I’m thrilled to finally be able to announce the arrival of a brand new member of our sales team: Herman, our 7 foot tall inflatable elephant.
We didn’t need to interview him, he has no previous media experience, and he’s also pretty quiet. But he’s about to become my constant companion as I meet numerous media agencies over the coming weeks.
And why, precisely, is Herman an elephant?
Well, apart saving the company additional salary and pension contributions, Herman will be helping me tell the world about the exciting opportunities available, thanks to Ofcom’s recent relaxation of its broadcast code for radio.
On December 20th last year, Ofcom made significant and extremely positive changes to what radio stations are able to deliver in terms of ‘branded content’ on behalf of advertisers. In previous years, regulation was tight and extremely restrictive. For example…
We weren’t technically allowed to promote a brand on-air in our programmes; we weren’t allowed to make an advertiser’s product the focus of attention, or enjoy any ‘undue’ prominence; we couldn’t take a show out of the studio and in to an advertiser’s business because we’d been paid; presenters couldn’t endorse things they naturally liked, or express their opinions on commercial activity; we couldn’t suggest that people might want to buy something an advertiser is trying to sell them!
It was a real challenge for sponsorship, promotions and programming teams in radio stations across the country. Brands were effectively the elephant in the room… we knew they were there, but talked about them at our peril!
That’s all changed. Thank you Ofcom for listening to agencies, advertisers and radio stations alike.
There are now many new and exciting things we can deliver for advertisers, and I’m sharing examples and specifics on my roadshow. Take our current Breakfast Show promotion for BT with Christian O’Connell, where we’re involving listeners in the marriage of Jane and Adam from the BT ads… a national event, and possibly the biggest wedding of the year! (OK, there may be another quite soon). The Ofcom changes mean we can focus on bringing BT’s marketing to life, naturally talking about them, and making them part of Christian’s show. Yet 3 months ago and we’d have been in seriously hot water.
Interestingly, there is a brand NEW elephant in the room. TV has recently been allowed Product Placement… a very positive result for the industry.
But know thee this… as much as each new deal continues to get impressive PR coverage, and people point at brands on TV screens in renewed awe and wonder, it’s worth remembering that TV product placement is hampered by almost the same restrictions from which radio has just been released! No promotion, no prominence, and no direct involvement within programme content.
On TV, brands have to fight for attention. On radio, brands can be the FOCUS of attention.
Radio can finally say hello to the elephant in the room, and it feels mighty good.
So, hello Herman. It’s good to talk to you.
- Chris Goldson
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