U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1960)

I^ HOMETOWN U.S. A. commercial clinic Stereophonic Sound Adding New Dimension to Advertiser's Message Alilunigli ^.till in the early stages o£ its development, a small group of advertisers is preparing sales messages geared to cash in on the added aural impact provided by stereophonic sound. A local Philadelphia appliance dealer is making use of dual channel radio to demonstrate the virtues of stereo phonographs right in the potential customer's living room. He is also taking advantage of this dramatic advance in home listening to focus attention on the less vocal merchandise carried in the store. Gerhard's of Glenside, a Philadelphia suburb, s])()nsors stereophonic broadcasts over three am-fm stations in the Philadelphia area. Its vice president, James Whelan, came up with the idea of a stereo conmicrcial while watcliing color tv. It seemed silly to him that a color tv sho\v would have black and white commercials. "That wouldn't be using the full effect of the medium, " he thought. KoUowing up on tlii> he asked himself. "Win limit ourselves to monaural commerc ials on our stereophonic programs? And what better wav to demonstrate our stereo than to bring it into the listener's home? " He then approached Philip Klein .Advertising Inc., Gerhard's advertising agency, with these questions. The agency, in turn, contacted J. R. Pioductions, Washington, D. C., to see if a stereo comercial was feasible. Deciding they coidd do the job, the agcncv and the musical production fiMii went to work on it. Dignified Theme The first consideration was an appropriate theme. They felt a dignified commercial would be most appropriate. Gerhard's, an established prestige store, sells national brand merchandise. In fact, it received last April the Brand Names Foundation's 1958 "Retailer of the Year" award in the appliance division. The award is given to the retailer who does the most to promote brand names in his store. The commercial had to be one that conveyed the distinction and prestige of the Gerhard store. The second cr^nsideration was to create a commercial that not only made the most effective use of stereophc:)nic reproduction, but one that would also hold up on a monaural program. Gerhard's, whidi puts 90 percent of its advertising budget into radio, s]X)nsors 25 programs a week. It l)roadcasts stereo over WFLN-AM IM, WFIL-AM-FM and WC.\U-AM-FM. Many of its programs, however, are broadcast monaurally over other am and fm stations in tlic Pliiladelphia area. Perfect Fit' With these facts in mind. |. R. and Klein first contemplated :i cptcstion and answer commcrciiil. "One channel would ask the questions while the other would answer." From this develojied the idea of an old English round. "It fitted perfectly into Gerliard's picture," says the agency. "By the very nature of its form, a round shows off stereo by building up and fading out from one side to the other. Its very tone and quality convey dignity and prestige. .\nd it is a form of music that people like to listen to." The result, the agency believed, would be a thoroughly entertaining commercial. The music, created by J. R., includes seven voices and five instruments. These are a harpsichord, flute, bassoon, oboe and clarinet. Together they utilize the whole range of the musical scale. The lyrics, too, are light, charm ing and right to the point. Four male voices sing from the left channel to three female voices on the right channel. The message is: Male voices: Oh, fair maiden, where do you run? Female voices: To Gerhard's of Glenside where shopping is fun. Female voices: Tell me, kind sir, what shall I buy? Males voices: Appliances of every kind from freezers to hi-fi. Male voices: Selection... Female voices: Service... All: Quality... All: At Gerhard's of Glenside, you'll find all three. A 20-second interlude for the spoken announcement is bridged by a background of harpsichord music Then the round, starting from the left, moving to center and ending on the right channel, picks up the last four lines of the opening: All: For the very best in sight, sound, service... Round: Selection, service, quality — at Gerhard's of Glenside, you'll find all three. Taping the Round After the commercial had been written, the agency had to find a suitable recording location. The J. R. people observed that "there is only one place to do it." So the entire cast moved into the Cafritz Auditorium of the Jewish Community Center in W^ashington for the recording. This, insists the production firm, is one of the best acoustical auditoriums in the world for the purpose. The result of all these efforts is a one-minute sales talk as entertaining as it is effective. • • • 42 U. S. RADIO January 1960