U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1960)

report from RAB ThE NEwYoRk PhilhARiviONic Possibly there is no program anywhere on the air about which the audience feels more deeply than this one. The Philharmonic, under Leonard Bernstein, is in its 31st consecutive year on CBS Radio. The 31st year in which listeners hear what many believe to be the world's greatest orchestra. In all radio the New York Philharmonic is the kind of company you keep . . . onIy ON CBS RAdio Department Store Campaign Serves a Two-Fold Purpose A major campaign designed lo zero in on the SlOO nlilli()^-I)lu^ the nation's department stoies si)enci anniialh on advertisins' is being laiindied this month by Radio Advertising Bmeaii member stations across the nation. The campaign, accf)rding to RAH, .KUiallv has a two-fold j)urp()se: (I) lo help (oiniiue department stores — whidi still invest the bidk ol their budgets , in ne\\sj)apers — that radio can do an illedive selling job loi tluin. ('_') To ad as a ■'biiildu])'" lo the lirst release ol residls Irom R \r.s "Sf) 1,000 Challenge"— ilu' \ear-long study of radio .idverlising for dei)artment stores being (ondiuled by the bmeau in (()o|)cr,iiion with The Higbee (lo. in (;ie\elantl. (Higbec's is part of the nationwide chain of .Vssocialed Merchandising Corp. stores and grosses more than sr)0 nn'llion annually.) 1 his big "buildup" (.nnp.iign has already started in maiiy markets — and currently is based on an eightpart direct mail campaign designed lo put the (ase for radio in the hands of leading department store executi\es. Utilizing R.\H jjresenlations. reseaidi and case histories, the campaign documenls dramatically sIkjw just how radio can work l)oth to inciease sales and attract more customers for de))artment stores. Among the data will be comparative results of radio vs. newspaper advertising on literally hundreds of different department store items — ranging Irom ready-to-wear to toys and appliances. (The detailed study is the culmination of a challenge .Mr. Sweeney made to the department store industry in 1958. He offered partial finan(ial backing from RAli to conduct, in c()()[)eration with a major clei)artment store, a comprehensive, 12month study of radio's effectiveness lor ilem-selling. .V proviso of the offer was that R.\B would j)lay a major role in the campaign in such aieas as selection of the items to be advertised, the copy apjiroaches to be used and the selection of stations and broadcast limes.) Among the ammunition included in the direct mail "buildup" campaign is a 24-page presentation titled ' AVhich Way Will Your Store Ride the Retail Revolution — Up or Down?" The ])resentalion outlines eight major reasons why department stores should diversify their' advertising media .ip|)roach. • Also included: Case hisiciriies of outstanding radio results for some 1 1 depailmein stores throughout the nation. Among them: ClainSloane, Allied Stores outlet in Nashville, Teini., grossing some .130 million annually. Another brochure in tlie eightpart campaign is tilled "They All Listen lo Radio." It outlines lor store executives the radio listening patterns of eight important consumer groups — snch as housewives, middle-income men, and single \a)iking women. All of the groups studied are of vital importance to department stores and the RAB brcKlnire pinpoints the exteiu of their radio listening. • • • ^NATIONAL SALES TREND OF THE MONTH= Over the past nine months, major auto makers have been targeted in a special series of presentations from RAB tailored to the individual marketing and advertising problems each faces. Tire basic thinking behind each presentation: Radio should be used consistently— 52 weeks a year— rather than on a flight basis. Now, one of the major makers appears as the first breakthrough, will buy radio in its most important markets for 52 consecutive weeks starting with the introduction of the '61 line. A number of other auto manufacturers have also expressed considerable interest in this approach. 54 U. S. RADIO October 19G0