Talk Radio 702's Election 2006 marketing campaign, which synergised a range of above-the-line and below-the-line elements with 702's coverage of the elections, got Johannesburg talking. The 'Election 2006' campaign drew on 702's extensive coverage of the municipal elections, tapping into a topical issue that directly affected the lives of 702's listeners.
By leveraging on-air coverage of the 2006 municipal elections, the campaign helped the radio station to get closer to its listeners and gain marketing traction.
Explained Dex de Bruin, marketing manager at Talk Radio 702: "Regional radio stations around the world are able to get a lot closer to their listeners than national stations. 702 has enjoyed a great deal of success through the community association it has with its listeners - not only through our charity work, but also by raising and discussing relevant issues that our audience relates to.
"The local government elections are topical, and directly impacts the lives of the city's residents. They have the opportunity to influence the service they get from the municipality with their votes."
'Make Your X Count' is the central theme of the campaign, which ran across a range of channels including street poles, forecourt TV, regional newspapers, and television. To remind listeners that the election will not be the same unless they make their crosses on election day, the creative for the campaign is built around pairs of words that have had the letter 'X' removed from them: 'Rela_ed or Ta_ed; E_pertise or E_cuses,' etc.
The campaign also spilt out into the streets of Johannesburg through a street distribution campaign that had students wearing 702 T-shirts, hand out party blowers with the caption 'Hear all the party tricks' and whistles with the caption 'We'll bring the players, you be the referee...'
An election road show that saw the 'Tim Modise Network' (on 702 each weekday between 9am and 12pm) broadcast outside the confines of the studio, added yet another real-world element to the campaign. Apart from giving people direct access to municipal election candidates, the road show brought 702's presenters closer to the audience. Modise's broadcast at the Johannesburg City Hall on February 22 brought together 14 political parties and 1000 supporters to debate hot-button issues for the election.
