Nashville, Tenn. — The use of air personalities to promote a product or service is nothing new.
But how can a client truly benefit from that product endorsement, or the increased use of a radio talent as a brand ambassador?
“Be as absolutely authentic as possible — in every part of the show,” says Nashville-based syndicated iHeart Radio morning host Bobby Bones.
When Bones means every part of the show, he means it.
“It extends beyond entertainment, to personal partners like LifeLock,” he said to attendees at the 2016 Radio Show Advertiser Breakfast on Sept. 22.
Bones, along with WTMX-FM “The Mix” in Chicago morning hosts Eric & Kathy, are brand ambassadors for LifeLock, the identity theft protection brand that sponsored the session.
While the breakfast could have been mistaken as an infomercial for the company, the discussion provided some valuable insight for radio stations looking to build brand awareness for a trusted advertising partner.
Technically in the Direct Response category, LifeLock VP/Offlie Media and Marketing Lina Calia says that when reviewing station pacts, her company looks at cost per new member acquisition and the mix of new products people purchase.
Speaking to the hosts on the panel, Calia said, “You are our sales people. Act like your client. And, be your harshest critic.”
This will create the strong conversation designed to help the brand grow through its talent partnerships.
Eric Ferguson, one-half of the WTMX morning show aired on the Hubbard Radio Hot AC, believes a good product will sell itself. However, he notes, this can only happen “once you are able to share the message in a clear manner to your audience. We are the conduit to share the message, and let the product speak for itself.”
To that end, LifeLock Radio Consultant Kathy Kercher said, “Radio is in the fabric of the country,” and thus a good avenue for telling our story and spreading the message.
She supported the use of radio, as it “is still the best way to reach a lot of people,” while stating that podcasting right now “is just not big enough” for LifeLock to consider for talent partnerships.
The advertiser breakfast also saw a performance from singer-songwriter Kevin Griffin, writer of the Howie Day single “Collide” and lead singer of the act Better Than Ezra.
The session concluded with the awarding the Radio INK 2016 Radio Wayne awards, which saw Emmis Chairman/CEO Jeff Smulyan take home the award for “Broadcaster of the Year.”
In accepting his award, Smulyan saluted “an industry that will always survive and thrive, because they care about the community in every community of the United States.”
