Sales rocket after DStv radio campaign

DStv's assistant promotions manager, Busi Msimango, said that 3431 new subscribers were signed to the premium bouquet, more than the target for March and 10 440 more compact bouquet subscribers than the target for the same month were signed.

The company largely attributes this success to the My Voice of DStv radio campaign, which DStv ran on Kaya, Heart, Gagasi, 94.7, East Coast Radio, Jacaranda and KFM. Listeners were asked to call in and give their best rendition of an ad for a show, movie or channel using key words in a given genre as part of their advert.

Preparation needed

A week before the competition started, listeners were encouraged to visit the radio stations' respective websites to look at the key words and genre - to give them a head start in preparing a more creative ad for the competition. Contestants had 30 seconds to do their ad and the more entertaining and professional the caller, the better their chances were of going through to the grand final. Daily prizes included DStv decoders, installation and three months' free subscription.

Two of the highest scoring callers for the week were then pitted against each other for the grand prize, a 40-inch Sony Bravia HD LCD television worth more than R14 000.

According to Msimango, raising awareness and educating consumers on the variety of channels and shows on offer were some of the campaign objectives, but DStv also wanted them to have fun with the campaign. "Essentially we wanted to capture the entertainment value of the brand. After all, consumers want experiences because, let's face it, experiences are always more memorable", she added.

Different to other radio campaigns

Ogilvy's Brand Activation 141 project manager, Pranusha Naidoo, said the campaign stimulated listeners by challenging them to tap into their creative sides. "DJ's reported that the campaign was different to other campaigns and gave listeners the chance to do something they may have wanted to do for a long time - create their own ad. I think many of them discovered a new-found talent," she said.