When I sold local radio, especially if I was in front of a new business that had never advertised before, I made sure that I presented a marketing plan using all the resources I had at my disposal that made sense for the client. I’d create a package for multiple stations, our websites, and any other option I had that might fit their needs. I not only wanted to train the new business on how to “advertise on the radio,” I also wanted to leave the impression that I was the marketing expert they needed on their team. It was also a way to ask for their entire advertising budget.
I came across an example of this holistic type of marketing strategy recently from our affiliate WDFN, 1130 The Fan. Nick Gnau & Shosh Abromovich have put together a great team at iHeart Media/Detroit. Don Kowalewski is one of their sales stars who worked with his client Victory Lane Quick Oil Change on an innovative partnership that not only exposes Victory Lane to WDFN listeners but also exposes Victory Lane customers to WDFN.
I asked Lauren Cialella, Chief Operating Officer at Victory Lane Quick Oil Change about why an association with WDFN and NASCAR was appealing to them. She told me that the relationship is a natural fit, “As you can see with the checkered flag racing stripe in our logo, the words “victory lane” in our name, the quick change “pit crew” aspect of our business…racing just makes sense for our brand. In fact, in the past, 4-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears was once a spokesman for the company.”
The advertising package goes beyond radio commercials. There are recorded promo mentions on WDFN and its sister rock station WDTW, 106.7 The D, commercials and promos on both station’s iHeart Radio streams, a sponsorship of NASCAR TODAY MIDDAY on WDFN, iHeart Radio app targeted display ads, and added exposure on WDFN.com in the form of a featured scrolling ad prominently displayed on the homepage, a featured web module all their own, and website banners on both WDFN.com and TheDRocks.com. All launching in early September in time for The Chase for the Sprint Cup.
And it’s a two-way partnership. Victory Lane will be outfitting their employees on race weekends in t-shirts cross promoting the MRN NASCAR coverage on WDFN. Why not remind Victory lane customers that they can find the races on WDFN, they’ll hear the Victory Lane commercial that much more and continue to build their brand for the 26 locations they have in Detroit. Added benefit, their employees enjoy a t-shirt day, getting out of their normal uniform, once a week!
The cross promotion doesn’t stop there. Each week WDFN’s NASCAR coverage will be featured in the Victory Lane Quick Oil Change database marketing email to thousands of their customers paired up with a NASCAR themed discount or special. So, even if a customer didn’t come in for an oil change that week they will still be exposed to the NASCAR/WDFN cross promotion. Victory Lane will be promoting the partnership with WDFN in its social media too.
It’s a multifaceted, multi-channel, cross promotional messaging opportunity for both partners exposing fans of both brands to each other. Say that three times fast.
And it’s exactly what moves an advertising proposal from the bottom of the stack, to signed and approved.
This article originally appeared on Selling Speed and was written by Bob Quick.
