Reno, Nevada, was hit hard by the recession, according to Laura Newman, general sales manager of KOLO, the Gray-owned ABC affiliate there. So her sales staff came up with a campaign to entice small businesses to advertise on television. “Proud to be Local is an entry-level plan for small businesses so they can afford to […]
Reno, Nevada, was hit hard by the recession, according to Laura Newman, general sales manager of KOLO, the Gray-owned ABC affiliate there. So her sales staff came up with a campaign to entice small businesses to advertise on television.
“Proud to be Local is an entry-level plan for small businesses so they can afford to start doing TV,” says Newman. To date, more than 25 businesses have signed up for the program. She calls that “a major success.”
One of the businesses to get on board the Proud to be Local program is Maccabee Arms, a firearms store and training facility owned by Sharon Oren, a veteran of the Israeli special forces.
“The people at the station were great to work with, very professional,” says Oren.
“And the campaign brought people into the store that wouldn’t have come before.”
Oren says he plans to continue advertising on television.
“The most important part of the Proud to be Local campaign,” says Newman, “is that we’re not selling these businesses underutilized time periods, but tailoring the time to make the businesses more successful.”
Proud to be Local combines an entry-level TV schedule with rotating Internet ads.
KOLO did in-station group presentations for potential new clients as well as selling the campaign on the street.
To see the Proud to be Local landing page on the station’s website, click here.
The Proud to be Local campaign was named one of four finalists by the NAB at its annual meeting last month of the Small Market Television Exchange (SMTE) in San Antonio, Texas.
The SMTE is the only meeting for small market group executives and station broadcasters in DMAs 75 and above. It focuses on innovative ways to attract emerging and non-traditional advertisers, suggestions to enhance a station’s position in the local marketplace and tips on turning good ideas into revenue-generating plans.
All this week, I’ll be profiling each of the finalists, talking to the local sales executives, show their promos and examples from their campaign.
To see an article about how a station in Midland, Texas, found money in the city’s trash, click here.
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