SINGAPORE - Four businesses that had been hit by the pandemic have gotten a leg-up from SPH Radio station Kiss 92 FM.
The #kisSME92 campaign, launched in November last year, offered a total of $100,000 worth of radio advertising packages to aid the marketing efforts of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The winners - picked over four months - are fitness company Active Fitness, Nonya kueh business Kueh Ho Jiak, Indian eatery Springleaf Prata Place and optical shop Orian Eyewear.
Participating SMEs had to register online by describing their businesses and how Covid-19 had affected them.
Then they had to obtain a physical decal and online banner from Kiss92 for their customers to take pictures with. The photos were then posted on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #kisSME92.
Kiss92 listeners were encouraged to patronise the participating businesses and upload the hashtagged posts to stand a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy S20 phone.
Between November and February, the business with the highest number of listener-generated posts was picked each month to receive $25,000 worth of on-air commercial packages.
Each package includes about a month's worth of open talks and commercial spots as well as a short promotional video featuring the business that is posted on Kiss 92's social media accounts.
Overall, the campaign saw more than 4,000 posts on Facebook and Instagram in support of over 200 SMEs.
The advertising packages for Springleaf Prata Place and Orian Eyewear - the winners for January and February respectively - have yet to be utilised.
But the other two winners tell The Straits Times they have already observed an improvement in their business following the marketing initiatives.
Mr Timothy Felix, 31, founder of Active Fitness, the November winner, estimates a 15 to 20 per cent jump in the number of customers since December, when his ads and promotional video started running .
Co-founder of Kueh Ho Jiak Elizabeth Chan, 31, echoes the same view: "Ever since the promo video launch and Kiss 92's shout-outs, we have been receiving a lot more online orders and seen an increase in customers."
The radio station is looking to keep the campaign going for the long run, with the hope that multinational corporations will come onboard as sponsors so that more SMEs can be supported.
