We Used Porridge for Our Street Style Publicity
While I worked at Power FM, from 2003 to 2005, in addition to running the weekday morning show from 6:00 am to 10:00 am, I also served as the Audience Relations Manager, which involved a considerable amount of marketing and publicity.
Our campaigns, around social behavioural change, involved posters. Lots and lots of posters. The various brands that supported us, were particular about the positioning of their logos. From beverages, Telecom companies, clothing stores and so on.
How did we market, without Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or WhatsApp?
Well, we used posters and porridge.
Those days, multi-talented Joe Kahirimbanyi used to design the posters for us. He would neither use a phone (which was most likely a Nokia, Motorola or Alcatel at the time), nor would he use a laptop. He would walk to his office in the Industrial Area, about twenty minutes away, from the Power FM Kampala Road office, charge the desktop and begin designing from there.
And we never sent a boda cycle transport man to go to Nasser Road and print for us. Instead, we would use the general office flash disk, travel to Nasser Road ourselves and order the printing of posters, which were usually about 200, after which we would distribute them in prime locations.
About the Porridge
There was a news anchor who had mastered the art of street marketing. Since posters were allowed on Kampala roads and walls of buildings those days, our news anchor deployed street style marketing to get our messages across.
On Friday night, he would request for about 5,000/- (less than $2), which would be used to buy porridge, and to pay the boys who used to roam the Kampala streets at night. This is how it worked. After boiling the porridge, he would let it cool and then harden. This porridge would then be rolled into tiny balls and work as the most perfect substitute for office glue.
With their minimal payment and hearts bursting with gratitude, our news anchor would send the boys all over Kampala Road and Jinja Road to stick our posters on every blank wall in the city, every public office building and every corner that needed an uplift.
Monday morning after the show, we would take a walk and marvel at the work, our posters and logo in every possible place along the streets. It was the most practical way to get the word out about our activities and it worked to keep us as relevant and impactful to our audiences as we could be.
We do not use print posters much, instead we use billboards and banners these days, alongside internet and social media marketing.
The joy of posters is that you could draw close to the photos and rub your hands against the glossy feel of the art paper, sometimes even paste it to your bedroom door, a constant reminder of how close you were to that event or campaign.
And many times, posters would remain in a location weeks and months after the event. Why not? A lot of time and effort was put into its design and printing, so why not make it last?
It was a timeless way of publicity, and it worked.
What are the major differences between print posters and online marketing?
The time crunch with today’s urgency takes away the feeling of long term enjoyment and the thrill is often fleeting, amongst others.
Each period has its advantages, though.
Bless!
Beverley N Nsengiyunva
No comments:
Post a Comment