Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1957)

ADVERTISERS AND AGENCIES ZANY Since Satirist Stan Freberg's Radio Spots Sell Zee Paper Towels So Well THERE'S a romantic attachment between Crown Zellerbach Corp.'s Consumer Products Division and spot radio. The object of the Crown affection: a set of radio commercials made to entertain listeners while selling the division's Zee paper products (paper towels, napkins and tissue). Zee explains its radio commercials to retail outlets this way: "A new sound in radio advertising ... a sparkling new approach . . . radio spots that penetrate the commercial barrier by entertaining— instead of irritating — your customers." Muses Cunningham & Walsh in New York (its Brisacher & Wheeler division handles Zee) : "Rather unusual . . . has musical comedy atmosphere . . . pleasant to the ear." Adds an official of a station that's been playing the recordings: "To everyone involved, including the cast of thousands, please convey the word that all six KRUX [Phoenix] air personalities have voted Zee commercials the greatest of the year, and I agree." The wire, to B & W in San Francisco, was signed by John F. Box Jr., the station's executive vice president. A Convert to Spot Radio This is not the first time that spot radio has found such favor. But Crown Zellerbach, prior to its current foray in spot radio, embraced other media only (it's living apart from once-courted tv for the time being). Crown Zellerbach's Consumer Products Division is a marketing trend setter in the paper products field. It has new offices and plants in San Francisco. And with its commercials, Zee is buzzing like a bee throughout markets in the western part of the nation. In their planning and execution, the commercials (really not recorded with a "cast of thousands" but with a music hall touch at Capitol Records studios in Hollywood) were produced as if they were program spectaculars. Featured in the commercials is Stan Freberg, who has had careers as a satirist, writer, actor, lyricist and composer, and is a radio veteran and a tv performer, as well as a recording artist. His is the version of "The Banana Boat Song" (released last March) that has an earnest Calypso singer shouting "Day-O" through a closed door. As an ad man for Cunningham & Walsh, Mr. Freberg is a veteran campaigner — Stokely's Finest Foods, Contadina tomato paste, Qantas Airlines and now Zee paper products. The commercials are some of the most elaborate ever recorded. For the effects, 15 musicians, the Jud Conlon Rythmaires, a tap dancer (Maurice Kelly), five actors and a sound man mixed it up with Mr. Freberg to create a vaudeville atmosphere that makes choruses out of jingles, chatter out of hard sell and plain pixie for the come-on. Disc jockeys who must play them according to the commercial log delight in their approach. And at KSL Salt Lake City they persuaded the station to run a . 45-minute program featuring the commercials and some of Mr. Freberg's Capitol recordings. The spots currently are running in the Rocky Mountain states and only this month started in Texas. Later the spots may be used on the West Coast area (Zee's distribution area is in 11 western states plus Texas). The mountain states include these markets: Denver, Salt Lake City, El Paso, Phoenix and Albuquerque. The two Texas markets are Fort Worth and Dallas (El Paso is considered part of mountain states area). Next stop for the campaign is Hawaii. Production on the commercials started in February. They were produced in about 15 hours, including the recording and final editing. Music was arranged and conducted by George Bruns, arranger for Disneyland and composer of "The Ballad of Davy Crockett." Supervision of the commercials' production was handled by Brisacher & Wheeler's radio-tv department. All of the spots run one minute, except for three of 20 seconds and a "vaudeville" spot that is 79 seconds long. How come the 79-second spot? Says a man from Cunningham & Walsh: "The only spot in history as far as I know where the performers come back for a curtain call. It happened by accident. When the producers were editing in the applause and laughter, they played it back once to see how it sounded and were so entranced by the curtain call effect that they decided to leave it in, though it ran way over. "In sending out the transcriptions, they pointed out this vagary to the stations and told them they could cut it off at a minute if they wished, but on the other hand if they wanted to let it run longer, it wouldn't hurt their feelings at all. Disc jockeys have been running it full length." The Nonsense That Prevails Here is how one of the commercials starts out — seemingly in the middle of a conversation: Freberg: "What?" Man: (Freberg's impersonation): "This lady says she slipped a roll of Zee paper towels on her player piano and found it played 'Japanese Sandman'." Freberg: "It did, eh?" Man: "Yeh. She said she just put it on the piano and it played the perforations." Freberg: "Yeh. Well she's supposed to dry her hands on it — things like that." Man: "Well, maybe it was the Giant Economy Roll." Also included are choruses and music, a few more "conversations" about what the product can do, etc. At one point, Mr. Freberg says: "Call in the office staff, Walter." A great trampling of feet is heard, the orchestra is heard tuning up and the baton taps. The chorus then comes in again. Crown Zellerbach's Consumer Products Division has been an account of Brisacher & Wheeler for 35 years, its headquarters is in San Francisco where a new building is being erected, it is new to radio (has used tv, spot and syndicated film in the past), it is increasing its ad budget and its commercials and it is "enthusiastic." As yet, it is too soon for the division to trace sales increases or their relationship to the radio compaign. The Crown Zellerbach division, which sent more than 400 mailing pieces to the mountain state market's principal grocery buyers (and 400 to Texas, too), merchandising brochures to stations, records for use as contest prizes (as well as records to salesmen), is hot for spot. In radio, they are playing the perforations. Page 34 • May 20, 1957 Broadcasting • Telecasting