Sponsor (Apr-June 1961)

on Budweiser market budgets for its upcoming D'Arcy. Meanwhile, other reps await turn NICE WAY reps to discuss business key summer promotion en key Chicago and St. Louis station reps were in the party. The media sellers were exposed to the best in casual Florida hospitality. But when the reps got down to cases (beside the pool) about market budgets with Harry K. Renfro, D'Arcy v.p. and manager of radio/tv media and J. Dolan Walsh, assistant radio/tv media manager, it was strictly business. There was good reason for it: • The $2.5 million I half for radio/tv) summer push was described by Raymond E. Krings. AnheuserBusch ad manager, as the most heavily supported promotion of its kind in the country. "This is no peanut deal," he told the reps. • From 25 May through 31 July, during which time all Budweiser consumer advertising will be geared to "'Pick a Pair," announcements will run on more than 600 radio stations and more than 300 tv stations. In addition, the promotion will be supported by the Budweiser-owned The Third Man, a half-hour series now running in some 80 markets. • Though Budweiser is holding firmly to its number one ranking in beer sales and its share of market has increased nationally during the past four years, Budweiser's share of supermarket sales is down. William E. Bien, Anheuser-Busch marketing v.p., explained to the reps that 40'/f of national beer volume is concentrated in supermarkets. • Budweiser, as well as other brewers, is being hit where it hurts by the supermarkets' private label beers. For this and the above reasons, Budweiser is understandably determined to get as much mileage out of its new supermarket promotion as possible. The agency, client, and rep group from Chicago and St. Louis arrived in Tampa aboard a chartered DC-7. where they were greeted at Busch Gardens by August A. Busch, Jr., president and board chairman of Anheuser-Busch, who told them why this year's marketing plans are so important to the company. Nearly 8.5 million barrels of beer were sold in 1960, he said, a record year for the brewery. He credited the "Pick a Pair" promotion for the company's hike in profits from $13 million in 1959 to $15.4 million in 1960. Last year marked the fourth consecutive year that AnheuserBusch has maintained its record as number one in national beer sales. (In 1957 it regained the title as number one in national beer sales by brewery, and in 1958 became the leading branded seller. I The general business sessions and the individual media meetings during the following two days were conducted in a uniquely informal environment on St. Petersburg Beach, at poolside and in meeting rooms of the Colonial Inn where the group was quartered during the trip. The four-day excursion probably represents an unprecedented rapport between advertiser-agency and media. While no actual buying was done on the trip, budgets were discussed, and marketing and merchandising objectives were outlined for the promotion. This major thrust will gain additional impetus this year by a 20'/f increase in the consumer advertising budget. Running concurrently in the "Pick a Pair" campaign will be full-page, four-color ads in eight national magazines and Sunday supplements, as well as a heavy outdoor schedule during June and July. ENJOYING the hospitality of AnheuserBusch are (I) John F. Box, Jr., of the Balaban stations and rep firm head Robert E. Eastman PREVIEW of Budweiser promotion is gotten by Raymond E. Krings (I), Anheuser-Busch ad mgr.; John C. Macheca, D'Arcy v.p. and a.e. SPONSOR 3 APRIL 1961