Halloween, Election Day, and Thanksgiving are around the corner.  Consider these unique promotions:

Halloween Cash House.  Build station name awareness as trick-or-treaters ask, “Is this the (Station) Halloween Cash House?”  If it is, they win!

Mall-o-ween.  Also known as “Safe Halloween” in the Mall.  With concerns over kids’ safety when trick or treating, merchants participate by offering treats to ghosts and goblins who stop by on that special night (typically scheduled a few days before Halloween so parents can enjoy the actual night).  The station locks the center’s advertising budget for Christmas shopping by beginning with a safe Halloween Trick or Treat session on Halloween.  Costumed children visit stores for candy treats with their parents.

Halloween Spooktacular.  Stage a Halloween party for core listeners.

Freakers’ Ball, the Rock version of our Halloween celebrations, is a night of pure entertainment. Plan a major party and ask a band or two to appear.  Combine this with a costume party involving many categories, with cash or prizes for winners.  Pick finalists in each category and bring them on stage before the band performs. The excitement and fun of the event are palpable, and the winners in each category are decided by the crowd’s applause, ensuring everyone is engaged and entertained.

Safe Halloween for Kids is sold to clients and staged at a motel. Kids come dressed in costume with their moms and trick or treat in each room occupied by clients. Food and surroundings are safe. Ask us for a profile.

Boo at the Zoo is a special station event thrown at the local zoo.

Boo, Bash.  Play Halloween songs on-air or throw a Halloween party. Another good name is Fright Night.  Feature Halloween’s Haunted Hits: ghoulish songs by scary-looking artists.

Pumpkin Park converts a parking lot into a fun, safe alternative to trick or treat.

Pumpkin Heads.  Listeners are challenged to wear an actual pumpkin Jack-o’-lantern over their heads to win a big prize.  The promotion should be staged at the busiest traffic intersection where many people drive by.  The Pumpkin Head-wearing listeners are on the sidewalk daily, waving at those driving by.  The individual who wears the pumpkin the longest wins, but it may take weeks to get down to one winner. Regarding visibility, this promotion and contest can impact many people.  It stimulates a lot of talk within the market and creates free press coverage.

November Election.  Regardless of whether there’s a national election or just local and state issues, organize a morning show broadcast at a freeway exit on Election Day.  Call it the “exit poll,” as the morning show solicits listeners to honk once for one side of a major issue and twice for the other.

Thanksgiving – Great Gobbler. Call in to win a turkey when the gobble sound is played.

Turkey Tussle.  Contestants must chase and catch a live turkey. Each turkey is tagged with a number, and the contestant wins a corresponding prize. The grand prize could include a trip home (or to bring someone home) for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving on the Mayflower (the best stunt gets the most press!).  Rent a Mayflower moving van, dress the air staff as pilgrims and Indians, and award a family a fully catered Thanksgiving dinner.  Invite TV stations; stage this early on Thursday so you get on the 5 o’clock news.  Ask us for a complete profile on how to execute this promotion.

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John Lund is President of the Lund Media Group, a radio programming consulting firm with specialists in all mainstream radio formats. Did you find this article useful?  You can leave a comment below or email John at John@Lundradio.com.