A wise man named Forgy said something profound recently while speaking with a bunch of Wall Street analysts:

“We have to sell our way out of this.”

The Forgy in question is Chris, and he’s the CEO of Saga Communications, yet another broadcast radio company striving to right the ship. Chris Forgy (pictured) is a smart, savvy radio vet, and his prescription for legacy radio companies is to gird our sales loins, and implore whoever’s left in the cubicles to sell something for the team.

I like that idea, and I wish Chris and the thousands of radio stations that are in need of a sales revenue boost to take his words to heart. But as a product guy, I’m trying to figure out how radio brands can engage existing customers, while attracting new ones, in an environment where marketing dollars are at a premium or simply do not exist.

One of the radio industry’s true promotional animals is Paige Nienaber. You can read his relentless marketing brainstorms and can’t-miss schemes every week in Radio Ink (or you could just hire him and have him anytime you wanted him—just a Zoom meeting away). Paige is constantly Hoovering up great promotional ideas that others have pulled off or that he’s experienced himself.

In 2025, radio is suffering from an “attention deficit disorder.” In an overcrowded, oversaturated media environment, broadcasters struggle to capture and hold the attention of their audiences. This is the plight many radio brands face, whether they’re in big metros or in smaller towns where digital marketing efforts have become the go-to solution for so many advertisers.

One way to get truly promotionally inspired is to look to a “near adjacent” category that like radio, most people use during the course of a week. And for many Americans, that is QSRs—or Quick Service Restaurants.

In a recent Harris Poll, about half (52%) of American adults dine (in or out) of a QSR/fast casual eatery in a typical week—lower than radio’s cume, but still an impressive display of regular spending.

And a study of the techniques these restaurants use to entice new customers and please existing diners might just stimulate you to consider how you might convert the concept to a radio promotional idea. Here are three recent examples of clever, interesting, and even “out there” QSR promotions:

Krispy Kreme & Crocs – Some collaborations just make sense, but this one is perhaps a stretch as sugar meets footwear in one of the unlikeliest partnerships ever.

The end product is a “limited-edition Krispy Kreme x Crocs Classic Clobs, according to a recent edition of QSR. I’ve held off on blogging about this until there were photos of the end product, but the “Krocs” (as they should have been named) are certainly different.

Among other features, they come with interchangeable toe caps so you can either wear your preference for chocolate and strawberry icing depending on your mood or your allergies.

I’m a believer in using brand collabs to reach another’s core audience, but for this promotion, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Admittedly, I am not a user of either brand, perhaps one of the few Americans to never even try on a pair of Crocs or eat a Krispy Kreme donut.

This promotion will not change that.

Tim Hortons, the PWHL, and Barbie Dolls – This one actually combines three different brands but they are actually compatible. The QSR in the equation is Tim Hortons and the secret sauce of the promotion is the Professional Women’s Hockey League, and a new, custom Barbie. (No, she is not wearing Crocs.)

There’s even a charity tie-in if you’re keeping score at home. Five dollars (Canadian) of every hockey Barbie goes to the Grindstone Award Foundation, supporting young female hockey players.

To make sure everything’s thematic, a Tim Hortons in Toronto has been morphed into showing Barbie’s pink and the PWHL’s purple themes.

The method to the madness here boils down once again to brand collaborations—utilizing fans of one brand to help expose another.

As the Barbie team reminds us, this new doll “encourages girls to explore their limitless potential, reminding them they can be anything, including a Hockey Player!”

Of course in that loud pink uniform, it will be easy for the refs to spot a Barbie infraction—like high-sticking or tripping.

Off to the penalty box!

McDonald’s goes the nostalgia route with Happy Meals – Yes, for many of today’s parents, the dependable Happy Meal was a dietary staple. And now, a retro version marketed to adults is being attempted by the Golden Arches promotional team in an effort to improve their demos and the elusive “same store sales” measure. Like average ratings in radio, this is the metric that matters in the fast food industry.

For this promotion, Mickey D’s is leveraging its success on the happy memories of Happy Meals especially during a time when many adults may be, in actuality, not-so-happy. Rather than leveraging another brand, McDonald’s is keying in on the emotional appeal of its childhood relationship with millions of adult consumers.

In addition to offering Quarter Pounders or McNuggets, this nostalgia play offers souvenirs designed to trigger happy memories, as well as the appearance of characters that include Ronald McDonald, Grimace, Birdie, Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese, and the Fry Friend.

KFC goes AI – So, I promoted three clever QSR promotions, but as a cautionary tale, let me remind you that not all marketing efforts are effective, much less worth stealing.

That was the case with a Kentucky Fried Chicken promotion that got a bit carried away with the innovativeness of AI. To take “finger licking good” to that next level, the marketing team at KFC reasoned that AI imagery could create a hand with lots of fingers one could lick.

The end result was not particularly attractive or inspiring:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by KFC (@kfc)

The images, rather than coming across as clever, are much less shareable and instead come off as hideous or grotesque.

WWTCS? (What would the Colonel Say?)

A final word on Saga and Chris Forgy. In his missive to solve radio’s problems with a better sales effort, he made it clear this strategy is in place of “cutting our way out.”

Good for him and Saga’s employees. But I wonder if Chris Forgy wears Crocs?

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Fred Jacobs

President & Founder at Jacobs Media

Fred Jacobs founded Jacobs Media in 1983, and quickly became known for the creation of the Classic Rock radio format.

Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.

In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.

Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.

Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.

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