Belmont Stakes in June.  Could Big Brown become the first TC winner in 30 years???
7. 1979]  Lord Stanley’s Cup overfloweth:  Montreal wins their second straight Stanley Cup when they beat the Rangers in 5 games…1981]  Thanks to Butch Goring’s two goals, the Islanders win their second straight Stanley Cup by beating Minnesota…
8. 1979]  Guilty as charged:  Former San Francisco City Supervisor Dan White  is convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting deaths of mayor George Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk.  Believe it or not, White uses the “Twinkie” defense, claiming that junk food fueled his rampage…
9. 1981]  Future major leaguers hook up in College:  In what’s billed as the greatest college pitching duel ever, Yale’s Ron Darling  and St. John’s Frank Viola match zeroes through 11 innings.  Darling has a no-hitter while striking out 16 after 11 but Yale loses the game 1-0 on a scratch single, 2 steals and an error in the 12th inning.  This was a 1st round game of the NCAA playoffs…
10. 1990]  Just a dream, just a dream:  Bob Newhart  closes out his “Newhart” series by waking up Emily (his TV wife played by Suzanne Pleshette) and realizing that his new series about his life as an innkeeper was a dream.  It’s the final first-run episode of the series that ran 8 seasons…

Music Memories:

• 1955]  Recorded on this date:  “Ida Red” (which will be changed to “Maybelline“) - Chuck Berry…
• 1971]  Released on this date:  “Ram” LP - Paul McCartney…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday”:

Lisa (”Cuddy” on “House“) Edelstein (42), Judge Reinhold (51), Lawrence Tero Tureaud a.k.a. Mr. T (56), Al Franken (57), Leo Sayer (60), Marcie Blane (64), Ronnie Isley (67) and Ara Parseghian (85)…

Timeline Countdown:  5 days until Memorial Day, 25 days until Father’s Day, 32 days until Summer and 45 days until July 4th…

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