From laid-back lounges to bustling traffic; from tiny corner shops to majestic malls – OFM resounds across Central South Africa with dials turned up, not only to amplify the great music on offer but whenever there’s a chance to win.

When considering OFM as an acronym, the ‘F’ can certainly come to represent ‘fun’ and ‘frequency.

OFM has put our money where our mouth is when it comes to our competition tagline “For the competitions of your life!”

Over the past three-and-a-half decades, the radio station has given away millions of rand in prizes – ranging from life-changing experiences, overseas holidays and watching global icons live in concert, to vehicles, a house, copious amounts of cash and even brilliant gag prizes like bags of bragging rights and an air guitar played with a branded OFM pick.

OFM listeners know that tuning in affords them daily chances to win with our headline shows’ benchmark popular quizzes known as The Money for Nothing Quiz (Good Morning Breakfast, weekdays, 06:00 – 09:00) and The Time Trap (The Joyride, weekdays, 15:00 – 18:00).

An extremely popular competition is the OFM Cash Call. Around 3 000 listeners participate in this bi-weekly promotion by listening out for certain ‘trigger’ songs and then entering for a share of R10 000.

Recently, to launch OFM’s 35th birthday celebrations held throughout 2021, OFM presented the ‘Spot the Yellow Fleet’ competition which offered listeners a chance to win a share of R35 000 by spotting any of OFM’s fleet vehicles, taking a selfie and uploading it to social media.

During the campaign, which spanned six weeks across February and March, more than 1 300 entries were received from the two dozen towns OFM visited during the time. On social media, this competition garnered more than 657 000 reach and 35 000 interaction. This competition also gave presenters and staff the opportunity to engage with listeners to build brand love.

Another, extremely successful multi-platform campaign run in 2020, requested recipes from our audience, which were collated in Central SA’s very own cookbook to showcase the region. One lucky home cook received an R30 000 grocery voucher.

OFM’s most popular competition throughout the years, however, remains ‘The Safe’. Here listeners are afforded the opportunity to choose between a number of ‘vaults’, each containing a cash prize or booby trap. Listeners continue to play until they opt-out, keeping their winnings, or hit a booby trap and lose it all. This competition has received over 100 000 entries during a two-week campaign.

Dubbed the ultimate ‘theatre of the mind’, radio has always led the charge when it comes to contests and promotions. For instance, it’s not only ‘soap operas’ that were first presented on the radio that later found a popular home on television and the web, globally renowned game show ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’ also has its roots in radio.

Creative competitions not only create a ‘buzz’ in the marketplace but also leverage the power of incentive to drive an active response. While the audience is engaged and excited, a radio competition creates a direct point of access for consumers and a brand through a trusted platform.

Even though not all listeners enter the competition, they will often remain tuned in to hear the outcome – to find out who wins or what was the correct answer to the question or riddle.

While certain mechanics have become outdated over the years, certain staples stood the test of time. These include: guess the ‘secret sound’, find the ‘bandit’, pay your bills, win your dream (insert ‘big item’ here – house, car, vacation, wedding etc), minute-to-win-it, ‘when you hear’, choose a number, and beat the clock. All these traditional radio competitions have undergone countless permutations but are all still essentially the highly popular radio competitions audiences love and offer brands optimal exposure.

Over the years, OFM has learned that our audience, although comprising various demographics across four provinces, respond best when the following is present in a competition: the music they love, an opportunity to be right, and of course a nice cash prize. Thus, a music quiz or game always remains a winning promotion.

Also, the number of entries expected is directly proportional to the ease with which the competition can be entered as well as the incentive. Don’t expect your target to run around and jump through hoops for an R100, start adding some zeros and you might get them to jump through a couple. Overly complex mechanics are never recommended as these will not garner the required response.

Furthermore, aside from the hype and brand love that could result from a radio competition, technology now affords insights into the audience. It is possible to accurately track and even poll, with their consent, of course, entrants on their preferences and behaviour, invaluable insights for brands.

When an on-air endorsement is coupled with the insights that online provide, a radio competition, utilising its digital platforms as well, is a sure-fire promotion offering the biggest amount of exposure in the shortest amount of time.

All of OFM’s competitions are tailored to ensure that they not only offer entertainment to the audience but also reach the desired outcome for the advertiser. OFM highly values the statement that we not only offer a platform for your next winning promotion but that we are your media partner when it comes to growing your business.

For more info, please contact Lindiwe Mtwentula on 051 5050 900, 082 416 1665, or lindiwe@ofm.co.za.