"One year from now, you'll have a chance to evaluate my performance and either hire me for a full 4-year term or send me packing." - Susan Fagan, candidate for Washington State Representative, from a 11/2009 radio commercial.
November 1, 2010 - I caught a break this election season. State Representative Susan Fagan did such an outstanding job of serving her constituents during her first (one-year) term of office, that she is running unopposed for a full four-year term in tomorrow's election.
The fact that nobody from either party filed to run against Susan is a testimony to the effectiveness of her efforts as a state legislator, including her fine use of emails and social media to interact with her constituents on a frequent basis before, during, and after a difficult and frustrating (for a minority party representative) legislative session.
Though she was fighting a bad cold last week, Susan came to the studio last week to record a message encouraging citizens to vote. (Listen to the spot here.) She'd been given a campaign donation for this election cycle, and this is how she chose to use it.
During our brief visit, Susan shared with me her belief, shared by her campaign strategists, that it was her radio advertising, more than any other single factor, that helped clinch the election for her.
The result? Susan Fagan won a chance to prove herself.
And because she's kept her campaign promises, she continues to win the hearts and minds of her constituents.
Truth is better than creativity, David Ogilvy famously said. So, Susan's story may contain a valuable lesson for any advertiser, not only those aspiring to public office:
Effective advertising goes only so far. At best, it gives the advertiser (business, product, or service) an opportunity to win or lose a customer.
Whether you will seize or squander that opportunity ultimately depends on how you (your business, product, or service) come through for your customer!
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5 years ago
What a great post. But it would be really cool to understand why she thinks radio was such a big factor.
ReplyDeleteI'm working on theories for using radio with social media. Any insight into that would be great, too.
Chris, I just saw your reply here - not knowing when you posted it, as my blog moved off this platform and onto others years ago. But on the chance you'll see this, here's the short answer:
Delete1) Radio is pure audio. It allows advertisers to leverage our primary form of communication, human speech, with all its emotional depth and conviction.
2) Radio is intrusive. We hear - even when we're not listening. "God's gift to radio is that people are born without ear lids." - Tony Schwartz (Paul Harvey noted that, as well: http://www.mondaymorningmemo.com/paulharvey_roywilliams/)
4) Radio provides the most affordable frequency in broadcast advertising, and its ROI is superior to that of television. Radio enables an advertiser to reach his prospects repeatedly and over an extended period of time.
5) People are social creatures. We value the opinions and recommendations of others (witness our reliance on user reviews and ratings for a host of purchases). Employing the variety of testimonials conveyed the idea that many knowledgeable people throughout the district were impressed by Susan's track record in previous endeavors.
6) Websites, blogs, and social media allow a radio advertiser to continue the conversation at greater length and in greater depth. I always recommend when appropriate that my clients use radio to drive traffic to their websites, where visitors can engage them at their convenience any time of the day or night. Radio + website/blog is the most powerful combination in local advertising today, in my experience.
Thanks for your comments. hope this helps. If you want to probe further with radio advertising sales professionals, may I invite you to visit Radio Sales Cafe, where thousands of us around the world share ideas, experiences, and resources.