Opel Astra pulls in on the radio
Radio advertising To mark the launch of the new Opel Astra, GM is launching a competition with the Swiss Radio Pool.
Radio advertising To mark the launch of the new Opel Astra, GM is launching a competition with the Swiss Radio Pool. "We want to raise awareness of the Opel Astra, which celebrated its Swiss premiere at the Geneva Motor Show," says Samir Saydjari, Head of Marketing Communications at General Motors Switzerland (GM), outlining the aim of the launch campaign. To promote the new model, GM is relying on a broad media mix that includes advertisements, TV spots, billboards, and online and radio advertising. This time, GM is placing a special emphasis on radio advertising, or at least giving it greater weight than in previous GM campaigns.According to Saydjari, there are three reasons for this: First, there were personnel changes in GM management last year - "and thus new strategic opinions and ideas." In addition, GM has "had good experiences" with the previously small radio budgets (less than five percent of the total order volume). Especially during the day. Says Saydjari, "People watch TV in the evening, but in the car, at work, or at home, we're very close to them through radio all day." The third reason: Belcom's concept for a three-week game on seven stations of the Swiss Radio Pool (Radio 24, Basilisk, Pilatus, ExtraBern, Aktuell, One FM and Lausanne FM) was convincing. Especially since Richi Gasser, sales manager of Radio 24, was able to present experiences and figures from last year's first attempt - with a different car brand and only on Radio 24 (see box on the left).
Only listeners with a chance of winning
Here's how the game works, with a total of seven Opel Astra as the main prizes - one car per participating radio station: For three weeks, from April 5 to 23, 2004, each of the seven stations will broadcast short tips every hour between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., each with a two-digit number. Listeners have until the top of the hour to send the number by SMS (from cell phones only, fee 50 centimes) to the short number of the radio station they are listening to (participation is also possible by postcard). The SMS are sent to Voice Publishing AG (see box below right), where the number of the cell phone is recognized and a points account is opened for it. Each time an SMS is received from the same cell phone, the new number is added to the numbers already reported on the account. The more numbers sent by SMS to the target number, the larger the account balance of the respective player thus becomes. Whoever has the highest account balance at the end of the three-week game hits the jackpot, so to speak, and wins the main prize.
Cross-media support
Listeners who only join in during the course of the game or only send text messages sporadically still have a chance to win one of the 105 additional daily or weekly prizes (such as road safety training). Before and during the game, trailers will run on the stations explaining the game and also naming the sponsor - GM and Opel Astra. In Zurich and Bern, the game is also supported cross-medially with advertisements and TV spots. GM has also booked commercials on the Swiss Radio Pool one week before and one week after the game.
"Such a jackpot is unique in Swiss radio history so far," Richi Gasser is pleased to say. And it is also the first time that seven German- and French-speaking Swiss stations have come together in such a broad cooperation. Saydjari is also excited. GM has no expectations regarding the number of SMS, he says. And yet, "If the game goes well, we might consider something similar for the launch of the Opel Tigra in the fall."
How big the budget for the game is, could not be found out on any side. But if you consider that 50 spots cost around 114,000 Swiss francs on weekdays over two weeks in the Swiss Radio Pool, and that the seven Opel Astra cars to be won cost 300,000 Swiss francs each, you can at least roughly estimate the budget used.
