DAB Digital Radio Sales Surge In Run Up To Christmas
Sales of DAB digital radio sets have increased in the run up to Christmas following a special four week airtime promotion on Virgin Radio.
The campaign was Virgin Radio’s biggest ever digital radio promotion and saw the station give away one radio every hour for four weeks in an attempt to boost the profile of the rapidly growing digital platform (see Virgin Radio Teams With DRDB For Radio Giveaway).
The competition began in early November and saw the station receive an unprecedented response. Nearly 30,000 listeners entered the competition via email or fax to win one of 600 DAB radios on offer in what was the world’s biggest ever DAB digital radio giveaway.
To coincide with the campaign the Digital Radio Development Bureau (DRDB) launched a wide-ranging advertising promotion across 260 radio stations. The BBC also launched a campaign to promote its digital stations with ads featuring the strapline: “Make Time For Digital Radio.”
In a knock-on effect, retailers have seen sales of digital radios across the counter grow week on week since the promotion began. Stores such as Dixons, Currys, Comet and John Lewis are all reporting strong consumer interest in DAB digital radio this year.
Commenting on the success of the campaign, Paul Jackson, programme director of Virgin Radio, said: “We felt it was time that radio stations really pushed the product to listeners instead of just selling their own services. The response proves that consumers are desperate to get their hands on the sets and I hope that we helped to make a DAB radio the Christmas gift of 2003.”
Mike Spencer, marketing director at DRDB, added: “During the Virgin promotion, calls to our consumer information line quadrupled. We are experiencing a huge upsurge in interest and expect digital radios to sell out before Christmas this year.”
Earlier this month MXR revealed it is hoping to further drive the take-up of digital radio receivers with the launch of a dedicated website offering consumers the opportunity to buy a range of the latest DAB products (see MXR To Drive Digital Radio Sales With Dedicated Website).
DRDB: 020 7306 2630 www.drdb.org
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