Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1964)

B&B Executives Call for Multi-Market Tests Stanton, Appel hit two-market testing as unreliable; see need to overcome "idiosyncratic market behavior" New York — Radio, tv. newspaper— how can an advertiser and his agency best determine which media to use for a given product and in what combinations? According to a study by Benton & Bowles, Inc., muiti-niarl<et testing is the most "practical method for choosing between media alternatives." Highly critical of two market studies. Frank Stanton, B&B's vice president and manager of information management, and Dr. Val Appel, vice president and director of ad research, last week reported that identical advertising run in two similar markets often yield diametrically opposed or seemingly unrelated results. In a joint presentation before the 10th annual conference of the Advertising Research Foundation, the two agency executives also noted that the sales results when two different media plans for the same product are used in one pair of twin cities may be completely reversed when the same plans are carried out in another pair of matched cities. To overcome such "idiosyncratic market behavior," experiments must be conducted in a sufficient number of markets, Appel argued. Multimarket testing eliminates extreme reactions which may be peculiar to individual markets and yields an over-all reaction which can effectively guide an advertiser, he added. Stanton pointed out that the multi-market test design had its inception a year ago at a "time when we were facing a difficult media decision. The problem was how to allocate 35 percent of our client's budget. Sixty-five percent of the budget was already committed to two media. The remainder was to be allocated to one of two remaining media." The test, worked out for the client, was successful. Stanton said, and "currently, we arc using the multi-market approach to measure the effect of alternative uses of a single medium." Appel. who gave the detailed presentation to the ad research organization, emphasized that sales performance is the proper criterion against which to measure advertising effectiveness. "The methods for such evaluation are now available," he said. "And we cannot afford any longer to ignore their availability because of tradition, false economy, convenience, or because we think it can't be done." For his part, Stanton said that Frank Stanton Val Appel "the certification of a valid advertising research measurement will enable us to turn our talents away from excessive concentration on simple evaluation, and toward the much more important task of improving advertising's effectiveness." MGM Lionizes Versatile New Video Tape System New York — It looked something like a combination of a moving van and a steam shovel at first glance, but it was the newest piece of tv equipment owned by MGM Telestudios. tape-producing subsidiary of the movie-tv firm. Termed "the most versatile video tape system in the world." the new mobile unit, buih by RCA for MGM Telestudios at a reputed cost of $250,000, may do much to ease the problems of working with cumbersome live tv equipment on location commercial assignments. Among the new wrinkles of "Leo" (the truck is named for guesswho's trademark) are: a 22-foot, 'Leo' ... in Times Square hydraulically operated camera boom, a "director's caddie" cable — connected to the truck which allows the director to be nei.- the camera position and still follow the shooting on junior-sized monitors, four power-operated cable storage drums to rewind camera and light cables within minutes, a late model RCA video tape recorder which can be "colorized" with the addition of a drop-in module, the equipment for shooting in the Gemini tape/film system which produces both video tape and 16 mm film through a common lens, and an electric pencil sharpener. "Leo" has already had a baptism of commercial fire. Its first actual field assignment was a junket into Pennsylvania farmlands to tape Conversation at Gettysburg, a political telecast for the Republican National Committee with former President Eisenhower and Sen. Goldwater, produced by Erwin Wasey, Ruthrauff & Ryan's George Rogers. In a press demonstration in Times Square, New York, last week, MGM rented a lion cub and posed it sitting on the seat of the giant camera boom. The cub proceeded to prove two things in rapid succession: (1) you can draw a crowd quickly in New York when you have a lion cub lofted in a cameraman's chair, and (2) the cub was not housebroken. October 12, 1964 21