6 Ways to Use Local Radio to Drive Consumers to Retail
Hormel, the maker of Spam and Dinty Moore Stew, recently used radio and TV to take a national program down to a local level to drive consumers to retail. The brand worked in partnership with broadcast marketing company CRN International, which in turn tapped Hormel’s creative agency, BBD, to drill down into about 50 local communities. “The job was to get retailers to provide a strong and measurable dose of incremental merchandising and displays and other activity, and to get local consumers to go to the stores and purchase product,” says Barry Berman, CEO of CRN.
These six strategies can be applied to any brand looking to use radio and TV to go local.
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Produce radio programs that talk about local events in each market relevant to the target consumer, with branding at the beginning and end of each spot.
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Use local radio personalities to test the products at home and then talk about them on air. For example, the personalities took the Hormel products home and then discussed ways to make simple meals using the products. Television personalities made meals on air.
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Marry a 15-second brand TV or radio spot to a 15-second retail ad that matches the quality and theme. This leverages store performance — for example, special displays or the purchase of extra cases. “Mirroring or matching the national spot using the same talent and the same production facilities makes it seamless,” Berman says.
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Use contests that focus on retail. One Hormel contest was designed to draw attention to a coupon in Sunday newspapers. Local radio listeners and television viewers were prompted to enter for a chance to win prizes by answering a question that had to be found on the coupon page.
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Stage radio remotes at retail locations.
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Partner with a local charity. Radio announcers let consumers know that if they purchase a certain product, a percentage of that sale goes to a local charity. For one holiday campaign from Hormel, a share of sales from Hormel Cure 81 Ham went to local food pantries. “It creates a situation where people are actively listening,” says Cynthia Conrad, marketing manager for CRN.
