HOT 102.7FM says that it kicked off the new year in style by hosting the Scottish rock band Deacon Blue for their very first South Africa visit in February. 

"We know that our audience loves its 'Old Skool' music and that they respond enthusiastically to big acts of this calibre. It was a no-brainer for us to get involved, with the knowledge that we could deliver significant value to Breakout Events — engaging our audience and driving ticket sales effectively," says Lloyd Madurai, managing director of HOT 102.7FM.

"We get a lot of satisfaction from playing the music our audience loves to hear daily, and a live concert just takes that to another level. Who doesn't want to see one of their favourite 'Old Skool' bands live in concert?" adds Madurai. 

As the Breakout Events media partner for both concerts, HOT 102.7FM was tasked with using its influential platforms to drive awareness and, ultimately, ticket sales with its engaged upper SEM audience, says the station. 

The station has achieved this by running an integrated campaign across on-air and digital, including:
  • promos and live reads on high rotation
  • carefully-worded DJ conversation pieces
  • ticket giveaway competitions, and
  • interviews, with both Deacon Blue and OMD. 
The station adds that these interviews and content pieces were amplified via social media engagement, giving a further promotional boost to the two concerts and, ultimately, resulting in greater awareness and ticket sales.

"When we partner with events, we go all in and do it properly. That means using every possible means available to us to ensure that our event partner derives significant value, over and above what any signed agreement might say. At HOT 102.7FM, we pride ourselves on that and will continue adopting that approach with any event with which we partner," Madurai concludes. 

The Deacon Blue and OMD news follows confirmation that HOT 102.7FM is the fastest-growing radio station in South Africa, having nearly doubled its audience within the past 12 months. This is according to the independent research house WhyFive.

They presented the findings of their annual BrandMapp survey in Johannesburg recently, showing that HOT 102.7FM's current audience is approximately 613 000 listeners.

For more information, visit www.hot1027.co.za. You can also follow HOT 102.7FM on Facebook, X or on Instagram. 

*Image courtesy of contributor