fter Red FM's Red Activ and Radio Mirchi's Mirchi Activation, Radio City jumped on to the bandwagon recently. However, unlike Red FM and Radio Mirchi that have set up in-house activation divisions, Radio City has opted for an alliance with Vibgyor Brand Services.How important is activation for a radio channel? Why does one station go for an in-house division while another opts for an outside agency to do the job?Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City says, "We understand very clearly that the client is looking for solutions - and solutions from the experts. Our strength is the medium and Vibgyor is the expert in handling any below-the-line activity. Hence, we wanted an alliance where we were confident of the solutions or ideas that we provided to the client - both on air and on the ground. And not just on face value." Vibgyor Brand Services has offices in Mumbai, Chandigarh, Lucknow and Jaipur with representatives in Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata.How do activation divisions, or agencies, help? "The reason activation is gaining ground within FM radio stations is because they provide a 'single window' approach to clients. Radio being an immediate medium allows clients to measure the strength or effectiveness of any brand immediately," says Rana Barua, national head, marketing, Radio City.With below-the-line (BTL) activation, radio can create awareness on air and immediately make a consumer feel the product on the ground on the same day itself. Similarly, it helps the station get feedback and views instantaneously. It becomes easier to build contests to generate awareness which is far more effective than other advertising media and which is more involved and relevant to the consumer.Radio City, for instance, has categorised its BTL activity under three heads - brand, retail and trade. These will cover promotions, conferences, concerts, sampling, market visits, door-to-door and mailing.According to Gautam Sahane who heads the activation divison for Radio Mirchi, it is primarily to synergise above-the-line (ATL) and BTL spends of clients. Moreover, he points out, since BTL is now getting decentralised and spending authority now lies in the hands of sales managers and local marketing managers, radio is the best way to promote local events in cities. By focusing on BTL spends, radio is able to capture a larger pie of client spends. Radio Mirchi, which has 10 radio stations, (all five metros included) expects its network to grow to 32.Red FM launched Red Activ in December 2006, with the Red FM Drive 93.5, a women's car rally from Mumbai to Pune in aid of breast cancer awareness.Abraham Thomas, COO, RedFM asserts, "Earlier a client would organise such an event and they would come up to us for an on-air promotion of the event. Now it is different. We pitch a plan to the client and execute the on-ground activities." It remains to be seen whether other radio stations will follow suit.[email protected]... more