Radio showmanship (Sept 1940-May 1941)

lassies clad in kilts appeared on the streets. No signs or anything — just good-looking girls in plaids. As they strolled through the downtown district they satisfied the curiosity of shoppers by telling them all about the new Scotch Soap program that was going on the station KOY. Good-looking girls, costumed to fit the program or the product, are always a sure-fire attention getter. Plenty of variations possible there, too. Some sponsors have plugged their programs by the simple device of plastering banners over a convertible sports car with the top down and a couple of feminine eyecatchers in the front seat. Others have had the pretties handing out cards plugging the program. Give-aways are a valuable adjunct to costuming. You can use ordinary cards. You can have them cut in various shapes, like a microphone, a clock face or a key, for greater attention value. Or you can have them printed as tickets: "Reserved Seat . . ." making sure, of course, they're worded so the recipient doesn't think he has a ticket to a studio broadcast. The real attention value is gained through the costuming. It can be applied to any type of business, or program. If yours is a bakery, outfit several men (or girls) as traditional bakers in white caps and aprons. A restaurant can use the same stunt with people dressed as chefs. If you're sponsoring a humorous program, use a clown. If it's a sports broadcast, costume your sandwich men as baseball or football players, depending on the season. Of course, you can carry your downtown showmanship a lot further. In Oklahoma City last year, the Turn's Quicksilver broadcast was given such smashing publicity that the business district thought it was being subjected to a blitzkrieg. The scheme took some special favors from the police and fire department, hut station KTOK managed it after a little persuasive talk. given moment, bombs were set off on the roots (if downtown office buildings. While everyone was running around to find out what was happening, KTOK people, standing on the roots of adjacent buildings, dropped a shower of thiow awaVS in the form ot [board dollars plugging the program and its prize otter. It was a smashing send-off from the w 01 d There's a hint in this example on pioce dure: Something audible to get public attention, then a shower of throw-aways. * Many advertisers have chosen to get their programs off to a flying start by using airplanes. And that's certainly as good a way as has yet been devised. Lit Brothers in Philadelphia set the whole town to talking of their sponsorship of the Pinocchio program over WFIL. They hired an airplane which dropped thousands of balloons over all parts of the city, in a previously announced balloon treasure hunt. To a certain number of the balloons, prize coupons were attached. These were honored with merchandise when presented at the store. Not only children, but adults as well, scrambled for the balloons. It was an exciting day for Philadelphia kids — and an exciting one for Lit Brothers, because the success of their program was assured by its sendoff. Two sponsors used similar publicity on station KROC in Rochester, Minnesota, when a big Armistice Day party was staged for the youngsters. Over the heads of the children attending) the party were released 5,000 cardboard airplanes which glided earthward. Each carried the I story of the Wheaties and Shell Petroleum broadcasts on the station. Five hundred of the! airplanes were lucky ones, with awards of cash or merchandise for the finders. A good street stunt will make your potential listening audience sit up and take notice, so will three-sheetsj plastered around town, or a mystery man carrying a teaser signboard. The United Bak.ixg Company, Albany, N. Y., started theiri Farmer's Almanac program (over WOKO)| off with 15,000 pieces of direct mail. Addressed to farmers, the letters played up the purpose of the early morning program, the time, the station, and asked for suggestions and criticism of the program. The program directed to a selected audican well use direct mail effectively. Mailing lists of special groups is usually available at a fairly reasonable price and ;i specific letter to them may give your prografl just the push it needs to make it pay dividends. (Jive your program the right start in life' (live it as main listeners as you can. Stunti are a proven good w a\ t«> gel them, and then lie plenty ot stunts ideas waiting to he used Remember: A little showmanship goes a long 1»0 RADIO SHOWMANSHM