This afternoon, I had lunch with a former co-worker, who since my retirement has also left the company. As we talked, I began to think of some of the horror stories associated with work through the years, and why I don’t miss it! This particular story dates back to the early 80s and a radio station that I worked for at the time. I was just getting to learn the promotional side of the business, and this was one of many lessons that I learned through the years.
Communication is the key to successful promotions. However, this is a true story about how too much communication turned out to be very costly to my radio station. It’s just another example of “What could go wrong?” Imagine a large, round metal trough filled with mud, and one hundred contestants trying to find the one key that will unlock a brand new Honda automobile. A Mud Jump! Each had won their respective invitation to the event by filling out an entry form and listening for their name on the radio. The only catch to the invitation was that they would have to dive into the mud in search of that illusive ignition key.
After every muddy contestant had found their specially numbered key, they lined up single file 1-100 to twist their key in the ignition switch, hopefully starting the car that they would drive home. It was prearranged that key number 97, a tie-in with the station’s on-air frequency, would start the car. This would assure that the event would take about an hour and a half, allowing about a minute for each contestant to get in the car and make their attempt. It was all part of creating enough excitement to draw the attention and associated publicity from the local TV stations and newspapers. The Honda dealer had already received a month of radio promotional exposure to help them stand-out in the competitive automotive industry. A massive crowd had gathered at their location in anticipation of a winner.
Only two or three people at the station knew about winning key number 97, including the General Manager. For some egotistical reason, he just couldn’t contain the fact that he knew something that few others did. He quietly pulled aside contestant number 97, and whispered in his ear that he was the winner, unbeknownst to the Promotion Director. His explanation was that he wanted to make sure that the winner would not be overcome by the sudden shock of winning and be too stunned to display his excitement to the growing crowd. It was show business after all, and he wanted a staged reaction. The “winner” then waited patiently for his turn to come.
During this private discussion, a burst of applause and cheers interrupted the conversation. Key number 15 had somehow started the car and the crowd, of course, continued to go wild. Meanwhile, near the end of the line of key holders, number 97 was suddenly confused, as was our General Manager with the big mouth. Apparently, someone had either cut the keys incorrectly, or the ignition was unintentionally forced. Nonetheless, we were stuck with two winners, unbeknownst to everyone else at the event. With words of panic, our GM whispered to his appointed winner, “to just keep his mouth shut and he would get a car,” and proceeded to negotiate a deal for a second car. While the holder of key #15 received all the glory, the guy with key #97 quietly received a matching car. To my knowledge there were no repercussions, except for the $25,000 additional expense to the station. Everyone appeared content with the results and the Honda dealer secretly sold another car. The station moved on to other promotions, while no one could ever really point the finger at the boss for his arrogance. However, to add to the fiasco, one of the new car drivers, signed off on the paperwork, and proceeded to wreck the car while exiting the parking lot. Just try to imagine a bigger screw up than this whole mess. It’s just another reason to appreciate my retirement years!
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