Many things have changed in terms of how a brand markets to its consumers; this is due to many things, including technology expanding and new generations that are looking for something different.

With that said, getting creative with your marketing strategy might just be what your brand needs — and there’s no better way to do this than by learning from one of the hottest radio stations on the air!

Here are four ways to improve your marketing strategy, courtesy of 947:

1. Build a strong relationship with your audience

What they do: The 947 Breakfast Club builds a strong relationship with its listeners by hosting ‘What’s your status?’, which is sponsored by Outsurance. The game is hosted every morning from 06:00 until 09:00.

“The Breakfast Club asks listeners to send through their latest social media status via their WhatsApp line.” The team will then try and guess the person’s age, gender and occupation by looking at their status.

After they guess, they phone the listener and see how many of those things they guessed correctly. This game allows listeners to engage with the radio station and have a good laugh before heading to work.

What you should do: Be sure that your brand focuses on its consumers by showing interest in what they are doing and the things that they care about. Just like 947 reads its listeners' social statuses and guesses who the person is, you can also learn a lot about your consumers by taking a look at what they talk about on social media.

And, while the Breakfast Club gets a lot of them wrong, ‘What’s your status?’ allows them to showcase how diverse its listeners are, and that is something your brand should also focus on. Get to know your consumers and build strong lasting relationships with them, because your consumers should always be your number one priority.

2. Host competitions with partners

What they do: Everyone likes to win something — whether it’s a free coffee with friends or a R10 000 voucher from Clicks. That is why 947 hosts a number of different competitions and partners with various South African companies.

For example, Bettina was one of the station’s listeners who attempted the Clicks Pop Quiz — and aced it! She received her R10 000 and says that she is going to spoil her son with that money.



Another competition that the station hosts is ‘What’s in the box’ by Fresh on 947. For the current competition taking place, 947 partnered with Monte Casino.

Here’s how the game works:
  1. You need to listen to the Greg and Lucky show that takes place between 16:00 until 19:00.
  2. They give subtle clues daily, and if you happen to be in Monte Casino, you can take a look in the box and hope to see what is inside.
  3. You can then call in and tell Greg and Lucky what you think is in the box.
If the caller doesn’t guess right, they don’t walk away with the big prize, but they do receive something small, such as a free coffee at a restaurant with friends.



By giving away small prizes, people don’t feel scared or discouraged to participate, because even if they aren’t right, they still walk away with something. The best part of this competition is that 947 can encourage its listeners to engage with them while they have fun playing for the big prize.



What you should do: Try hosting a competition to get people talking about your brand. You don’t have to give away something that will put a dent in the company’s budget, but you can definitely give away small prizes. It could be anything from a free breakfast at a coffee shop to a voucher for a grocery store.

And remember, people want to have fun, so try to make it entertaining for everyone involved.

Creating a competition that allows people to engage with your brand (while still having a blast) will link up with your brand’s personality — and as we all know, it is vital that consumers can see what your company culture is all about, which leads well into the next point ...

3. Cultivate a great brand personality

What they do: Even though 947 reports on important, breaking news, the station does allow its ‘lighter’ side to shine through.

For instance, the Breakfast Club is on the air from 06:00 until 09:00, and its slogan is: “If they don’t wake you up, nothing will.” The goal of the presenters is to make waking up fun for the listener, and they do this by bringing humour to the table.

“It looks like fun because it’s exactly that !!!!” captioned Anele Mdoda on a Facebook post of the 947 Breakfast Club billboard.



The Breakfast Club consists of the following five people:
  1. Anele Mdoda - @Anele
  2. Frankie Du Toit - @FrankieFire
  3. Thembekile Mrototo - @ThembiMrototo
  4. Alex Caige - @AlexCaige
  5. Cindy Poluta - @CindyPoluta
(Be sure to check out their personal Twitter accounts)

Having such strong personalities representing the brand ensures that 947’s audience have at least one presenter that they will want to listen to. This is a great way for the station to cater to not just one part of its target audience, but much much more.

Another thing that the Breakfast Club does really well is to make its listeners feel like family. When Frankie got married, there were pictures all over social media and the team made everyone feel part of his special day. Making your consumers feel like family creates a sense of loyalty and trust, and makes consumers want to be a part of your brand.



What you should do: In order to cultivate a great personality, your brand will need to bring diversity to the table, ensuring that it caters for more than one type of person who might be interested in your brand.

Once you have determined the personality and image that you want to portray, it is vital for your company to hire people that are able to communicate in your brand’s same tone of voice. This will also allow your company’s personality to be shown.

Ensure that you hire people that will love to work for your brand and let their personalities shine through on your social media platforms. Consumers want to see the people behind the brand; they want their experience to feel human with your brand. They want to feel like family.

4. Host events

What they do: It is clear that 947 partners with big companies that assist the station in getting its name out there. Take, for example, ‘Discovery and 947 bring you Ride Joburg’, where the advertising partnership might lead people to visit either brand’s site. This also allows Discovery’s clients, and people who enjoy cycling, to see 947’s branding, which might lead them to listen to the radio station.



947 also hosts the #947BlocParty every Friday and Saturday from 19:00 to 01:00. Hosting the block party allows the station to cater for younger people, making them feel included. This is opposed to Large On The Lawn, which is for the entire family.



What you should do: Your brand needs to think of hosting events where it can cater to its target audience and get them to participate in any activities. Not only will this lead to people talking about your event, but it will also allow them to have a good time (and who doesn’t want that?).

Additionally, people will post pictures to different social media platforms, potentially enticing their friends and family to join the next event.

Events don’t need to be expensive, they just need to be fun and allow your consumers to have a good time.

Do you listen to 947? What is your favorite part about them? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Now that you know why 947 is so successful with its marketing strategy, be sure to read the Five marketing trends for 2020.
*Image courtesy of Vecteezy