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

of requirements in finishes, prices, and cabinet and picture sizes is important in pivinjr the manufac- turer the competitive advantajrc necessary to win a jrivcn share of the market in each community. One of RCA's first allies in estalj- lishinK a fresh market area is the RCA Service Company. Even be- fore the station poes on the air, the Service Company may survey the market, .select a location for a branch oftice and shop, and prepare preliminary estimated contour maps of the region for use in advance planning of service zones and oper- ations. By the time a meeting is held with the dealers of the repion to ac(|uaint them with the RCA Victor television receivers, a serv- ice branch is invariably installed, staffed with a nucleus of factory- trained technicians and some per- sonnel from the repion. equipped with the latest of installation, test and service eiiuipment, and backed by a fleet of distinctively marked service trucks, fully etiuipped foi- professional operation. Distributor is Key Factor In conformance with well-estab- lished Home Instrument Depart- ment policy, the distributor is the key factor in television receiver dis- tribution in each repion. Principal efforts of the factory are to counsel and lussist him in obtaininp the most desirable results in his terri- tory. Timinp of the entrance into a new television market is of primary importance. While an early start may sometimes be forced for com- petitive reasons, we try to defer the first meetinp with dealers until shortly before the station goes on the air. Premature activity allows too much time for enthusiasm to dwindle and serves only to hamper the sale of such other services as radio. Approximately three months be- fore the station bepins to broadcast its lest pattern, field sales repre- .sentatives <if the Home Instrument I)ei)artment meet with the distribu- tor and Service Cnmpany represen- tatives to map out iilans for the forthcoming all-important introduc- tory meeting. At that time, riealers will be shown the RC.A Victor tele- [22 RADIO AGE] vision receiver line and given effec- tive sales procedures. The first meetinp of distributors, dealers and manufacturers' repre- sentatives in a new market is called Dealer Day or "D" Day, a policy established at the very beginning of i)ostwar television. Later, when the new station has its otticial open- ing, RCA ^'ictor advertisinp in the region begins and .sales efforts go into high gear. This is called Tele- vision Day or "T" Day. Sales Machinery is Complex The sales machinery set in mo- tion by distributors on "T" Day is as complex as a television chiissis. Advance mailing pieces, ranging from "tea.sers" which awaken in- terest to tickets of admission for the opening are printed, and mail- ing lists are compiled. The local distributor prepares large maps showing where he should issue RCA Victor television franchises to get adequate dealer coverage. A spacious room, usually a ballroom in one of the city's principal hotels or clubs, is reserved for the initial receiver presentation. Arrange- ments are made with a local store to create room settings appropriate to the various television receiver models being displayed and demon- strated. RCA \'ictor distributors, in most cases, already have secured the co- operation of the local television sta- tion or the RCA Victor Promotion Department to present an actual television program, either broad- cast or by direct line, with which to demonstrate the receivers. When the machinery has been jnit in readiness, the dealers begin to receive attention-getting mailing pieces. At first they merely hint that something important to their television futures will soon take place. Subsequent mailings fill in details about the date and location of the meetinp. topics to be covered, demonstrations that may be given, and how to secure tickets. By the time the "last-call" invitation is issued, all key dealers of the region have been reached and attendance of their salesmen at the meeting is fairly well assured. Merchandisers, however, are not the only ones in the community con- cerned with television, able to bene- fit from it and to contribute to its success. Many other important ele- ments are invited to attend this first meeting and participate in television's introduction. State and local political leiiders are invited and many an introduc- tory television meeting has been honored by the presence of the governor and the mayor. Other par- ticipants may include local liankers, whose organizations may later handle financial papers for dealers; utility executives, whose coopera- tion can prove invaluable; news- paper publishers and reporters, im- portant to advertisinp and publicity proprams; television station repre- sentatives, whose programs help create demand and who benefit from expanded audiences; radio broad- casters, trade paper representa- tives, and other influential people. The introductory meeting is a fast-paced, staccato event, with speeches kept short and meaty. Here, the enthusiasm that will carry television to sweeping success is given its start. (Cftiitiniied on page 3~ > ARTISTS COMBINE THKIR TAI.KNTS WITH KN(;iNKKRS TO STACK A "LIVE TELEVISION OEMONSTRATli'V IN \ NIW MARKhrf AREA.