Radio showmanship (Sept 1940-May 1941)

JOHNNY Yj/ ON THE SPOT If you use spot announcements, you'll be interested in the news, reviews, and tips in this column. Let's make this column an open forum about anything and almost everything having to do with spot announcements. Spencer Huffman, the Baltimore ad executive, started things rolling when he suggested, "I'd like to see you give serious consideration to the technique of writing and reading spot copy 35 to 100 ivords." That's an important suggestion. Too much of radio's twenty years has been devoted to proving why a business man should go on the air — not enough to what he should do when he gets there. I've heard of two finance companies in Chicago that, at different times, purchased the same spot on the same Chicago station. The first was forced to cancel its contract; the second is still using the spot with profitable results. Now — why should one company succeed where the other failed? The difference, I believe, lies, primarily, in the copy approach. It's hard to determine definitely the multiplicity of factors that make up a well-written radio announcement. What business men demand is facts, not opinions, and for those facts, Radio Showmanship turns to two sources: 1. The experience of others. 2. Research. At present, members of Radio S HOW MAN SHIP'S staff are engaged in laboratory tests OH Mich elementary, but fundamental spot announcement problems as "How many prices can be remembered in a single spot announcement?" "How often should the sponsor's trade name be repeated for greatest effectiveness ' tC. Results of this research will be reprinted from time to time. For the moment, let us sec what other business men have accomplished. "One of the big difficulties," according to Horace Klein, of Downtown Chevrolet in Minneapolis, "is that most advertisers trj to i too much ground with their spot an nouncements. Each sales message should be aimed at a highly-selective group, rather than just people in general." Here's an example of what he means: You can buy a new 1940 Chevrolet for $175. Just imagine — only $175 and your 1939 car. Only the world's largest Chevrolet dealers could offer such a value . . . The Minneapolis Downtown Chevrolet Company, located at Hennepin and Harmon, across from Loring Park ... in Minneapolis. The announcement, you will note, is directed primarily at the men and women who own 1939 automobiles. Naturally, at other times,! his story is written about cars of different vintage. The more exclusive you can make the group to which you are directing your talk, the easier you will attract their attention! + Of course, you should not limit your audience to a group that, at best, may not have enough potential buyers to warrant your expenditure. Carrying this to an extreme, you can easily see that the absolute peak of "attention-attraction" for any one man would be to direct I your announcement to him alone by calling ] out his name and his address — but would it be good business? Bill McCrystal, writing the copy for ; Joscelyn Motors, Los Angeles, has sent in sample commercials that confine their mes ,(\ sage to a particular-interest group, but in aj more indirect manner. Here is an example of one of his Joscelyn Motors' announcements: "Business men today are quick to eliminate from their staff any person not capable of tip-top performance . . . yet these same men are sometimes guilty of tolerating an automobile that is not performing efficiently . . . yet because of personal finance difficulties do nothing about it. "If you belong in the above classification . . . 'the home of better used cars' at 9901 West Washington Blvd. welcomes you to inspect their fine stock. They know you will appreciate the quality you find there . . . and they know too . . . that their low budget finance term will meet with your approval. "Joscelyn Motors . . . the home of better used cars ... is also the home of efficient buyers . . . and is located at 9901 West Washington Blvd." The fundamental point to be remembered is "Don't bite off more than you can chew." Confine your announcements to a special group. Be sure it's large enough — and inter' esting enough. HINTS TO SPOT BUYERS No. .? — When you buy radio spot annoum incuts, remember, you always pay more for the position than tor the number of words. That's why two 50 wrord station breaks would alu.i\s COS( more per word than one 100-word announcement. The important thing to watch is nine, you are placed. 116 RADIO SHOWMANSHIP