Indiantelevision.com Team

(28 May 2007 5:05 pm)

MUMBAI:Radio is going head over heels to woo its listeners. Soon after Radio City launched the station logo music video, Hello 106.4 FM, a regional private FM station operational in Chennai is about to launch an advertising agency in the next month.

Hello FM CEO Rajeev Nambiar said, "The ad agency will specialise in radio commercial production. We have been promoting and marketing brands and have got immense response. The ad agency will create visibility for the station."

In a recent promotional activity launched this week Hello FM has tied up with Fair and Lovely Menz Active, where owner of the salon is gratified with a prize if they play Hello FM, when the team visits it.

The station had a similar initiative 'Hello FM Brook Bond Three Roses Tea Time Kondattam' in partnership with Brooke Bond. 120 tea shops were given gold coins.

Owned by Malar Publication, a part of the 'Daily Thanthi', Hello FM has been into promotional brand activity. On the day of their launch on 2 October, Hello FM launched what they call as 'green revolution'. The station distributed gold coins to its listeners every minute for continuous 17 hours.

Apart from this the station has promoted Whirlpool Fusion, their latest refrigerator. The station also organised a Platinum event on radio wherein VBJ jeweler gave away ornaments as prizes.

In another campaign Hello FM promoted Tender Coconut, packaged tender coconut water which is a product of the Government of Kerala.

Hello FM Vice President - Sales and Business Dev Shankar.B said, "Since the day the station was launched, we have initiated various brand promotional activities. With success rate being so high, brands have high faith on us. Our on air and on ground activities have fetched around 15-20 percent profit, which I think is a good figure since we are very new in the field."

The Chennai air wave is on fire as Big 92.7 FM Chennai is also into aggressive promoting and marketing activities. The Thanga Kondattam show distributes gold coins, while in another event the station has unveiled a 'Giant T-shirt' which is 10 feet long in width and accommodates five people.

However Nambiar denies any such competition, "Brands have different propositions. Being a regional station, Hello FM has never been deprived. Players at the national level has different template. Right now we are focused on Chennai and Tamil Naidu, though there are future plans of expansion. As far as competition from national FM station foraying into regional sector is concerned, we have outdone everybody. Being a regional station we understand Tamils better."