Radio showmanship (Sept 1940-May 1941)

THE READERS WRITE Sirs: I am in receipt of issue No. 1, volume No. 1 of your publication, Showmanship. Inasmuch as our organization is vitally affected in what's new in radio and inasmuch as our store has been a consistent user of radio advertising for more than ten years, I feel that Showmanship offers a valuable service. Henry Rowen Advertising Manager Morris B. Sachs Chicago, III Sirs: Firstly, may we extend our best wishes for the success of your new publication. Secondly, since accuracy is necessarily one of the attributes of success, may we call your attention to a rather unfortunate inaccuracy, at least from our point of view. Said error occurs on page 28, in the paragraph opposite Cinderella, and consists of an unreasonable facsimile of our corporate name. S. W. Durham K. Arakelian, Inc. New York, N. Y. To Mr. Durham and K. Arakelian, Inc., goes our first apology. — Ed. Just received a sample copy of your volume 1 and want you to know that it clicked 100%! You're definitely Oil the right road — just keep up the same standard of material and you will do a lot ill many ways for the radio world. Let H1C know it you intend to issue a croftfl index of terhnic and business classifications at the end of each year. It you have nor planned on this I want to start making m\ own cross reference on your material. Spencer Huffman Sfntiiir 1 1 ill} wan and /I ss '/, ittft \ .Id; -i rtising Ag\ m \ Baltimore, Md. \<.t< foi .i i omplete index In busi nesses of both the Sept and < tet issues. A end index will follow as per Mr. Hutt man's suggestion, i COFFEE SALES THRU THE AIR (Continued from page 50) sive, with its one-man talent, plus prizes, the only additional expense to time costs. At the end of the three-month test we had 50,000 names on file; that means, of course, 50,000 active Bluhill Product users. This month we've begun a silverware premium campaign. In a perspective view of all of the detailed elements that went into the making of this highly successful radio program, one factor stands out above all other: at no time did we rely solely upon radio time to do a job for us. From its very start, For Women Only had a promotional background to sustain its every move. The radio program, in other words, was the culmination of each day's work, not its inception. In our opinion, and especially in relation to a radio program of the type we sponsored, no other method but the continued activities of each individual salesman, each individual dealer, will make it pay sales dividends. We learned by experience, and in our case, a very profitable experience. PUT ON A GOOD SHOW (Continued from page 47 J window display, or an over-the-counter sales story. The use of showmanship in modern business is predicated on the simple fact that human nature is pretty nearly a constant, and that Mrs. Buyer is the same at 12:35 listening to the Witch's Talc as she is at 12:36 when the doorbell rings and the routeman of the Kleenup Laundry stands at the door to sell her a new process of dry cleaning. We believe that she is the same at 3 :30 as she listens to her Chevrolet radio while she rides down the boulevard as she is at 3:32 when she pulls up to the curb and walks into Blinx's Market, and that therefore the same ingredients that make the big shows click (whether on screen, air, or ball diamond) will make the sales stor] click tor a local merchant whether the commerical he delivered over the air or over the counter. While w e may not he able tO get an demic definition of showmanship, we an able to pur our finger on the ingredients common to all box office successes, [n subsequent sues we will deal with these ingredients ami show how they can he used by any merchant or businessman who wants to apply the technique of Barrymore, Belasco .md Benn) to the more leriOUS matter ot building a busi ness. 78 RADIO SHOWMANSHIP