The Radio Station That Isn’t A Radio Station

June 21, 2014 in Daily Bulletin

Bihar, a state in India, has a radio station that isn’t a radio at all writes Diksha Madhok:

  • To listen to this radio station users dial a number and then hang up.
  • They will soon be called back and their phone will play 15 minutes of radio and ads free of charge. You can then call again for 15 more minutes.
  • The service is run by Hindustan Unilever, a company that sells everything from shampoos to skin creams.
  • The service is so successful that Hindustan Unilever has stopped advertizing on traditional radio, since the reach of its own station is higher than any other in the region.
  • Bihar has several media dark zones where traditional ad penetration doesn’t reach. Yet such regions are potentially worth up to $25 billion.

Read more about the ingenious idea here.

Source: Quartz