Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

ADVERTISERS & AGENCIES Dancing girls and dancing waters introduced the 1958 Dodge and Plymouth lines with a splash on the regular Lawrence Welk Top Tunes and New Talent on ABC-TV. Originating live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, Calif., the three commercials were broadcast Oct. 28. The three-minute commercials became miniature tv spectaculars as more than 100 tv technicians, actors, models and dancers presented the new car models to a black-tie audience of more than 500 dealers and guests. The opening Dodge commercial was set at the edge of the hotel pool, with the car raised on a seven-foot revolving dais. Dancers performed before a background of dancing waters (produced by a mechanism installed for the commercial), telecast in reverse polarity so that the waters appeared black and the silhouettes ,R SPLASH of the girls white. As the polarity switched to positive, the girls withdrew, the waters dropped and the '58 Dodge was revealed (above). For the second commercial, the '58 Plymouth was driven up a 30-foot ramp through the ranks of dancers and diners to the bandstand. In conclusion, the cameras returned to the pool, on which floated the insignia of Chrysler's "Forward Look" (also shown above). Welks-men admired eight new Dodges and Plymouths while Les Diamond, Dodge vice president in charge of sales, and Jack Minor, his Plymouth counterpart, made brief statements about prospects for the coming year. Production credits for the fanfare go to John Gaunt, vice president of Grant Adv. Inc., Hollywood, and his producers: Jack Parker, Niles Cunningham and Merrill Sproul. Ritchie Account Moves To Kenyon & Eckhardt Billing growth and network television are top considerations in the shift of the $5 million Harold F. Ritchie Co. account from Atherton & Currier to Kenyon & Eckhardt, effective Feb. 1 [Advertisers & Agencies, Nov. 4]. According to the advertiser, Ritchie (a sub-division of Beecham Ltd., world-wide cosmetics, patent-drug and food manufacturing chain) will increase its billing to $7 million of which about $6.1 million will go to Brylcreem, Ritchie's hair dressing product. Brylcreem spends about 98% of its allocation in television. The next major change in strategy, the client says, is to shift from heavy evening spot activity (principally in syndicated feature films) to network television. Also shifting to K&E will be Eno Antacid, a radio user. Scott's Emulsion, another Ritchie product, left A&C last year for J. Walter Thompson Co. Scott's uses radio but only on a limited scale. The Canadian portion of the ' account (billing separately), had also been handled by A&C through its Toronto office, but effective Dec. 1, MacLaren Adv. will assume the Canadian duties on Brylcreem. Canadian business for Eno and the Canadian-marketed Lucozade, MacLeans toothpaste and allied products will be taken up by McConnell, Eastman & Co. The Brylcreem story is one of success through television. The world's largest selling hair product (world-wide sale: 60 million packages a year) was not introduced in the U. S. until after World War II. For the first few years, A&C (assigned the account in 1945) placed Brylcreem in print media, then began approaching tv "cautiously . . . but with an open mind," according to A&C Media Director Hubert Sweet. Initial tv activities were limited to late evening spot announcements but in as many as 105 markets. A year ago Brylcreem began dropping late night tv and, wherever it could afford it, started purchasing participations in syndicated film properties. As of last week, roughly one-third of Brylcreem's 90market lineup was devoted to sponsorship of such properties as The Silent Service, 26 Men, Grey Ghost, Boots and Saddles and Decoy. It tested syndication last fall in six southeast markets with participations in The Sheriff of Cochise and Frontier. Through television, Brylcreem rose from total obscurity to the fourth-ranking hair dressing in the U. S. Its competitors are Wildroot Co., Chesebrough-Ponds (Vaseline) and Bristol-Myers Co. (Vitalis). According to William G. Ohme, Ritchie marketing director, the firm screened four agencies — J. Walter Thompson Co., Cunningham & Walsh, J. M. Mathes and K&E — but asked for no presentations. He said K&E was picked principally because of its impressive experience in television and because of its branch-office structure. K&E has offices in Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, San Page 28 • November 11, 1957 Francisco, Boston and Hollywood. Although the account loss has considerably damaged A&C's billing structure, there will be no wholesale staff reductions, agency officials said Wednesday. According to Mr. Ohme, Ritchie took cognizance of the "audience factor" in television. He said it's a "good assumption" that Ritchie will take the network plunge. "Only by keeping your tv activities in constant flux," he said, "can you increase your audience and consumer count." U. S. Jury Clears UAW on Charges Of Electioneering Over WJBK-TV The United Auto Workers union was not guilty of illegal electioneering through a series of television programs it presented on WJBK-TV Detroit before the 1956 congressional elections, a federal jury decided Thursday. The Detroit trial represented the second attempt by the government to prove the UAW had violated the Federal Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits union and corporation expenditures in connection with federal elections. Federal Judge Frank A. Picard dismissed the original indictment two years ago, but it was returned to his district court earlier this year by the United States Supreme Court [Government, March 18]. The UAW had contended its WJBK-TV series, Meet the UAW-CIO, was presented to keep union members informed on current events and was part of a continuing union education program. Attempting to show the union suggested support of Democratic candidates presented on the nine telecasts, government counsel played recordings from the shows for the jury. The UAW said Republican candidates had been invited to be on the show but refused. The question of constitutionality of the Federal Corrupt Practices Act was left undecided by last week's decision. Grant Adv. Adds Five Executives As part of the expansion program for the New York office of Grant Adv., Paul L. Bradley, vice president and general manager of the agency in New York, last week announced the addition of five executives to the staff. They are J. Murray Powers, account supervisor on Electric Auto-Lite export account; Leigh Smith, public relations staff, as head of the Dodge News Bureau; Patrick J. Flaherty, public relations account executive; Miraed Peake, public relations staff, handling fashions and women's promotions on Dodge, and Thomas F. Welch, copy staff. Broadcasting