Broadcasting (July - Dec 1940)

TheG^oiham In Ci r In m r r Formula for Department Stores {Continued from page ^8) in Kansas City chalks it 50-50. Each method has its good points. Costs vs. Results W i 1 1 i a r d Campbell of Fox's claims that it's difficult to check results exactly unless one has precise cost figures. Also, such planning helps keep buyers on their toes. It forces them to select radio items that will move rapidly, not deadwood on which they wouldn't jeopardize the reputation of other media. It should also be apparent that, being charged as much for radio as he is for other media backing, the buyer immediately elevates radio to its just position as an equal goods-mover as other media, not a refuse heap for departmental trash. Another view, and i-ather unique among department store people, is that of Taylor's in Kansas City. They feel that the entertainment portion of the show should be charged to general expense, and the commercial spots to each individual department. A compromise opinion has been reached by other stores. This consists of charging radio directly to any department whose items are featured, but, if radio does not concentrate on any one department, its cost is credited against general expense. The majority of successful department store-radio users have found that, during the first few months of radio, it is generally good buyer relations to charge radio against general expense until the medium has proved to the buyers that it is just as efi'ective if not more effective than other media. Pick the Right People A careful comparison of the operating methods of the nine most successful department store users of radio shows that, in each case, one radio-experienced member of the advertising department is solely responsible for the radio operations— and results. The majority of all department store executives interviewed agreed that if this fixing of responsibility did only one thing, it built a feeling of consideration and loyalty to radio among the buyers and general store personnel. In those cases where this responsibility fixing was tried, most of the buyers were definitely antagonistic to radio at the beginning, but changed their opinion in time under the intelligent educational work of the person assigned the responsibility of proving to them that radio is effective store advertising if properly used. Win One, Win All Winning over a few buyers and doing a job for them, it has been demonstrated by store after store, is the beginning of winning over every buyer eventually. This is not an overnight achievement. Most of the stores which have been and are using radio successfully found that it took from one to two years successfully to educate the store merchandising personnel to cooperate fully on the radio campaign. One must remember that one must battle the fixed reputation of direct mail, newspapers, outdoor and other methods of promotion — many of which have been used for decades by the individual stores. Listen for a minute to what Gene Carr, commercial manager of WGAR has to say on this point: "The real problem for radio-department store promotion revolves around the buyer, and for that reason it is very important to have someone in the advertising department of the store responsible for radio. This person does two things: (1) cultivates the buyers and the sales people, and points out to them from time to time the merits of radio, winning them over to an understanding and appreciation of the medium and its function; (2) this person can also prevent radio from being treated as a poor relation— with scripts haphazardly composed and merchandise poorly chosen for stress on the commercial." To cite Fox's again, as it is one of the most outstanding and successful users of radio in the country, it hired a special writer with four years of radio experience to write its commercials and paid that writer a salary in proportion to her experience. Fox's started off right by employing the best person it could possibly obtain. Getting the buyer to cooperate to $293 REWARD: TO ONE TELEGRAM USER! You're rewarded with big cash savings on telegrams when Postal Telegraph surveys your telegraph costs! This free file-analysis saved $293 last year for one firm (name on request) . It uncovers huge wastes and provides easy-to-follow plan to stop them! For information about free tele graphfile analysis — wire collect: A. A. Kramer, Postal Telegraph, 253 Broadway, N. Y. C. iVo obligation. KlKKEBy HOTELS Tostal Telegraph Page 150 • August 1, 1940 BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising