Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

ADVERTISERS & AGENCIES continued priations upon the goodwill of Congress, have been under increasing fire by members of Congress to 'do something about this horrible advertising.' ... So strong is the feeling of Congress that proposals have arisen there providing for government review of advertising before its publication, and even for provisions for licensing of particular advertising claims. Such laws, while undoubtedly unconstitutional, would just as undoubtedly cause great difficulty for the industry." In discussing the 20-year record of TGA's board of standards, Mr. Mayham noted that "no piece of copy, either labeling or advertising, which has been approved by the TGA board of standards, has ever been made the subject of a case by either the Food & Drug Administration or the Federal Trade Commission." Although Mr. Mayham said he could not, under any circumstances, cite "violating" advertisers or their products by name, he did say that the bulk of misleading or exaggerated claims seem to "have a habit" of appearing on the air and concern themselves in the main with hair preparations and deodorants. Although radio-tv as media do not contain "the bulk" of misleading copy, "these ads certainly are more conspicuous on the air than they are on the printed page," Mr. Mayham said. He contended the FTC "has made a guinea pig out of the cosmetics industry," but that in a way many of its past edicts," on advertising copy were justified. "Some of the firms deserved it." But he did not call for "factual advertising only." Mr. Mayham feels that the cosmetics industry especially is one "where a certain amount of puffing is needed." TGA does not propose to act like a censor for anyone. "We are merely interested in standards of truth, in exaggerated claims and in misrepresentation." (A sample HOW PEOPLE SPEND THEIR TIME There were 123,717,000 people in the U. S. over 12 years of age during the week Dec. 15-21. This is how they spent their time: 71.4% (88,334,000) spent 2,076.1 million hours watching television 55.3% (68,416,000) spent 997.6 million hours listening to radio 80.9% (100,087,000) spent 389.5 million hours reading newspapers 29.6% (36,620,000) spent 176.4 million hours reading magazines 28.9% (35,754,000) spent 467.5 million hours watching movies on tv 19.2% (23,712,000) spent 90.5 million hours attending movies * These totals, compiled by Sindlinger & Co., Ridley Park, Pa., and published exclusively by Broadcasting each week, are based on a 48-state, random dispersion sample of 7,000 interviews (1,000 each day). Sindlinger's monthly "Activity" report, from which these weekly figures are drawn, furnishes comprehensive breakdowns of these and numerous other categories, and shows the duplicated and unduplicated audiences between each specific medium. Copyright 1957 Sindlinger & Co. * All figures are average daily tabulations for the week with exception of the "attending movies" category which is a cumulative total for the week. Sindlinger tabulations are available within 2-7 days of the interviewing week. SINDLINGER'S SET COUNT: As of Dec. 1, Sindlinger data shows: (1) 105,703,000 people over 12 years of age see tv (85.7% of the people in that age group); (2) 40,908,000 U. S. households with tv; (3) 44,959,000 tv sets in use in U. S. Toiletry Ads Check Asked by TGA Head The broadcasting industry, which may be bearing the brunt of "misleading" toiletry advertising now being looked into with more intensity by both Food & Drug Administration and Federal Trade Commission, has been asked to check with Toilet Goods Assn. about possible "borderline cases." Though quick to point out that "we can't afford to be copy censors for radio-tv," S. L. Mayham, executive vice MR. MAYHAM ', . r —.^ A president of TGA, said the association would welcome a greater interest by networks and stations in its activities. TGA, worried that exaggeration in copy could eventually destroy the toiletries industry, claims as members some 500 manufacturers of toilet goods out of an industry-wide total of 2,300. The 500 TGA members account for more than 90% by volume of toilet goods manufactured in the U. S. Associate membership, for which broadcasters could qualify, would cost $100 a year in dues. Last month, TGA, which maintains an inter-membership board of standards, invited the industry as a whole to take advantage of this self-regulating group's services and subject its advertising to a confidential screening. Wrote Mr. Mayham to the recipients of a TGA bulletin outlining the association's position: "These two agencies (FDA and FTC) which depend for their support and appro of misrepresentation: the implied claim that a perfume manufactured, say, in New Jersey, is really a French import through such visual connotative devices as "filmed shots of the Eiffel tower and the Seine.") I The basic trouble at this time is not that the manufacturers are reluctant to submit j copy to TGA — "the entire procedure of the board of standards is completely secret and is kept religiously so in the interest of fairness to all" — but that their agencies are quite emphatic about not trusting advance proofs to anyone outside of the agency-client orbit, Mr. Mayham indicated. "They should trust us more ... as should the networks." "It's not that we are maintaining a 'holierthan-thou' attitude towards 'clean' copy. We just want to keep our boys out of trouble," the TGA official asserted. He admits that some copy — such as deodorant and toilet-paper — is "extremely hard to write tastefully." Nevertheless, "if advertising gets so bad that women lose faith in it, the media people, especially broadcasters, will be in a helluva fix." This season, cosmetics manufacturers alone are painting a $50 million smile on television. [For details on how the toilet goods industry spends its tv coin and where, see Advertisers & Agencies, July 29.] ARB Readies A-to-Z Report On Tv Listening, Conversion The fourth annual report on tv station reception, tune-in and uhf conversion is being prepared by American Research Bureau. Known as the 1958 A-to-Z Metropolitan Area Coverage Study, the project is to be completed by mid-March, with ARB surveying more than 200 markets, including all California counties. Stations, agencies and advertisers have been invited to help select the markets. ARB's 1958 report will update similar surveys it has conducted for three years. It will measure changes where new stations have come on the air or where there have been shifts in network affiliation, tower location, operating power and other factors. Advertising agencies will help finance the study. Field work is to begin in late January and early February. Results will show for j each market: percentage of homes having tv (including uhf and community antenna saturation); stations received in the market, j with percentage of homes able to receive each station and frequency of viewing; stations viewed most (with first and second preferences) for both daytime and evening. ! Tv Viewing Up in October — TvB The average U. S. television home spent , 5 hours 27 minutes watching television in October, an 8% increase over the 5 hours 4 minutes for the same month of the previous year and the largest increase since February 1955, Television Bureau of Advertising has announced in an analysis of the latest data from A. C. Nielsen Co. February 1955's 5 hours 53 minutes was a 10% increase over February 1954's 5 hours 21 minutes. The highest month's average to date is 6 hours 2 minutes registered February 1956, TvB said. Page 36 • December 30, 1957 Broadcasting