U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1960)

Manuel Siwek (r.), executive vice president of Grosset & Dunlap, discusses a point to be highlighted on radio with Don McNeill, star of Breakfast Club. ^Discovers' Radio network air time by 25 percent. Also. last year dealers in 160 markets participated on the local level. We have every reason to expect that this local participation Avill be even greater this year." New Promol'ion Appeal The recommendation to use radio came horn Lee Friend, president of Friend-Reiss Advertising Inc., agency for the publishers. "W^e were presented by the client with the problem of finding a sales-impelling replacement for the customarv promotion efforts used in the book field," Mr. Friend explains. Traditionally, publishers supplied retailers with imprinted mailers to be distributed to the pidilic. In return, the dealers were expected to place orders and provide display space for in-store materials. "In finding the solution to this problem," he continues, "the Grosset &: Dunlap management gave us a set of ground rules ^vhich we had to follow. There could be no a;iveaways; no cut prices; there had to be full children's and juvenile line promotion: continuity: originality: retail interest and participation, and, of course, sales." The primary target of the mail brochures and other promotional efforts by the firm, according to Mr. Friend, w^as the mother, ^vith the father as a secondary objective. .Since it is generally agreed in the children's book field that women constitute the backbone of the market, any new campaign had to focus on this group. "The problem, then, was to determine how to reach most effectivelv this group, and still remain within the confines of the ground rules set down by the client," Mr. Friend points out. Media Analysis "Mail was iiUed out since this was ■ivhat was already being used. Newspapers were found to be pretty hackneyed, and followed the usual pattern. Television was discarded," Mr. Friend says, "because it is very costly if purchased at the times when vou can most effectively reach mother. The one medium which stood up against all the requirements on our check list, including the important one of cost, was radio." Reach New Audience \Vorking closely with the client, the decision was made to develop a major ad campaign built around participation on the Don McNeill Bieakfdst Club. Manuel Siwek, executive vice president of Grosset &: Dunlap, says "We made the commitment knowing that to sell more books we nuist reach far beyond the area customarilv serviced by the conventional book advertising media. Also, we have long felt that small town as well as big city booksellers need more promotional support from the book publisher." Channeling the bulk of its promotion budget into network and cooperative local radio participations, Grosset & Dunlap developed a complete program built around the sound medium. WindoAV material, coimter material and newspaper ads were all geared to localize the nation U. S. RADIO October 1960 29