Business screen magazine (1946)

Readers of several of the leading electronics magazines last fall were startled by a full page invitation to a private screening of "The National Semiconductor Memory Seminar Film." (sec cut.) The idea back of this wonderfully raffish illustration was the perfectly serious purpose of getting serious electronics manufacturers to look at a highly technical motion picture about a new line of solid state memory devices. Reading further into the Ihrcc-pagc ad it developed that the "Memory Seminar Film" was an "informative, no-holds-barred, no b.s. look at the past, present and future of semiconductor memories." Free crackerjacks were offered, and one of National Semiconductor's best application engineers as "projectionist/answer man in your own private office." Before a week was out National had .^0 direct responses and had succeeded in getting into several large companies never before penetrated. In planning the campaign to establish its memory devices as the wave of the future, National .Semiconductor Corporation (Santa Clara, Calif.) turned to film as the most credible way to demonstrate dramatically what the company's memor>' capability product line could do. Basically, two types of "memory" devices are on the market today. "Core" which is a mechanical type of storage device, and "semiconductor" memories, which arc electronic. Core has been around longer and is cheaper per "bit" (the unit used to describe memory storage capacity). The more sophisticated new semiconductor memories seek to replace core in many applications. Hence, it is very important to National to start promoting their memory devices now. The film National is using is an edited version of a very technical taped seminar which gives the company's philosophy of memory design and describes many products in great detail. It was transferred from a color videotape mast.-r, produced by Videotape Knterpriscs of Hollywood, before a live audience in a large studio. Twenty 16mm prints were made and all ot Nalinnal Semiconductor's Field Applications I'ngmeers are using it. Some of Ihem would like the film to be more technical and some more humorous, all of which proves that it's hard to please everybody. But they all agree that it makes their jobs easier. The ad, which wa'. planned and written by National's agency, Chial Day, Inc. (Ix)s Angeles) has reeeiveil u great deal of favorable comment in Ifbu're invited to a private screening the electronics industry (with some scattered criticism from women's lib groups protesting the exploitation of women in the ad). It was prepared by Chiat/ Day's creative team of Jay Chiat (Creative Director), Hy Yablonka (Broadcast Director), Jerry Box (Art Director) and Tom Groener (Copywriter). Jim Brady is Account Executive. Assisting at the client level were Floyd Kvammc (Director of Marketing), Ciene Carter (Integrated Circuits Marketing Manager), Dale Mra/ek (Manaeer Diuital Svstcms Applications) and Chuck Signor vertising Manager). Over 60 clipped coupons have received thus far as a result of ad. This is considered to be way ah par for this type of upper-level highly technical readership. Nati has done seminars before but ni on film or tape. Obviously, n visual communications media wil called on in the future. The cur film is now being dubbed for use Ciermany, France and other Furop countries. Q JM tm Of \ ) I Mabi* pod Buftw j|g„ ..'"? <£*• ;»»»™«"il*«norti~,,.™~ A Film Is Born 24 BUSINESS SCRW.