Amplifying the Voice of Vocalo Radio

The Challenge

Despite its rich offering and connection to Chicago's vibrant cultural scene, the team at the station were grappling with the challenge of broadening brand recognition across the city and driving up downloads of its mobile app.

A key part of their mission was to gauge their social media's efficacy and launch an influencer marketing program. The intention was to spotlight the outstanding music artists who call Chicago home, weaving a tapestry of local talent and resonating sound.

We were asked to help because we could offer a holistic service experience that catered to all the client’s needs. Not only were we tasked with the initiation and execution of the influencer marketing campaign, but we were also responsible for conducting a comprehensive audit of the radio station's social media presence.

Our Solution

When Vocalo Radio approached us with their challenge, we responded with a carefully crafted solution designed to reverberate with the spirit of Chicago.

At the heart of our endeavour was the birth of a fresh visual identity for the #ChiSoundsLike campaign. This included creating a new logo and ensuring it resonated with the campaign’s essence. We also constructed a comprehensive brand guideline document, laying down the visual and tonal parameters for all subsequent promotional activities.

Understanding the vibrant tapestry of talent in Chicago, we then handpicked 12 local luminaries – a mix of musicians and visual artists – to wear the mantle of influencers for Vocalo Radio. Building trust and forging connections with these artists was paramount and we formalized our collaboration through contracts that outlined various activities they would partake in. These included:

• Participating in a brand photoshoot to solidify the campaign's visual identity.

• Taking over Vocalo Radio for unique one-on-one radio sessions.

• Spearheading Instagram takeovers to provide a personal touch to the campaign.

• Attending and taking an active role in the Vocalo 90’s House Party

Throughout the six-month campaign, we remained very hands-on, managing every aspect of the project. We provided our influencers with a detailed Creative Brief outlining the deliverables, setting timelines, and clarifying expectations, ensuring the collaboration was seamless and aligned with the campaign objectives.

We curated swag boxes for our influencers to foster a sense of belonging and appreciation. These boxes, filled with #ChiSoundsLike merchandise and Vocalo keepsakes, served as tokens of gratitude and as tools for further brand propagation.

Finally, to augment the organic reach of our influencer collaborations, we supercharged our efforts with a paid social media campaign. Using the creative assets developed for the #ChiSoundsLike initiative, we strategically placed ads, ensuring that the campaign resonated far and wide across the digital landscape of Chicago and beyond.

The Results

Our collaboration with Vocalo Radio for the #ChiSoundsLike campaign yielded impressive results that reverberated across multiple platforms.

“The team at Inked provided the Vocalo Radio brand with the support needed to run a four-month influencer marketing campaign - from the planning stages to launching a multi-channel campaign. We only have one person in our team to do our marketing, so it was great that Inked could assist them in building a successful campaign.  They were also able to adjust the creative collateral to fit the parameters of various social media channels and assist us in providing campaign influencers with a memorable partnership experience.”

We observed a significant growth in Vocalo Radio's following on social media: Facebook grew 5%, Instagram experienced a substantial surge with a 22% increase, and Twitter witnessed a 9% rise in its following.

One of the campaign's primary objectives was to enhance mobile app engagement, and our efforts led to a notable uptick. Vocalo's mobile app downloads increased by 1,790 during the campaign period.

Our paid media strategy, which ran from October 1 through December 31, made a marked impact, and we achieved an impressive 1,052,369 social media impressions. The campaign's visual content was also especially resonant, securing more than 60K video views.

In essence, the campaign amplified Vocalo Radio's digital presence and deepened its connection with Chicago's community.

“I highly recommend Inked for anyone with a boutique brand, small business or nonprofit, especially If you have a niche audience or a small but mighty marketing team. They help you realize what assets your brand can leverage so that you benefit from both a successful initial campaign but also the ability to replicate this after project completion.”