Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

ADVERTISERS & AGENCIES WHAT AGENCIES, ADVERTISERS, MEDIA THINK OF CONTACTS AND COMPENSATION A new insight into advertisers' and agencies' opinions of each other — particularly regarding the services of agencies, their compensation and the working relationships between the two groups — is provided in the following tabulations. Key tables taken from last week's preview of the so-called "Frey Report" to the ANA (see page 27), they are based on a year's surveying of advertisers, agencies and media through detailed questionnaires supplemented by personal interviews. The views of media on two fundamental questions also are shown. Reflecting the importance attached to the opinions of large advertisers, the views of those spending more than $1 million a year in advertising are so shown separately in a number of the tables. What Advertising Managers Think Of Agency Services in General All Advertising Managers Advertising With Budgets Over Managers $1 Million Excellent Good Fair Poor 31.8 52.9 13.8 1.5 TOTAL % 100.0 Effective Sample 3,081 Did Not Answer 77 41.5 42.8 15.5 .2 100.0 447 9 What Advertising Managers Think Of Selected Agency Services Radio Tv Program Program Media Copy Market Publicity Production Production Research Research Research % % % % % % Excellent 28.6 27.1 34.2 24.8 44.2 20.8 Good 52.6 54.7 49.6 48.6 42.7 49.5 Fair 18.1 17.9 12.8 19.6 11.2 25.5 Poor .7 .3 3.4 7.0 1.9 4.2 TOTAL % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Effective Sample 574 590 1,052 703 206 482 Did Not Answer 69 52 271 173 45 132 What Advertising Managers Say Are Agencies' Greatest Strengths What Advertising Managers Say Are Agencies' Main Weaknesses All Advertising Managers Advertising With Budgets Over Managers $1 Million % Technical Skill in producing ads. layout, art, copy 15.1 15.2 Knowledge of Industry; company, 7.0 products, markets 13.3 Service; reliable, no production delays 11.4 7.8 Creative Ability 9.3 14.9 Cooperation; good working relationship 6.1 3.5 General Marketing Know-How; good merchandising 3.7 3.3 Media Selection 2.7 1.8 Integrity; honesty, sincerity 2.0 6.5 Cost Consciousness ; economical. keeps costs down 1.7 1.0 Personnel Strength 8.7 8.9 All Others 12.9 20.4 Did Not Answer 13.1 9.7 TOTAL % 100.0 100.0 Effective Sample 3,081 447 Managers or Not Creative; no new ideas 9.5 Lack of Technical Skill in producing ads — weak in layout, art, copy 8.8 Inadequate Knowledge of industry, company, products, markets 6.8 Poor Service; slow, unreliable, production delays 6.7 Lack General Marketing KnowHow; merchandising weak 3.5 High Costs; wasteful, not economical 2.5 Not Cooperative; poor working relationship 2.2 Media Selection 2.1 Lack of Integrity .3 Weak in Personnel; account exexecutives, experience, number, teamwork, stability 12.2 All Others 22.7 Did Not Answer 22.7 TOTAL % 100.0 Effective Sample 3.081 All Advertising Managers Advertising With Budgets Over $1 Million 14.9 3.9 10.4 8.4 6.9 3.0 6.5 1.7 9.7 16.7 17.2 100.0 447 cal of media and vice versa. But each of these groups . . . made many complimentary comments about the others. Also, many individuals did a little confessing to weaknesses in their own organizations and operations. Overall, satisfaction outweighed dissatisfaction in comments we received." His report, he continued, "is not a reflection upon anybody or any institution. It is a means of making a strong industry still stronger." ANA President West echoed this objective when he later told newsmen that the study probably is the most searching selfexamination any industry has undertaken — that it took strength to do it and that it should work for the good of advertising in the long run. However, he said, the study makes clear that "things are not as good as they ought to be." Prof. Davis explained that in making the study, the one major objective he and Prof. Frey had in mind was "to produce better data on opinions, attitudes and practices in the advertising field than had heretofore been gathered." He said they put major emphasis on questionnaires, but also "spent considerable time in personally interviewing the same groups of people to whom we sent questionnaires" and, additionally, "personally interviewed certain key groups, e. g., networks, to whom we did not send ques tionnaires." The interviews, he reported, numbered approximately 150 and took place in key cities from Boston to Los Angeles. In designing the survey sample, he continued, principal emphasis was placed on ( 1 ) advertising managers, a phrase used to denote the principal advertising executive regardless of his actual title, and (2) agencies. Various types of media also were sampled, along with top management of the firms whose ad managers were being questioned. Prof. Davis said that of 13,000 ad managers in the U. S., the sample included 3,795. Of 1,806 agencies, the sample was 1,806. Of 5,902 media, it was 2,107 and of 13,000 Page 30 • November 4, 1957 Broadcasting