Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

MEASURING EDSEL'S TV IMPACT • Two surveys draw like conclusions on public reaction • Push-button gear shift stands out as most-remembered Two approaches to the commercial impact of a network tv program were demonstrated in New York last week as the new Edsel and its tv introduction (The Edsel Show, a one-hour, one-shot program starring Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra on CBS-TV Oct. 13) got a thorough statistical going-over. COMMERCIAL REACTION, AUDIENCE ATTITUDES A survey by the Pulse Inc. profiled not only the reaction of the audience to the commercials on the Crosby-Sinatra extravaganza but also audience attitudes on the Edsel itself — the advantages or disadvantages of the newly-introduced car, its cost, its prospects, its potential customers and how it stacks up against the cars that viewers are now driving. In the commercials, the thing that stuck most in viewers' minds was the fact that the Edsel's push-button gear shift is on the steering wheel. A total of 23 % noted this feature. Next in remembrance, with 9.2%, was the fact that the Edsel line offers a number of different models. Third most impressive feature, noted by 4.9%, was not related to the car itself but to the commercials — the feeling that the sales messages were good, not too numerous, in good taste and "not thrown at you." Next in line were attractiveness of the Edsel and recollections of its styling (4.6% each), and the push button for the trunk (4.4% ). At the other end of the scale — some 25 features were covered — 32.9% said they remembered "nothing particular," and 3.7% found the commercials "stupid," "repeated" or "tense." The answers were broken down between "car owners" and "non-car owners," and often commercial remembrance was higher among non-owners, on a percentage basis, than among owners. Comparing the Edsel to their present cars, 4.7% thought the Edsel "much better" and 27.7% thought it "better" — while another 27.7% thought it "not as good." A total of 7.3% felt it "has to be better" because it's a 1958 model; 6.7% thought one was as good as the other, and 21.6% felt they didn't know. Almost half (49.9%) thought the Edsel has advantages over other cars — push button driving, modern design and styling, and advanced controls and other improvements were named most often, in that order — while 32.9% felt it has no advantages and 17.2% had no opinion. A total of 22.8% felt it has disadvantages — dissatisfaction with styling, dislike of controls etc., and a feeling that it would not be economical were most frequently mentioned — but 60.1% saw no disadvantages and 17% had no opinion. Among the car owners, 10.4% said they thought they would choose an Edsel for their next car; 51.5% said they would not, and 38.1% didn't know. Of those who thought their next car would be an Edsel, 15.7% said they were influenced by their liking for it and the fact it was made by Ford; 13.7% because they liked the styles and models, and 11.8% because they liked the trim and other features. A total of 17.6% gave no particular reason. Among those not planning to make their next car an Edsel, chief reason (cited by 25.3%) was the feeling that it was priced beyond their reach. Asked for their views on Edsel's "prospects for the future," owners and nonowners followed generally similar patterns. Of the total, 17.2% thought the prospects were "excellent, very good"; 41.6% thought them "good"; 12.3% voted "fair, okay, all right"; 22.1% had no opinion; 6% regarded the outlook "poor" and 0.9% called it "very poor, terrible." The kind of person apt to buy an Edsel, in the opinion of the greatest number they felt about Ford Motor Co., the sponsor. More than half (53%) said they were "more favorable" than before; 1.5% said they were "less favorable," and 45.5% had "no particular reaction." Pulse spokesmen said researchers called on 200 persons in each of the 20 markets covered and interviewed every third person who had seen the program, getting complete answers from 587 (491 car owners, 96 non-owners). SECOND SURVEY USES NEW DEPTH TECHNIQUE The research file on the Edsel was considerably fattened a few days after issuance of the Pulse survey with the release of research conducted by Qualitative Research Inc. under the direction of the Television Bureau of Advertising. In the research, Dr. Leon Arons, TvB's research director, noted that a "special technique" was developed. Four groups were interviewed via the telephone recall method. Used were "matching" groups of viewers and non-viewers of the program. In each case of viewer and non-viewer, one group (the matched) was interviewed before the show and the other immediately after the show. According to Dr. Arons, "Each group consisted of next door neighbors of the other group. We could expect that the non OBJECT of all the commercial research reported by the Pulse and Qualitative Research Inc. is the Edsel itself. The picture at right shows a closeup of the push-button gearshift featured in one commercial on the show. This proved to be the mostremembered feature of the Edsel commercials. (12.6%), was "middle class." Next came the person who "likes something new and different, modern" (9.4%), the "average income person" (8.9%), the "upper class, rich, wealthy" (8.7%), and those "who can afford it" (8.3%). Almost 6% thought "anyone" would buy an Edsel; 0.9% said a "smart person" would buy; 0.7% said "a fool" would, and 0.5% said someone who "likes to keep up with the loneses." Most people (18.9%) estimated the Edsel's cost in the $3,000 to $3,099 range, while the second largest group (11.8%) put it at $4,000 and over. Almost 1 1 % thought it was $3,500 to $3,599. Actually, Pulse spokesmen noted, the cost ranges from approximately $2,600 to $3,800. Reaction to the show itself was overwhelmingly favorable, with 85.7% rating it "good," "very good" or "excellent" and less than 5% calling it "poor" or worse. The survey also undertook to measure the institutional value of the program, asking viewers how, after seeing the program, viewers and their neighbors who had been interviewed before the program would show no difference in results, since neither group had been exposed to the program. This was made a paramount condition or control for the findings." Interviews (a total sample of 618 persons) were taken in 1 1 markets (in both the city and suburbs). Among the findings: The public's favorable attitude toward the Edsel doubled as the result of the single tv show: Before the program, 17.3% "of the people thought the Edsel a "very good" car, but after the show, the percentage rose to 35.6%. When respondents were asked what they could tell about the Edsel and its features, 27.6% of the viewers spontaneously referred to the pushbutton transmission on the steering wheel compared to 8.6% of their neighbors who were interviewed before the program. The "control" or condition: Of non-viewers questioned after the telecast, 8.1% had mentioned the feature, contrasted Broadcasting November 18, 1957 • Page 41