Marketing campaigns happen around most people, you’re not supposed to notice you’re being marketed to. Marketers, like us, want you to make your own mind up, we’ll provide the nudge you need to realise you need that new sparkly object, but we don’t want you to realise you’ve been marketed to.

To paraphrase Bruce Lee, this is the art of marketing, without marketing

One clever application of this principal is launching on January 24th on Virgin Radio, when Chris Evans moves from Radio 2 to Virgin Radio.

Love him or loath him Chris Evans pulls in radio listeners and Richard Branson knows it. So, getting him to move from Radio 2 to Virgin Radio is quite a coup.

But Virgin has a problem, the ads.

Dyed in the wool Radio 2 listeners, don’t like commercial radio because of the horrible ads for double glazing, funeral services and birthday cards involving pigeons. As that’s the traditional way to fund commercial radio Virgin have a problem, great host on a media consumers don’t like.

This is where Virgin Radio, Branson and Evans pulled off a marketing masterstroke. Chris Evans new breakfast show has no ads. Meaning the barrier to switching is gone. “I love Chris Evans but hate the ads” is no longer and argument, making switching easier.

But how are they going to fund Evans’ massive pay packet?

Simple, they are going to become the BBC for the duration of the show. In a stroke of marketing genius, the whole show is supported by Sky. So just like the BBC they’ll have Sky News providing the bulletins, they’ll review TV and Films which are showing on Sky, they’ll trail upcoming promotions on Sky. But rather than be interrupted but ads all this content will be woven into the show, meaning you won’t notice you’re being marketed to.

All this may seem like smoke and mirrors and that because it is.

With the BBC under pressure to lower the wage bill, Evans’ breakfast show on Radio 2 losing listeners, Virgin Radio needing a kick-start and Sky always wanting to increase their coverage over the BBC, this is a perfect storm which will suit everyone involved.

Except may be the listeners, but only time will tell.

Would you like to use the art of marketing, without marketing for your business? Give us a call on 07834 197785 or fill in the form and we’ll be right round.

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