McDonalds...

I wanted to give you my perspective on KXLG radio from a customer’s point of view.

Owning any business creates challenges in so many areas in today’s market, advertising being one of them. Where do you put a budgeted amount of dollars to encourage customers to turn onto your parking lot? There are so many choices of advertising mediums to choose from. Not many years ago the choices were fairly simple. You had the local radio station, the local newspaper, and maybe a billboard or two.

Today, the choices still include the aforementioned; however you have several choices within each form of advertising. Two to three newspapers, multiple radio stations within your market with satellite radio in many vehicles. Over 100 television stations to choose from and local cable offering spots close to radio spot rates. Billboards lining the highways that are painted, vinyl, or electronic. Direct mailings that will go to the customer base you want to target. Coupons that you can hand out encourage repeat business. Do you have a web page, do you use facebook, do you tweet? Now you need to establish your customer base. “In the old days” you had 2 choices, adults or kids. In today’s culture and competitive environment, customer base is a moving target each day!

With all those thoughts, how do you track results? There is always the “what if” factor.

Here are my results using KXLG, using a base of over 700 McDonald stores as comparison.
• Started Angus burgers in 2009 close to time your radio debuted. We did the “cow races” with kxlg, customers calling in to pick their favorite cow to win a new Angus burger. We were in top 5% of Angus sales.
• For two years we have used kxlg as our primary local advertising to sell filet during the lent season. The two for $3 filet special using the “give me back that filet o fish…” song resulted in Watertown selling more units than any other McDonalds in our region.
• Recently we introduced frozen strawberry lemonade. We did a three day tactic using a lemonade stand at kxlg, live and local radio ambushes, and repeated announcements of the product. Our lemonade sales exceeding the targets McDonalds set before McDonalds started to advertise the product nationally! Our marketing exec called and asked how we could be selling so many units before we were supposed to be selling them! It was hard to apologize so I asked for forgiveness on your behalf.

These are three of the “home runs” that come to mind. Your strong hits to center are an everyday occurrence. My choices in advertising have been made much simpler with the success I have had with kxlg.

Keep up the great work!

-- Mike Hartshorn
-- Owner/McDonalds Restaurant

Subway...

Bob -
2 of the 4 Watertown stores (Arrow and Convenience Corner) had their all time largest sales week ever the week we ran the BOGO Customer Appreciation with KXLG. See attached. Have another letter the same for CC. Pretty [dang] impressive to do that in February. Also, for a store the age of Arrow to beat every previous week ever over 8 years - summer included. Wonderful!

- CJ

CU Mortgage Direct...

After doing the radio ad live with Jim Aesoph and David Law Monday, July 19th, I had four phone calls within the first half hour. These four calls where people that had just heard me on the radio and they were interested in the low rates. The week before this I had one listener that called in about refinancing her home. Currently four out of the five have locked in a rate and are in the process of refinancing with CU Mortgage Direct.

I have found this live radio advertising is paying off and will defiantly look at extending my contract with Dean Johnson and KXLG.

Sincerely, Sarah Erickson Branch Manager/Mortgage Lender

Singing Valentine...

We had a spectacular (busy) day yesterday. I will get a more formal thank you to you and your ‘pals’ at the station but really want you to know that your efforts and assistance are greatly appreciated. As a nonprofit without a large account to draw from we go to the well often for help. You guys at KXLG really have put your hearts into live and LOCAL radio.

We started the day with about 28 reservations (including the 12 that were given away ). I know you guys must have touched on it once or twice because the calls kept coming in all day long. We finished at just about 60 singing valentines. It makes the day special when we can do what we truly enjoy and know that we are raising funds to help promote ‘singing for a lifetime’ with the young kids in our community.

Upcoming events, that I know you like to keep up with, include the South Dakota Barbershop winter festival being hosted by our Watertown chapter this year. The event will be held at the Goss this year and the Saturday evening performance will feature barbershoppers from across South Dakota. This event runs Feb 25, 26.

Next month is our Youth In Harmony event. We are very fortunate to have secured Pete Benson as our clinician. He is internationally recognized within the barbershop world and his accomplishments are plentiful. He has a passion for teaching barbershop style harmony to young men and does a fantastic job with them. The YIH event will be Monday, Mar 14. The entire day is at the WHS with a concert that evening featuring the young harmonizers.

Thanks again, let me know if there is anything the Glacial Lakes Harmonizers can do to ever return the favor.

- Tom Ries