Radio Gives Back – helping businesses and generating new leads

One of the cases featured in our latest compilation Radio Lockdown Sales and Prospecting Tactics, is a case from South Africa where a radio company managed to generate new business (leads) and PR by promoting the offer of free airtime as a community service to local companies.

The concept

Kagiso Media's radio stations Jacaranda FM and East Coast Radio, with their sales arm Mediamark, launched a free advertising airtime initiative to help businesses and advertisers struggling to make ends meet.

While it’s widely known that advertising in times of crisis is essential, the Covid-19 lockdown has left many businesses struggling to pay salaries and expenses. Cash flow restrictions usually means that advertising budgets are
de-prioritised. East Coast Radio and Jacaranda FM know how important advertising through this trying time is, and introduced #ECRGivesBack and #JacaGivesBack as a response.

Nick Grubb, Chief Executive of Kagiso Media Radio, commented: “Our business has been built from the advertising spend of our clients – from large multinationals to small local store-owners. We see it as our responsibility to be there for them when times are tough and do what we can to keep them afloat and uppermost in the minds of their markets.”

Who could apply?

All registered and legal businesses that were facing financial or any other difficulties because of the pandemic could apply. They simply had to visit the website of either of the two radio stations and enter their details. Applications were then decided on by a Kagiso Media task team. The campaign ran for two months with the application deadline of 30 April. The stations’ sales arm, Mediamark, implemented the campaigns and processed thousands of applications.

The awarded advertising airtime could then be used to communicate what the businesses were doing to help communities over the given period or to keep listeners informed of plans once the lockdown is over.

Results – new clients and boosted CRM database

The campaign has been running for 2 months and has added more than 2 500 businesses to the clients’ database (CRM) which is almost ten times more than the client list before the crisis. It was a win-win for both businesses, which received much-needed support but also for the radio company that helped the local community by showing their support with concrete action while at the same time collecting a fantastic prospection list to work with in a post-COVID period and generate positive PR.