How do you sell tickets to a ukulele show in small town NZ? Get the band to make jingles for local businesses.

The Wellington Ukulele Orchestra was on tour. But ticket sales in small towns were slow. We had to show these communities what the band are about — big entertainment.

We launched on regional radio, asking listeners to volunteer their businesses for a jingle. The next day we hit the studio.

One day later, the jingles went to air, accompanied by a message from the Ukes asking listeners to repay their support by going to the show. Ticket sales soared.

This was a unique promotion in that the prize itself was the best possible example of the Uke’s talents. The idea of giving away jingles perfectly showcased the qualities the Ukes wanted to promote: big laughs and big entertainment (on little guitars).

The prize also showed that the Ukes were interested in, and willing to support, local communities. This gave people a great reason to support the show.

Our aim was to sell lots of tickets in four small towns. With only a small budget, we did just that. The promotion contributed to a 160% increase on sales in the four targeted centres, including a 700% increase in Invercargill — the community least familiar with the Ukes. Overall, this equated to about $74,000 in revenue.

In addition to the spots, the campaign resulted in about 25mins of additional radio commentary; stations were choosing to talk about the idea, for free. We had happy small businesses, happy stations and happy Ukes — all for very little money.

Win. Win. Win.