Broadcasting (Jan-June 1933)

Merchandising a Program to the Limit Bond Bakers Follow WRVA Program With House Calls; Local Prejudice Overcome; Children's Club Formed By NELSON T. STEPHENS Shepperson, Birnie & Stephens Advertising, Richmond, Va. THAT a commercial radio program, properly merchandised or followed up by extra-station efforts to build listener interest and to increase the listening audience, is good business — getting the most returns from the radio advertising dollar — has been abundantly demonstrated by the General Baking Co., New York (Bond Bread) in a spot program on WRVA, Richmond, Va. From the very moment the WRVA daily feature for children was taken over for sponsorship, the baking company's sales force has exerted every reasonable effort to get every cent's worth of value from the broadcast advertising expenditure and to increase the popularity of both the program and the station. A sales force of some thirty-odd routemen, retailing Bond Bread from door-to-door in Richmond and vicinity, has done a splendid job of making more effective a radio program that already had served most effectively another (local) bakery doing a wholesale business only. The Bond Bakers have given a perfect demonstration of what it takes to make radio advertising do a 100 per cent job for the progressive sponsor. Established Program MRS. SANDMAN'S Radio Playhouse, featuring the popular Mrs. Sandman and Jimmie, taken over by Bond Bakers on WRVA Jan. 3, was not a new program. The feature originated in 1929 at Savannah, Ga., and was probably one of the best known children's programs in the southeast when Bond Bakers decided to go on the air in its Richmond territory, where retail selling has been done exclusively for more than two years. The new sponsorship, however, met with immediate success. The entire General Baking Co. sales organization, be it remembered, was pleased with the new advertising, was keyed up to an unusual pitch of enthusiasm and from the very start advertised the program and Bond Bread from door to door. Sales immediately began to mount and continued, week after week, to show new high records for the Richmond distributing branch. After six weeks of the sponsorship (the initial contract was for ten weeks), a survey was instituted. Six thousand homes were questioned by salesmen who found that in 84 per cent of radio-equipped homes the Bond Bakers program was listened to, that the station was overwhelmingly popular with the listeners and that 85 per cent of all homes contacted had radio sets. Answered All Doubts ON THE strength of this house-tohouse survey, the Richmond con PROPER merchandising often constitutes the deciding factor between successful and unproductive radio advertising ; together they are certain to be effective, as this story shows. An out-of-town baking company assumes sponsorship of a popular and established children's program, organizes a children's club and sends its salesmen from house to house advertising both the program and the bread. As a result, the campaign is an immediate and continuing success. Local prejudice against out-of-town interests is overcome, and sales mount weekly. tract was renewed at the end of the ten weeks and is now an established feature. Here was an instance in which the sponsor put his radio program to the acid test — and the station, too, for that matter — for the sponsor's own sales force checked homes having a total population of some 30,000 people. Regardless of a satisfactory increase of sales volume week-byweek, the General Baking Co. wanted to make sure of the wisdom of its choice of advertising medium and the way in which the medium was being used. The survey left no doubt of that wisdom. Every other week for the first ten weeks, a guessing contest for the juvenile listeners was conducted by Mrs. Sandman and Jimmie, and the thousands of contest letters and cards received were of course followed up by the route salesman in every instance. Approximately half the contestants proved to be non-customers of the Bond Bakers. Here was a prolific source of new business which the energetic salesmen proceeded to cash in on — hence the week-byweek increase in sales volume. The broadcast advertising expenditure in the first ten weeks of the contract was more than justified by the net increase in business for the Richmond branch. And the present increase in volume over the same period last year would also indicate the efficacy of the advertising and the sustained enthusiasm of the sales force. Overcomes Local Prejudice THE GENERAL BAKING Co.'s Virginia plant is located in Norfolk. With no plant in the three cities served by the Richmond distributing branch, necessarily local sales resistance was pronounced because the Bond Bakers were, frankly, looked upon as an "outside" group in competition with "local" bakers. Admittedly the Richmond radio program has done BAKERY PLUGS HOLIDAY SPECIALS "Do-Nut Frolic" Sells Associated Products as Well; Sponsor Bars Contests, Personal Tours By FRED T. HAGELBERG Sales and Advertising Manager Davis Perfection Bread Co. Los Angeles OUR ORGANIZATION has used several southern California stations for various types of programs during the last few years, but I think our "Optimistic Do Nut Frolic" on Fridays has been more effective than any other broadcast. This program, now well into its ninth year of consecutive broadcasting, is the oldest commercial program on the west coast. Originally the feature took the form of a minstrel show with a Mr. Hagelberg troupe of colored performers, gag men, soloists and others. Recently the program has been revamped into more modern vaudeville. To provide novelty, we have frequently changed masters of ceremonies and, at this writing, we have comasters of ceremonies. The merchandising angle for our radio efforts lies in our organization. We have 26 retail stores, 215 retail wagons selling on house-to-house routes and 20 wagons delivering to restaurants, clubs, cafes and the like. During the radio series we have used special occasions to plug different products. Just before Thanksgiving, for instance, and also a day or so before Christmas, we extoll the virtues of our mince pies in brief announcements that no Thanksgiving or Christmas din(Continued on page 30) an excellent job in breaking dovm this local prejudice — sales resistance, as the salesmen call it. Bond Bakers were sponsoring a children's program that was popular in every home where there were children. Bond Bakers were on a popular Virginia station — every day — with a dignified message about a high grade product. Could prejudicial sales resistance of a localized nature long withstand an advertising campaign of that calibre? It could not and did not. The radio program has completely reversed the Bond Bakers picture in Richmond and vicinity. The sponsor's salesmen are now welcomed at front doors that previously seemed impregnable. To the Bond Bakers sales force, this angle of the broadcast advertising is as important, if not more so, than the direct increase in sales attributable to the program. Club is Organized IN THE middle of April it was decided to inaugurate Mrs. Sandman and Jimmie's Bond Bakers Club. No contest is involved. The children are asked to send in their names, addresses and ages, to the station in return for which they will receive a membership card and an invitation to one of the numerous Bond Bakers' parties for the club members. Necessarily the waiting list of members for the parties is a large one, for Mrs. Sandman and Jimmie and the Bond Bakers can entertain only a hundred youngsters at a time in the station's studios. Ice cream and cake and a chance to take part in the broadcast with Mrs. Sandman and Jimmie comprise the entertainment at the parties — could a boy or girl ask more? Extra-studio parties are held — -one a week, also, with no broadcasting involved — just "eats" and a chance to meet and be entertained in person by Mrs. Sandman and Jimmie. At these parties no advertising of any sort is indulged in by Bond Bakers. Be it assured, however, that there are widespread parental gratitude and good will gained by Bond Bakers through these parties — another form of extra-station promotional cooperation. 100 Per Cent Cooperation AS THIS article is written it is certain that a mass entertainment, in some large local auditorium, seems essential if all the young members of the new club are to be entertained before summer wanes. Consolidating the ground gained through sales increases, new customers, the sponsor uses fine strategy through the club parties in a drive for more good will. Thus every possible legitimate and dignified use of the radio advertising and the program proper is taken advantage of. The outcome is that a splendid campaign of program merchandising has brought the results sought by the sponsor. The Bond Bakers Richmond spot program is an outstanding example of what radio will do for an advertiser who has courage, foresight and the common sense to follow his radio advertising dollar through with 100 per cent sales department backing and cooperation. June 15, 1933 • BROADCASTING Page 9