NEW MEDIA COLLISION
The best prize I've ever won on KJR sports radio was a two-hour lunch cruise on Argosy Cruise Lines, including free drinks and tickets to an afternoon Seattle Mariners game (courtesy of D-Rock Travel). All I had to do was write a song about the Mariners, with the Gilligan's Island melody, be one of the callers to get through, perform the song on air and get voted the winner. All within about fifteen minutes. No problem. Great lunch! OK game.

Based on the reward for that effort and "curve grading", I should have gotten (still haven't gotten the Sonics ticks) at least four times the benefit for getting KJR hosts Groz and Gas on Northwest Afternoon's One-Line Wednesday with Soap Queen Cindi Rinehart. Not only did I get them on, I: 1) promoted their upcoming golf tournament Strokefest; 2) said "Groz/Gas" six times; 3) wrapped everything in the required form of a one-line, soap opera question; 4) got 52 seconds of free TV air time for my "clients;" 5) repackaged it for WeTheFans.com.

A few months earlier, I was listening to Groz and Gas talking about hoping, wishing, dreaming of someone, anyone, getting them on One-line Wednesday. So I took the challenge, emailed them and told them I'd get them on. Some time went by before I thought of "the hook," but as soon as it came to me, I picked up the phone and called the TV show. Since Northwest Afternoon comes on at the same time as Groz and Gas, I was really up against the clock. Afterwards, I put a cut on Groz and Gas' Voicemail and called the show's producer to notify him it was on there. Seeing how it was Wednesday, the voicemail had to be played that day.

Nonetheless, it came off without a hitch. And in the game of marketing, getting an off the cuff idea from sports radio, packaging an appropriate, timely sports/soap promo, getting it on TV, funneling it back to sports radio, thereby, cross-promoting the TV show and creating Internet content...well, you get the picture.

February 21, 2006

THE BIG PAYBACK
Wait until you hear about the Seattle Sonics tickets I won off this guy! Stay tuned.

WE LOVE BASEBALL
This is another pretty interesting marketing story I'll eventually get into. Stay tuned.

DAWG FIGHT
You will not believe how this "perfect promo" got dragged into the "last straw!" Stay tuned.

SUMMER OF '02
Once you've made it to ESPN it's a pretty big deal, right? But wait until I tell the story of how it actually happened. Stay tuned.

DAVE vs DAVE
ESPN is a pretty big deal, but front page of The News Tribune is even bigger. Especially since my picture was bigger than Dave Boling's. Just wait until you hear this story! Stay tuned.