Broadcasting Telecasting (Jul-Sep 1955)

ADVERTISERS & AGENCIES $32,766 total, had a ratio even lower, approximately 0.9%. Living room suites moved the same way. Six one-minute spots costing $410 for a $229.95 10-piece modern group produced 97 sales totaling $22,305, an advertising-to-sales ratio of 1.8%. Similarly, Mr. Treyz said, 128 dinette sets retailing at $329 were sold with five tv spots, a total of $12,500 with a ratio of 2.6%. In a 10-day period 167 Norge ringerwashers retailing at $169.95 were sold with six oneminute tv commercials costing $410. The tv cost was only 1.4% of the $28,391 retail price of the washers. There were a number of bonus benefits, Mr. ^Jamieson said. Business at the General Stores "is generally improved over 1954 in all departments." With the increased traffic that came to the store as a result of the brief tv promotions, he said "it's interesting to compare what happened in various departments for the first four months of 1955 in comparison to 1954. STANDING before this mock tv set, Paul C. Jamieson, merchandising manager of General Department Stores, tells the National Industrial Stores Assn. how tv moves major merchandise at low cost, sometimes less than 1% of retail sales total. "The soft goods departments have increased 25%, a good increase in business any way you look at it. Business is up 37% in the food departments. "Now take a look at the home furnishings department — up 81% for the four months." "We're carrying a tv promotion once a month. Television has aroused business in other stores and has stimulated the whole area." There's proof of the last comment. After the WSAZ-TV-General Stores presentation had been completed, a question-answer session was held. Dan Ireson, delegate representing Boone County Coal Corp., Sharpies, W. Va., laughingly thanked Mr. Jamieson for his tv campaigns. "Our stores sold eight of those living room suites you advertised on WSAZ-TV," he said. And Carl Nestor, of Imperial Smokeless Coal Co., Quinwood, W. Va., another industrial store organization, added, "We sold 21 of those suites plus 10 bedroom suites." Mr. Jamieson said General's sponsorship of a half-hour of the West Virginia High School Band Festival on WSAZ-TV brought large numbers of visitors into the store. "We sold thousands of dollars worth of antennas, plus television sets," he said. "There is an extremely high tv saturation in the West Virginia hills, outside the metropolitan areas. Television is opening a whole world to these people. At Kopperson, W. Va., 110 miles from Huntington, there is perfect reception of WSAZ-TV and practically every one of the homes has tv. That goes for Oceana, nearby." The General Stores furniture was supplied by Huntington Wholesale Furniture Co. The General Stores promotions have interested General Electric Co., which has used the chain as a test outlet for new items. Mr. Treyz said low-cost attractive furniture, of modern design, offers a fertile field for merchandising as replacement for the furniture sold in the 20s and 30s. "Out in the hills," Mr. Jamieson said, "they turn on their television sets in the morning and keep them on all day, listening possibly three times as much as city folks. We can tell by our reservicing of picture tubes. "WSAZ-TV reaches all of our store areas. Every store has calls every day for nationally advertised tv items and they speak respectfully of television. The people love television and like to talk about it. Remember, to the folks in Beards Fork, Huntington is a mighty big city." All Swift Meats Now Under McCann-Erickson SWITCH of Swift & Co.'s table-ready and fresh meats accounts from J. Walter Thompson Co. to McCann-Erickson Inc., both Chicago, was announced last week by the meat packer and interpreted as a further realignment of its advertising program, including radio and television properties. Broadcast advertising involved in this switch was negligible, however. Table-ready meats were advertised on Swift's Horace Heidt Showwagon, which is going off NBC-TV. Earlier, Swift canceled its part on ABC Radio's Breakfast Club. The appointment of McCann-Erickson to handle advertising for those accounts thus brings all Swift meats under one agency roof. Mintz Retained by Kudner SEYMOUR MINTZ, formerly president of CBS-Columbia, the set manufacturing division of CBS Inc., has been retained as special merchandising consultant by Kudner Agency, New York. Mr. Mintz, who resigned the presidency of CBS-Columbia in June, had been with the company a year and a half. Before that, he had been with Admiral Corp., Chicago, since 1944, starting as advertising manager and rising to vice president in charge of merchandising and advertising. SPOTS appealing to agency timebuyers in the New York-New Jersey area on behalf of XELO Juarez, Mexico, have been purchased over a 13-week period by Sombrero Network on the WPAT Paterson, N. J., Gaslight Revue. The campaign came as a result of favorable results to test spots on the same program earlier in the year. Richard O'Connell, radio representative for Lobster and Sombrero networks, signs the contract while Dickens J. Wright, WPAT president, looks on. McCann-Erickson Agency Promotes Booraem, Gilday PROMOTIONS of Henrik Booraem Jr. to director of television and radio planning for McCann-Erickson Inc., New York, and of Frank Gilday to manager of the New York television-radio department were announced last week by the agency. Mr. Booraem, who is a vice president of the agency, previously had been in charge of new program development activities. In his new post, he will be responsible for tv and radio recommendations and presentations. Mr. Gilday previously had been business manager of the tv-radio department, and in his new position will be responsible for the administration of the department. Messrs. Booraem and Gilday will report to Terence Clyne, agency general executive and management supervisor of McCann-Erickson's television-radio department in New York and Los Angeles. Philip Morris Brown Has Gone to Color Tv THE PHILIP MORRIS cigarette package is getting a brand-new, brighter dress — in preparation for color television. Radio and black-and-white television also will benefit. The conservative brown package which has identified Philip Morris for years is being completely redesigned. The new package — in red, white, and gold — is slated for introduction about the third week in September. PM officials, while confirming no details of the new design except its imminence, say the changes are being made primarily because of color television. The change will be promoted extensively by radio and tv as well as other media. "Overnight" rather than the customary gradual introduction is planned, meaning the promotion campaigns presumably will start almost simultaneously in all areas of the country. Radio and television will be used along with other media. Current plans, it was learned, include expanded use of nighttime network radio as well as promotion in tv and radio spot campaigns and PM's regular programs. Film commercials now in preparation will show models making a costume change to point up the switch to the new package styling. These are being filmed in black-andwhite. Biow-Beirn-Toigo, New York, is the Philip Morris agency. Broadcasting • Telecasting August 29, 1955 • Page 35