CAMPAIGN: RED MIKE

CASE STUDY

Strategic Insights & Background

Red Mike is the tool and symbol which denotes the Station for Expression aspect of the brand Red FM. Through the Red Mike, the ownership of brand Red is passed on to the local listeners, encouraging, coaxing and even demanding from them to speak up and be heard. Red Mike is the voice of the people, but it isnt necessarily a tool for socio-political activism. Simply put, Red Mike is something that anybody and everybody can wield and tell it like it is about things concerning them, with both the positives and the negatives coming out of it. The 11 markets where the Red Mike campaign was launched had been amongst the cities that were a part of an extensive field survey conducted by AC Nielsen (exclusively for RED FM). An interesting observation that emerged from the Nielsen survey was that the expectations audiences have from media have changed over the years. Earlier where people were content to let media inform and entertain them, people now used media to interact, become involved and voice opinions. Red Mike provided the people a platform to express themselves and share their opinions; be heard and feel empowered In the past, Red Mike has successfully been implemented in the city of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. During the course of the campaign, a number of civic issues were brought forth by citizens and highlighted on air.

Key Markets
Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Indore, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Jaipur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Nagpur, Pune, Vadodara

Timelines
Pre campaign on air Teasers 22nd November to 28th November 2010 The campaign was on air from 29th November till Christmas Eve On-ground activities kick started on 10th December and culminated on 19th December

Execution
On Air: All shows on Red FM (in the 11 markets) aired content from the Red Mike Every day issues were picked based on relevance, popularity and listener interest Listeners could send in their opinions on the topic for the day via SMS or by calling up on the studio lines Best bytes from each day were selected and played on the station the next day Popular topics/ issues were carried forward to the next day depending on the listener response Campaign was spearheaded by the RJs who encouraged people to call up on the studio lines and have their opinions heard. The morning drive time show, Morning No.1, set the agenda for the day and introduced the topic for discussion.

On Ground: Hoardings were put up at prime locations across the 11 markets A branded canter, with the symbolic Red Mike, did the rounds of the city from 10th to 19th December with the Red Mike Jockey on board encouraging bystanders into speaking their minds During the course of the 10 day on ground activation, the Red Mike canter visited housing societies, shopping areas, college hangouts, traffic junctions etc. In the city of Indore, besides hoardings, unipoles and bus shelters, a full body bus wrap of an AC Bus had been undertaken to support the on air campaign

Desired Impact/Outcome
Strengthen Red FMs positioning as the station for expression Establish Mass connect Increase listener participation

Actual Impact/Outcome
Overwhelming response from the listeners across the 11 markets. All 11 stations experienced more than 30% increase in SMS and phone calls during the course of the campaign. Listeners invited the Red Mike Jockey to their colleges and societies to record their own messages. Involvement of government authorities. Government officials also used the Red Mike to interact with citizens, answer their queries and reassure them.

Outcome: The campaign was successful in bringing forth local issues. It provided a platform to listeners to raise issues that matter to them. In many cities, local authorities used the Red Mike to reach out to citizens and hear grievances.

Challenges/Difficulties in Execution
Surprisingly everyone from celebs to the police to other government authorities came forward and supported the campaign wholeheartedly and we hardly faced any difficulties in executing it.

Learnings
One major learning has been the need to empower the common man through the power of radio giving them a platform to contribute and be heard The success of Red Mike was mainly due to the involvement of listeners. People not only shared their opinions, they provided suggestions about what topics to discuss the next day and helped out with contact details of government officials or other authority figures.

Next steps
Red Mike as a segment is on air on all Red FM stations, wherein we air peoples opinions on various issues.

Credits Strategy & Execution

Creatives Ogilvy Outdoor Agency- Pioneer Publicity Corporation On Ground Activation- Vibgyor Brand Services Ltd

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