Business screen magazine (1946)

the camera eye VIEWPOINT AND COMMENTARY BY O H. COELLN Study Industry Trends, Corporate Data to Uncover Picture Prospect Long and careful thought is being given by this department to the practical economics of factual film production. Especially in these uncertain, troubled days of the economy, both at home and abroad, is it important to plan, evaluate and build a producer's future outlook on the study of industry trends, on careful evaluation of a specific company's or trade /professional group's financial outlook, the reactions of its dealer, distributor and consumer family. Clues abound to help guide this kind of prospect-planning. Take for example the up-trends recently noted in many fields, study those with market down-trends. The recent market comeback in stocks of mobile home, leisure-time companies (mobile home stocks up 85.5 per cent from May 27 to September 30, 1970; leisure time companies' shares up 51.9 per cent in the same period) is followed by equally attractive rebounds for crude-oil producers, savings and loan companies, home furnishings suppliers, discount store chains, bituminous coal producers, hotelmotel firms (like Holiday Inns) and makers of steam generating machinery. Conversely, makers of machine tools, com refiners, aluminum producers, steel makers and brewers showed modest losses during the same period. Follow this out with an industry-by-industry evaluation of market trends: Aerospace companies suffer from sizeable defense cuts and low-level commercial airline orders. Improvement is indicated "as some time off —late 1971 or early 1972." Agricultural implement companies, facing imminent higher wage costs, may benefit from easing of short-term interest rates and better farm business as well as a higher level of replacement demand and further stimulus for foreign sales. Just two of the industry-by-industry reviews which must be consid ered by sales-planners. Babson's Reports, of Wellesley HiUs, Mass., is a typical reference source useful in setting up logical prospecting. Or does the typical producer await over-the-transom business, keep his light well hidden under the proverbial bushel and hope for the best? We suspect too many do just that; respond to the stimulus of past customers and bewail "slow times" without fighting or, better yet, ihinl<ing and planning for the future of his facility and its people? We find all sorts of clues in the financial press, in business magazines, annual reports and talks by business leaders. Government publications such as the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, HEW and the "reborn" Post Office are useful. Take, for example, the current study by the cabinet-level Rural Affairs Council which is concerning itself with the redistribution of the United States population. The goal is to make development of economic opportunity in rural America an integral part of the country's national growth. Group efforts point to government encouragement for industry to build plants outside crowded cities by providing tax incentives. Nearly half of the new manufacturing jobs created in the last 10 years were in rural areas, with the South accounting for threefifths of the nation's annual gain. Small towns throughout the country are realizing that more and more people are becoming disenchanted with life in the crowded urban areas and want to move to the country. Translate such developments into specific industry subject matter; note that such shifts "which may change drastically the lives of many of the 100 million children who will be born in the U.S. between now and the year 2000" indicates changes in factual film audiences and in their outlook toward film content. And we have to consider another audience outlet: public broadcast ing which now has an affiliation of 198 television stations in 47 states. More than eight out of 10 U.S. families have receivers which can tune in on public-television stations — owned by state governments, school groups and universities. The interest of this network and individual stations in factual, informative and truthful factual films is by all odds the greatest in years. There's no easy answer, no simple translation of such ideas as these into a cash-with-order sponsored film. But in this world where ideas are surely of vital concern, where answers to "problems" equally affect both the industry-prospect and his public, employees etc., this is the age of opportunity for those smart enough to think, to apply obvious potential to firm order and alert to seize the initiative. Focus on News and Commentary The ban on cigarette commercials, ordered by Congress effective January 1, will mean a $226 million loss to the television industry and a $150 million loss of revenue from that source to the networks alone. Follow the optimistic word from aggressive time and production sales leaders who are finding new sources in other industries taking up the tobacco companies' time. We liked the recent ad defining the word "Benchmark" as "that NOVEMBER, 1970 19