Business screen magazine (1946)

TIIK SI■o^sl)K^;l' xhith'n imcti eik, nuisl cimijilftc aiul lomiH-lliiif; of all media for llic (■Diiiiiuiniialioii of ideas and infoi iiiation. is slowly but sleadih wimiiiig its l)attle foi recognition in llie faniih of a.lvci li>irii; ami sales promotion media. Here are some of the fads wliiili ad\ertising men ran no ionper ii;nore in seieetinj; media for impoilaiil ta-iss in llii' selling i-ra now predominant: 1. Over S5(l.()IKt.(H10 v\as expended in 19S.i for basic produrlion alone of sponsored motion pictures for selliii;:. Iraining and pulilic relations. Another .•>5.tHH).t)()0 was expended for projection equipment and accessories liought by sponsoring companies and by those who compris*' group audiences of these films. Other millions expended for prints, dislribution services, postage and promotional literature related to films broufihl this medium near ihc SlIIO.IMIO.lKK) mark reported for i\ational outdour advertising. Four C.lianntds of Film l)i-triliiitioii 2. Sponsored film audiences available in four principal channels included the owners of more ' than 5()().(K1() 16nun sound projectors (largely in the hands of clubs, churches, schools, factory groups, etc.l : more than half of the nation's theatres accepting short commercial subjects: I6nmi rural road-show operators in small town and farm areas: and more than 'M)0 television stations accepting public interest films on a free, sustaining basis. 3. As evidence of the power of these charuiels. a single sponsor reported theatrical audiences alone of 80 million persons in 10.52: a major spoHsored film distriluition company handled one million bookings of films in l').5.-5. reachinj; 150.()(X).()00 persons on 16mm showings alone. .\nother sponsor reported a record-breaking 13,742.590 attendance on films loaned out during 1953. .\n additional 130.000.000 persons watched 2.600 tv presentations of this company's films on a sustaining basis. 4. .\ national advertiser survey of 67 companies using films showed a cost per viewer on all film showings of only .5.046 per showing, including all costs of original production, prints and distribution service. These costs "per viewer were lower in many instances, dei)ending on original production expense and whether all forms of distribution were taken into account. Theatrical showings, for example, brought the totals down for all sponsors utilizing this channel. "Attention Hour Factor' Is Defined But the most important factor of all was a hitherto uncalculated figure of comparative audience attention and interest. In Chicago last month the president of the American Association of Film Producers. L. Mercer Francisco, presented an interesting challenge to media experls and researchers in what he termed '"the attention hour factor." Taking a leaf out of advertising's own book. Mr. Francisco reviewed the readership studies of Daniel Starch and others who have measured the amount of total reading, listening and viewing time given to magazines, radio and television. Readers of Life, he found, spend varying amounts of reading time per advertising page. A generous estimate would give a total 32.125.000 seconds of attention from among the 5 The "Attention Hour" Factor Applied to Advertising Media AN INTRODUCTION TO A BUSINESS SCREEN EDITORIAL PROGRAM BASED ON CURRENT RESEARCH INVOLVING THE FILM MEDIUM million readers of LiFK or approximately 9,000 ■'attention hours." At a page cost of $30,000. the advertiser has paid about .13.36 for each hour of attention that his ad was given. Similar comparisons of radio and tv connnercial listening and viewing (and these media are beset by distractions and purposeful interruptions! showed cquallv high costs for the "attention hour" among these media. Comparing a typical sponsored motion picture program, which reached a total of 12.190.000 people at a total outlay of .S320.000 for a 30-minute color motion picture. Mr. Francisco's comparative study showed that the picture received a total of 6.075.000 hours of attention. Its cost to this sponsor was only $.053 for the lull attention hour. Media Not Compotitive But Comparative These figures merit closer study and review. The media are, in fact, not competitive at all but their comparative poivers of disclosure and information to the consumer are vitally important to all business. It is even more significant to consider these key points in Mr. Francisco's thoughtful study: "The film can make the viewing audience participants, not spectators, in real life drama when it presents its story in the words and actions of screen characters. "Educators aver that the instrument of communication is most effective which presents learn r . n ^^ VV*J D \rB^ ^ ' ing materials most closely to 'the experience of reality.' Similarly, sales points have most meaning to prospects when they are closely related to real life problems. "The polarization of the attention of the screen audience |)rofi)un(lly allects the memory. The screen material makes a depth impression; that is. it reaches the subccmscious mind. It therefore sticks in the mind for a long time afterward— as numerous studies have shown. "Furthermore the drama of the film provides a wealth of associated materials which aid immenselv in the recall and recognition of screenpresented materials long after exposure to them in the film. The sound motion picture therefore enhances the effectiveness of advertisements in all other media of communication. ''Each ad seen or heard after exposure to the film has more meaning — and makes a greater impact because it recalls the meaningful filmpresented material. Since most printed ads and most radio and tv commercials are little more than 'reminders' they should he preceded and complemented by a film presentation which gives the consumer audience the complete product story to be reminded of!" These paragraphs are a preface to an important editorial program now being prepared for subse(|uent issues of Business Screen. The complete text of Mr. Francisco's interesting thesis on "How Much Must Attention Cost"' will appear in an early issue and will be followed by other editorial research on media comparatives, costs and "attention hour" values. The Film's Role in Merchandising One of the most significant areas of film utilization bv sponsors is in merchandising. Used in the initial stages of a product promotional effort, a well-produced picture can, as Mr. Francisco points out, "make even apathetic wholesalers and sophisticated chain store buyers sit up and take notice. "They look at the picture story of the product through their customers' eyes," he says, "they ex]ierience the impact of its message as consumers and thcv become just as excited about it and impressed with it as the audiences for whom it was meant." In this phase of distribution, printed media, radio and tv are partners with the film medium. I CONTINIJED ON THE FOLLOWING P.\GE) NUMBER 3 • A'OLUME 15 • 1954 35