Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1962)

"It is a surprising facet oi car advertising that, by and large, companies confine themselves traditionally to heavy-car pushes in the fall, and nearly abandon the radio effort the remainder of the year. The accompanying chart (see below) shows that \ear in and year out car sales are made 12 months a year, steadily and consistently. Year-around pressure. Radio listening is similarly consistent throughout the year. A key. advertising question arises: II sales are made throughout the year, should not advertising pressure be applied year around? With radio's enormous efficiency, economy, impact, and exclusive ability to reach people while they are using the product, the sound medium has to stack up in any objective analysis as a medium of prime importance 12 months a year," Mr. Young states. "No car manufacturer or agency can sit quietly on 'traditional' patterns of media use. A recent motivational study shows that, with rare exceptions, consumer advertising recall is poor. They remember little about which car brand is advertised and even less about salient COD) points.'' Detroit's marketing battle boils down to these main areas ol con cern: 1. Each firm must maintain oi increase its competitive position. 2. Each company is now producing and selling more different cars and models than it has in its history. In 1962, there were about 100 different models put on the market by American manufacturers. In 1963, this number is increasing, with a larger number ol sports and compact models. Compact accounts for about 10% of the market. 3. The abundance of models has created an even more pressing need for consistent advertising pressure. 1. Detroit is also on the hook for such things as extended warranties and expensive accessories for the compac is. Radio can help. A $3 million a year radio plan is proposed by the Young company for individual cat brands. Sounds expensive? Not really. Considering that yearly car ad budgets range between $15 million and $40 million, this expenditure represents a relative!) modest investment in year-around penetration. The $3-million-a-year spot radio plan is based on the com ic tion that the sound medium can do these things lot car advei tisei s: 1. It can maintain hea\ \ advertising pressure throughout the vear in 200 markets as a cost that can be lived with. 2. Taking advantage ol the dual in-home and oui-ol-hotne radio audience, a car company can match audience composition with consumer prospects, balancing handsomely the amount of advertising weight that must be split in favor of men but with lair amount of exposure to women. 3. The teenage audience, representing a minor share of the total, also is important to car companies because these are the buyers of tomorrow, and tomorrow is not far off. 4. Radio's great out-of-home stor\ is directly linked to the car industry, with 42 million car radios in use. Nielsen figures show that auto tune-in is substantial throughout the week. In late afternoon, for example, it is the equivalent of Monthly sales show selling cars is a year-round business Total Passenger car 6,674,796 99 I960 1961 Jan. 676.712 10% Jan. 406,616 7% Feb. 656.579 10 Feb. 363,193 7 March 659,730 10 March 425,892 8 Aoril 588,046 8 April 453,425 8 Mav 607,191 9 Mav 539,858 10 June 605,582 9 June 567,563 10 Julv 421,355 6 Julv 407.339 7 Aus. 324,020 5 Auq. 172,754 3 Sept. 386,694 6 Sept. 367,366 7 Oct. 627,678 9 Oct. 545,117 10 Nov. 600,495 9 Nov. 646.886 12 Dec. 520,714 8 Dec. 646,698 12 5,542,707 101 aetory sales for 1960 and 1961 show sales are good all year. II advertising were done on a year-round basis sales might he more even, according to Adam Young. In 1961 summer months, with the exception of August, sail s are good SPONSOR/22 October 1962 59