Sponsor (July-Dec 1949)

• Sponsor iilvnl ideation not important to American 13 i> iiiv B' rod in Is' proa rams Some air advertisers approach the use of the medium in the same manner that they approach the use of any other advertising medium. The medium delivers prospects. The advertiser sells them. ■ Frequently Lux Radio Theatre leads all programs on the air in audience size. Regularly Lux Radio Theatre is very near the top in Sponsor Identification. In the Hooper February 1949 report (sponsor, 20 June) Lux Radio Theatre was second with an 86.3 SI. Only Dr. I. Q. topped it. Nevertheless, in area after area where Lux Radio Theatre is heard, Lux Soap is an alsoran in product sales. On the other hand; Lux , ,Soap Flakes shows a substantial sales impact in most areas. Marketing experts do not credit the success of the flakes to the broadcast program, for upon analysis of Lux commercials they can discover very little "reason why," or "selling copy." There can be little question that Lux Radio Theatre has real impact. Twenty-one-point-seven percent of all the telephone homes in America can be safely said to listen to and recognize the sponsor of this program. It makes use of endorsement-type commericals, which have sold facial soaps for eons. During its hour broadcast, it has plenty of time to impress its listeners on why they should buy Lux. It has almost as many women-perlistening-set as the average daytime serial (1.18). It has every attribute of a solid-selling vehicle. Lux facial soap does not lead the parade. Thus, even impact-ratings aren't the complete answer to evaluating the effectiveness of a broadcast advertising campaign. It takes a "consumer product study," something like a Nielsen pantry survey to give a really true picture of the buying impact of a broadcast program. It's also true that not even a pantry check-up tells the entire story, and Nielsen's staff research men go as far as marking packages to indicate usage between calls, etc. The only method by which the complete impact of a broadcast program could be evaluated is through a control sample, and there are many who feel that a control sample or consumer panel delivers only indicative figures, not data that is 100'/ conclusive. Research men have long hoped for an advertiser to come to radio with a product that would not be advertised in any other medium but broadcasting and which would be introduced to the listening audience only through the air. They would like the sales organization to eliminate, for the test, all sales promotion at the dealer level. Some radio research men would even like to see broadcasting force distribution as well as sales at a retail level, but others, being more realistic, would like distribution to be complete at the outset of the broadcast advertising campaign. Then the effect of the campaign and radio's impact could be measured without other unmeasurable advertising factors contributing to radios results. Even then there are marketing authorities who point out that the competitive picture would have a bearing that could not be measured. They point out that a hard-hitting advertising campaign for one trademarked soap flakes, for instance, will increase sales of all soap flakes during the campaign. They further point out that the price of the product will have a bearing on its acceptance, as will its packaging, dealer discount, and a host of other non-advertising considerations. Hooper has conducted surveys for a Wendy Warren and the News 30.5 Juvenile Jury 41.0 % Sponsor identification important to General Foods' programs General Foods owns a number of great names in the food field. Thus, it's interested in associating program name and product. When one of General Foods program properties is recalled by a listener, GF would like her to think of the product sponsoring show at the same time. ]t^<