Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1960)

Standard Oil copy, like its 'Play', charms and makes friends '"A friendly word from our sponsor will turn up in about 45 minutes," Standard Oil host Jim Fleming tells viewers at the start of NTA's Play of the Week. When it does turn up, almost midpoint in the two hour show, it's not selling gasoline but the corporate personality of Standard Oil of New Jersey. As such, it's more like a short, short subject at the movies and so relaxed that the word commercial hardly fits. It may be a clip from the company's prize documentary, "Louisiana Story," by the late Robert Flaherty. Or it could be from a cartoon by Punch artist Ronald Searle on man's search for energy. Sometimes it's foreign commercials and sometimes travel film clips with integrations from the International Friendship Series Standard Oil runs in several magazines. When Jersey Standard budgeted more than $600,000 to show the Play 1 3 weeks over WNTA-TV New York and WTOP-TV Washington, it was not being particularly philanthropic. The deal negotiated by David Ogilvy, president of Ogilvy, Benson & Mather, with National Telefilm Assoc. was dramatic strategy in the "public relations advertising" the agency has been practicing for its client the past two years in print. Rescuing a poor but popular show (since sold by NTA in 24 markets) got immediate and gratifying response from viewers, who send in an average of 750 letters per week on the show, a good start for a sponsor that doesn't make anything and has nothing but an image to sell. M. J. Rathbone, president of Jersey Standard, said when his company picked up The Play of the Week that it represented sound business. It is now at mid-point in the New York contract and a decision on another stretch is at hand. The next two weeks should tell whether Standard Oil wants to go on being the urbane host to two mass urban audiences. The play's the thing, and millions await Standard's decision. Countdown for a silent respite. Humor takes high tone Subtle sell shows oil before . slid by $2.8 million, Miles Labs went up $2.7 million, S.C. Johnson picked up nearly $2 million. At about the same level in both years were P&G, Colgate-Palmolive, General Foods, General Motors, R.J. Reynolds, Ford Motor, Pharmaceuticals, Brown & Williamson, National Dairy Products and Standard Brands. Estimated Expenditures of 320 Network Television Advertisers during 1959 (LIMA-BAR: Gross Time Costs) RANK COMPANY 164. A.S.R. Products $ 362,071 190. Academy of Mot. Pict. A & S 221,498 163. Adolphs, Ltd. 363,037 32. Alberto Culver 5,140,408 187. Allied Van Lines 235,587 197. Aluminium, Ltd. 185,143 42. Aluminum Co. of America 3,912,921 143. Amana Refrigeration 500,730 296. American Agr. Chemical 25,660 188. American Can 226,752 242. American Character Doll 83,275 46. American Chicle 3,331,580 96. American Dairy 1,209,127 254. American Express 64,453 69. American Gas Ass'n 1,949,286 3. American Home Prods. 28,109,458 295. American Luggage Works 25,897 150. American Mach. & Foundry 454,950 155. American Marietta 438,146 194. American Petroleum Inst. 206,394 89. American Tel. & Tel. 1,406,190 16. American Tobacco 9,881,440 209. Amity Leather Prods. 151,440 46 (BROADCAST ADVERTISING) RANK COMPANY RANK 166. Anheuser Busch $ 343,427 97. 36. Armour 4,599,368 62. 51. Armstrong Cork 2,998,265 282. 230. Arnold Schwinn 108,492 17. 313. Artfield Creations 8,000 253. 281. Arvida 32,084 159. 183. Associated Products 260,490 162. 94. Atlantis Sales 1,255,175 4. 273. Avco 43,625 223. 222. P Ballantine 117,690 218. 280. Barclay Mfg. 33,758 149. 28. Bayuk Cigars 5,962,772 110. 33. Beech Nut Life Savers 4,839,370 278. 130. Bell & Howell 588,113 202. 268. Beltone Hearing Aid 49,124 112. 148. Benrus Watch 466,123 262. 203. Berkshire Knitting 172,737 37. 104. Hazel Bishop 924,510 165. 232. Bissell 105,503 219. 52. Block Drug 2,866,572 156. 212. Bon Ami 136,870 305. 78. Borden 1,626,436 261. 241. Borg Warner 83,977 233. 275. Botany Industries 42,610 142. 198. Boyer Internat'l Labs 181,599 151. 98. Breck, Inc. 1,182,380 56. 116. Brillo 734,612 57. 12. Bristol Myers 12,616,707 35. 259. Brown Shoe 55,099 290. 19. Brown & Williamson 8,592,953 236. 200. Brunswick-Balke-Collender 179,223 154. 74. Bulova Watch 1,686,676 29. 270. Burgemeister Brewing 46,417 126. 255. Burgess Vibrocrafters 63,835 224. 297. Burlington Industries 24,444 244. California Prune Advis. Bd. 78,771 125. 34. Campbell Soup 4,766,675 90. 174. Canada Dry 327,800 153. 173. Canadian Breweries 330,007 239. 283. Capital Airlines 30,766 315. 55. Carnation 2,640,848 77. 30. Carter Prods. 5,468,065 64. 293. Channel Master 26,808 102. COMPANY Chemstrand Chesebrough-Ponds Chicago Printed String Chrysler J.R. Clark Cluett, Peabody Coca-Cola Colgate-Palmolive Colorforms CBS Congoleum Nairn Consolidated Cigar Consolidated Electronics Consolidated Foods Continental Baking Coopers Corn Products Corning Glass Coty Cracker Jack Culligan Diamond National Walt Disney Seagrams Dow Chemical Drackett Drug Research Du Pont Duquesne Brewing Dusharme Prods. Eastco Eastman Kodak Edison Electric Institute Eleanor Roosevelt Institute for Cancer Research Elgin National Watch Equitable Life Assurance Eversharp Ex-Lax F and F Labs Falstaff Brewing Firestone Tire Florida Citrus Com. $ 1,190,561 2,271,639 31,698 9,507,266 64,554 418,648 375,180 22,478,524 116,000 126,680 460,639 782,115 35,566 177,808 776,135 53,448 4,521,697 345,116 126,530 434,721 19,440 54,028 104,157 503,350 454,075 2,474,780 2,453,349 4,684,494 27,689 100,250 439,218 5,660,265 607,219 114,735 624,725 1,349,817 451,553 92,900 7,126 1,634,569 2,108,612 1,022,992 BROADCASTING, March 28, 1960