Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

RADIOPHOTO IN ADVERTISING Internatiofiul Department of RCA Victor Plans to Use Service in Postwar Program of Global Adoertising —Advantages Outlined. A POSTWAR program of global advertising which would util- ize RCA Radiophoto to flash copy and layout for simultaneous release to publications throughout the world has been announced by the International Department of the RCA Victor Division of the Radio Corporation of America. The new plan for speedy world- wide placing of advertisements will rely upon the transmission of copy by RCA Radiophoto to world capi- tals which are equipped with this type of communication. From these radiophoto centers, which are ex- pected to be more numerous after the war, the advertisements will then travel by airmail to an addi- tional network of far-flung cities, making possible the synchronized appearance of advertising copy in publications serving in widely sep- arated world markets. The practicability of this program has been demonstrated by RCA on two different occasions during the last year. The most recent use of radiophoto ad transmission oc- curred during the observance of RCA's 25th Anniversary, when an advertisement describing the com- pany's pioneering contributions in the field of radio and electronics was speeded to publications in Eu- rope, Australia, Africa, India and the Middle East. This advertise- ment was an adaptation of copy originated by the parent company and widely used in the anniversary campaign throughout the United States. The copy, prepared by the J. Wal- ter Thompson Agency of New York, was radioed to the Eastern Hemi- sphere by RCA Communications offices at New York and San Fran- ci.sco as the first stage of transmis- sion. As soon as the copy was re- ceived in London, Cairo, Stockholm, and Sydney, the distributing agenc\- at each capital working witii the local Thompson agency representa- tive, arranged for publication in these centers. The copy was tiien rushed to other large cities by air- mail. From London the radioed copy was airmailed to Lisbon, Madrid, and Cape Town for distribution to Spanish, Portuguese, and South African publications. From Cairo the radiophoto was flown to Istanbul and Bombay for publications in North Africa, the Middle East, and India. Copy received at Stockholm was dispatched to Swedish publica- tions. Sent from San Francisco to Sydney, the radiophoto advertise- ment went into production for other cities in Australia and New Zealand. By the combined use of radio- photo and rapid airmail delivery, the RCA Anniversary advertisement was made available to 12,500,000 persons in 47 countries in a matter of hours and days instead of the weeks and months ordinarily re- (luired for this type of coverage. Transmitted in English, the adver- tisement was translated at the point of receipt and appeared in a total of 274 newspapers and magazines published in 18 different languages and dialects: Afrikaans, Arabic, Dutch, English, French, Portu- guese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish and nine Hindu dialects. The anniversary advertisement as transmitted was prepared in four sizes, including one 14 inches, two columns by 7 inches, the size indi- cated by the Office of War Informa- tion as most acceptable for the countries in which RCA is cooper- ating with the OWI on advertising. The illustration which accompanied the international message depicted the .symi)oI. RCA, in a striking sun- burst. Pearlier in the year, RCA success- fully used radiophoto transmission for an advertising campaign in con- nection with Motion Picture Acad- emy Awards to RCA-recorded films. The day after the awards were an- nounced in Hollywood, an RCA ad- vertisement, carrying the names of the winning motion pictures and their principals, was transmitted by radiophoto to London, Cairo, Sydney, and Buenos Aires for relay by airmail to other countries. This successful advertising use of the radiophoto method caps a twenty-year period of communica- tions development by RCA. It was in 1924 that RCA first transmitted a photograph across the Atlantic by radio. E.xperience gained in the com- liined use of radiophoto and airmail delivery of advertisements on the two recent occasions will be applied to campaigns to be conducted in many countries throughout the world after the war, it was stated by William J. Reilly, advertising manager for the RCA Victor Inter- national Department. RCA Victor's postwar plan will include the international distribu- tion of a selected line of household appliances in addition to the dis- tribution of its own products to a wide market extending into 120 countries and territories. Star to Laboratories A THIRD star for continued out- standing achievement in the war effort was awarded in Decem- ber for addition to the Army-Navy "E" Flag won in 1943 by RCA Laboratories at Princeton, N. J., according to word received by 0. S. Schairer, Vice President in Charge of the Laboratories. Notification of the award was made by Admiral C. C. Block, USN (Ret.), Chairman of the Navy Board for Production Awards. RCA Laboratories' new award brings to nineteen the number of stars for continued outstanding achievement which have been added to the war production flags and pennants won by RCA divisions and subsidiaries. A summary of the awards follows: RCA Laboratories — Army-Navy "E" flag and 3 stars. RCA Victor Division — Army- Navy "E" flag and 4 stars to the Camden. New Jersey plant; "E" flag and 3 stars, Harrison, New Jersey plant; "E" flag and 2 stars, Indianapolis, Indiana plant; "E" flag and 1 star, Lancaster, Penn- sylvania plant. Radiomarine Corporation of America—Army-Navy "E" flag and 3 stars. Maritime "M" Pennant and 3 stars, and the Victory Fleet flag. RCA Communications, Inc. has been awarded the Certificate of Ap- preciation by the U. S. Army Signal Corps. [18 RADIO age;