Major radio station marketing in the Midlands
In the coming weeks – listeners across the Midlands will see exciting marketing campaigns to promote two Orion Media stations. BRMB in Birmingham and the newly rebranded Gem 106 in the East Midlands.
We previously reported on a new web design for the Orion Media network as part of a recent overhaul of the groups’ web presence – now with the final station in the Orion stable (Heart 106 – name previously on licence from Global) – its exciting to see the company deliver some chunky ATL marketing activity for BRMB and Gem 106.
The campaigns launch this month and will continue in bursts throughout 2011. Media planning and buying will be handled by Brilliant Media – who had previously had GMG Radio as an account. Orion have developed two creative executions for each station respectively, backed with a serious media spend to promote the two brands.
The Gem 106 Campaign
- Gem 106 Advertising Creative
The Gem 106 campaign has been outsourced to Midlands-based integrated advertising agency Connect . The campaign will consist of a TV creative, outdoor advertising and online activity.
In a break from the previous Heart straplines (More Music Variety, Give It Some Heart) – Gem 106 will use the line: “turn on the sparkle” within the campaign. The overall media mix has been designed to encourage sampling for the newly branded female-focused service within the East Midlands which proposes “great music for a great east midlands”.
The TV creative will appear within the coming weeks on the gem106 website as well as the regional ITV service.
The advertising campaign for Gem 106 comes at an interesting time for the area. As East Midlands listeners have seen a recent major change in the landscape of commercial radio with Trent, Leicester Sound and Ram merging and rebranding as Capital FM. Additionally, Capital FM East Midlands will be supported with an extensive advertising and marketing campaign from Global Radio. Additionally, it comes just after Smooth East Midlands lost all local programmes to become a national service with regional travel, weather and news in the last quarter.
- gem106’s ‘turn on the sparkle’ creative
With all this in mind – it’s refreshing to see the creative from Connect and Orion Media being bold and standing out amongst the noise in the area, on the dial. Phil Riley – Orion Media Cheif Executive speaks in the recent Radio Academy podcast about how he feels Gem 106 is a great opportunity for the area and will play the “local card”.
The BRMB Campaign
Similar to Gem 106 playing the “local card” – BRMB’s advertising campaign will also strengthen its born and bred brummie credentials, especially in the light of the new Capital Birmingham station in the TSA.
The campaign has been designed by full service advertising agency BJL and will use online and social media activity as well as outdoor including 48-sheets and a mega six-sheet (Birmingham Airport) covering main routes in and out of Birmingham and surrounding areas, as well as key city centre locations.
BRMB creative (Solihull)
This the first piece of activity for the station since the station was bought by Orion in May 2009, and follows major changes to the station’s line-up and music policy as well as a major multi artist music festival in 2010 called Live 2010.
The campaign intends to build on the station’s “entertaining and engaging” brand values with a series of locally driven Birmingham based executions. They’re using the tagline “b part of the banter” – again playing on the local angle highlighted by Riley above.
BRMB have also recently created web based video advertising campaigns on a smaller scale to promote the station including a Christmas execution called ‘Brummie Christmas Spirit‘ and a ‘Made in Birmingham‘ execution last Summer.
Also (similar to Capital Birmingham) BRMB have also been ‘out and about’ across the TSA in recent weeks with the BRMB Stars to promote their Pays Your Bills promotion, with the street marketing team giving listeners real money on the streets of Birmingham.
BRMB Street Stars
Special thanks to David Lloyd for providing the advertising creatives for this post.
Disclaimer – All posts and views are my own, and are not endorsed or representative of any current or previous employer.
Images – Orion Media
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