The Radio Bureau

Mad Men

Challenge: Prime TV wanted to create a huge amount of excitement and talkability around the launch of their latest TV series Mad Men.

Create a buzz for Prime and the premiere of its new series Mad Men.
Promote this series as a warts and all look at advertising in a 1960’s agency on Madison Ave. before the days of HR departments, and smoke-free environments.
Get the 95bFM audience to write an ad for a fictitious brand of cigarettes ‘Durry Slims’ similar to what advertising agencies would have been doing in the 60’s.

Radio engages the ‘theatre of the mind’. This was used effectively by both 95bFM and the listeners who entered.
Radio is a call to action medium. 95bFM required its listeners to do a lot of work for this promotion. They needed to convince listeners to show off their copy writing skills, as well as drive viewers to the show.
Radio drives direct response. This was especially effective with driving listeners to the 95bFM website to download the creative brief for the competition.
Radio and online work well together. Approximately 20% of people online, are listening to radio at the same time.

The overall media strategy was based around the premise of bringing back the social norms of the 1960’s. These are prevalent themes of the show, highlighting how un-PC life was back then, and how far we have moved on.
The campaign ran across 95bFM with a focus on Mikey Havoc’s breakfast and promoted an ad-writing competition to be judged by their creative team. The winning script was produced by the winner at the bFM studio and then aired as an additional component to Prime’s Mad Men campaign on 95bFM. The prize was an ‘ad lunch’ attended by the winner, 95bFM creative’s and breakfast host Mikey Havoc.
This promotion ran across several platforms within the 95bFM brand. There was on-air activity in the form of schedule, trailers, and adlibs. Website presence and being part of the bMail electronic newsletter.

This promotion did a great job of creating interest, curiosity, and it also did an exceptional job of conveying the tone of the show.
95BbFM received 31 scripts that were of a very high quality. The winner had their ad produced and played on air. They were also taken for an ‘ad lunch’ complete with Martini’s.