A talent search that doubled as a brand repositioning campaign for Next Radio 106.1.Next Big Voice was produced end-to-end inside the Next Media ecosystem finding new voices while repositioning the station in culture.

The Task

Next Radio 106.1 needed new voices. Not recycled talent. Not industry insiders. Fresh, confident, electric personalities from across Uganda who could own a microphone and hold a room people who hadn't been discovered yet because nobody had gone looking properly.

The mandate: find them. And turn the search itself into a campaign.

The Ask

This wasn't just a recruitment exercise. It was a brand repositioning. Next Radio needed to be seen as youth-driven, opportunity-giving, talent-developing, and digital-first all at the same time, through one campaign that actually delivered results.

What Was Done

The mechanics were beautifully simple. Record a 30-second skit. Post it on social media. Tag Next Radio. Use #TheNextBigVoice. Done.

That simplicity was deliberate. Low barrier to entry meant more submissions. More submissions meant organic reach. More reach meant the campaign marketed itself.

From there, the process moved fast: online submissions, shortlisting, live auditions at Next Media Park,

The auditions featured judges who could actually fill a room Patrick "Salvado" Idringi, Cleopatra Koheirwe, and Dr. Mitch Egwang. That's wasn’t a panel. That was a statement about what Next Radio takes seriously.

Cross-platform promotion amplified every stage. User-generated content drove organic reach that no media buy could replicate.

The Results

Total reach: 1,928,696. Social media reach: 1,926,226. Interactions: 8,078. Likes: 13,121. User-generated content: 225 pieces. AVE: $222,531. Negative mentions: 3.

A talent search that doubled as a brand campaign. A recruitment drive that felt like a cultural moment.

Next Radio went looking for Uganda's next voice. Uganda answered.