Lessons learned from experienceThe first game of this kind was conducted by Radio 24 with another car brand in the fall of 2003. The value of the main prize was about 50 percent lower compared to an Opel Astra. According to Peter Brun, program manager of Radio 24, about 50000 SMS were generated at that time (and only a few postcards). The main prize was finally won by a woman and three men who had organized themselves virtually around the clock with the same cell phone and thus achieved almost the maximum points. These experiences now fed into the Opel Game. "We realized that five weeks was too long," says Brun. In addition, the company now wants to motivate latecomers to participate with weekly or daily prizes. (mk)
Jürg Wildberger counts the SMSManaging director and co-owner of Voice Publishing AG in Rümlang ZH is Jürg Wildberger, once head of TV 3. The company, which according to its homepage is one of the leading providers of voice, fax, SMS and MMS applications, solves problems in the interactive field. For the Opel game, it generates the numbers broadcast every hour and ensures that its system correctly allocates the incoming SMS, stores the cell phone numbers and correctly accounts for the numbers. In addition, the senders receive a confirmation in each case. Each player can call up his or her account balance. According to Wildberger, the respective radio station also has access to the data. The radio station can call up players for an interview. (mk)
SMS with a chance to win: General Motors launches the new Opel Astra with a contest decided by cell phone.
Markus Knöpfli
Only listeners with a chance of winning
Here's how the game works, with a total of seven Opel Astra as the main prizes - one car per participating radio station: For three weeks, from April 5 to 23, 2004, each of the seven stations will broadcast short tips every hour between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., each with a two-digit number. Listeners have until the top of the hour to send the number by SMS (from cell phones only, fee 50 centimes) to the short number of the radio station they are listening to (participation is also possible by postcard). The SMS are sent to Voice Publishing AG (see box below right), where the number of the cell phone is recognized and a points account is opened for it. Each time an SMS is received from the same cell phone, the new number is added to the numbers already reported on the account. The more numbers sent by SMS to the target number, the larger the account balance of the respective player thus becomes. Whoever has the highest account balance at the end of the three-week game hits the jackpot, so to speak, and wins the main prize.
Cross-media support
Listeners who only join in during the course of the game or only send text messages sporadically still have a chance to win one of the 105 additional daily or weekly prizes (such as road safety training). Before and during the game, trailers will run on the stations explaining the game and also naming the sponsor - GM and Opel Astra. In Zurich and Bern, the game is also supported cross-medially with advertisements and TV spots. GM has also booked commercials on the Swiss Radio Pool one week before and one week after the game.
"Such a jackpot is unique in Swiss radio history so far," Richi Gasser is pleased to say. And it is also the first time that seven German- and French-speaking Swiss stations have come together in such a broad cooperation. Saydjari is also excited. GM has no expectations regarding the number of SMS, he says. And yet, "If the game goes well, we might consider something similar for the launch of the Opel Tigra in the fall."
How big the budget for the game is, could not be found out on any side. But if you consider that 50 spots cost around 114,000 Swiss francs on weekdays over two weeks in the Swiss Radio Pool, and that the seven Opel Astra cars to be won cost 300,000 Swiss francs each, you can at least roughly estimate the budget used.
Lessons learned from experienceThe first game of this kind was conducted by Radio 24 with another car brand in the fall of 2003. The value of the main prize was about 50 percent lower compared to an Opel Astra. According to Peter Brun, program manager of Radio 24, about 50000 SMS were generated at that time (and only a few postcards). The main prize was finally won by a woman and three men who had organized themselves virtually around the clock with the same cell phone and thus achieved almost the maximum points. These experiences now fed into the Opel Game. "We realized that five weeks was too long," says Brun. In addition, the company now wants to motivate latecomers to participate with weekly or daily prizes. (mk)
Jürg Wildberger counts the SMSManaging director and co-owner of Voice Publishing AG in Rümlang ZH is Jürg Wildberger, once head of TV 3. The company, which according to its homepage is one of the leading providers of voice, fax, SMS and MMS applications, solves problems in the interactive field. For the Opel game, it generates the numbers broadcast every hour and ensures that its system correctly allocates the incoming SMS, stores the cell phone numbers and correctly accounts for the numbers. In addition, the senders receive a confirmation in each case. Each player can call up his or her account balance. According to Wildberger, the respective radio station also has access to the data. The radio station can call up players for an interview. (mk)
SMS with a chance to win: General Motors launches the new Opel Astra with a contest decided by cell phone.
Markus Knöpfli
