The deal will bring CC Radio listeners LivingSocial daily deals nationwide. The main competitor to Groupon will be the sole daily deal provider on more than 500 CC stations in 90 markets. On-air talent will highlight daily LivingSocial deals for their markets and they’ll also be accessible through CC Radio station websites. Clear Channel will also feature LivingSocial Escapes and Adventures packages across its media platforms.
The deal begins 10/24. DJs will direct folks to buy LivingSocial vouchers on an unscripted basis. LivingSocial will handle sales and fulfillment, and Clear Channel will get a commission from the sales.
Last month, Cumulus Media announced it would expand its own daily-deal site, Sweetjack. That service will be sold by Cumulus AEs in some 18 markets over the next two months.
“We’re delighted to be working with Clear Channel and their deep, well established network of radio stations and millions of listeners across the country,” said Tim O’Shaughnessy, Co-Founder and CEO of LivingSocial. “Radio stations are a primary means for people to find entertainment and learn what’s going on in their communities. This matches perfectly with LivingSocial’s mission to help people find great deals and values around them.”
LivingSocial serves more than 46 million members in more than 603 daily deal markets worldwide.
RBR-TVBR observation: It’s a bit of a risky proposition when the stations give up the marketing of daily deals to the daily deal provider. Yes, it’s all about the bottom line, but when a restaurant or retailer’s ad dollars are spent on a LivingSocial ad package, per se, what might happen when Clear Channel AEs visit to talk about traditional spots? “Sorry, the money has been spent.” But in this case, the cut for Clear Channel may be significant. No doubt, daily deals providers are taking money out of many markets, and in some cases if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
