With the festive season upon us, radio stations are going that extra mile to grab listenership and one way of doing that is through extensive promotions and contests. The last quarter of the year is considered the most lucrative time for any media, as that is the time when new products are launched in the market and many advertisers look for active associations.

Radio stations too are looking to cash in. On Ganesh Chaturthi, a host of promotional activities was organised by various radio stations. While Radio Mirchi set up a helicopter ride for winners of a contest on the day of Ganapati Visarjan, most other stations too launched several marketing campaigns. As a particular festival may be celebrated only in a certain part of the country, the geographic location during the festive time is crucial

Says Kaushik Ghosh, senior VP, marketing, Radio Mirchi: “Festivals involve location-specific marketing. Every city celebrates a particular festival, so it is very important to reflect the pace of the city by coming up with promotions, which are festival specific.” According to Gowri S Kapre, national head, marketing and promotions, HT Music and Entertainment: “People have an emotional attachment with festivals, thus a lot of value is given to promotions and contests during this time of the year.” So, while Ganesh Chaturthi was marketed widely across the west of India, Durga Puja and Diwali are being eyed as the next major revenue magnets. Most stations already have interactive contests and on-ground promotions lined up for these festivals. Some other marketing techniques include re-mixing the signature jingle of the station to suit the festival. Many stations encourage celebrity endorsements as well, where celebs are asked to send out wishes to listeners during the festivals.

According to a FICCI-PWC report, the current size of the radio industry is estimated at Rs 5,000 crore. The projected size by 2010 is estimated at Rs 17,000 crore. With the current annual growth rate of 28%, radio stations are getting aggressive to garner a sizeable portion of listenership.