Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1941)

Originator of this musical radio game, in which the entire radio audience participates, is beaming Frederic W. Ziv, president of the advertising agency of the same name. Judging by the broad smiles of the seated winner and the Western Union delivery boy come with the prize money, the man on the receiving end had the specified ALBERS product in the house, which entitles htm to receive double the original award. die phones our switchboard some time within an hour following the program, giving the operator the correct mystree tune and the row filled, together with the solution to the riddle. After an hour's time, during which phone calls are accepted, we again come back on the air and announce the names and addresses of all winners. Every winner receives a prize. Popularity of the program has necessitated the installation of 28 special trunk lines and telephones, and 28 operators. There are three winning rows on each program. The prize we give on each row is $50. If there is more than one winner, and there usually is. the winners divide the S50 proportionately. All in all, Albers Markets give away $300 cash in prizes each week. In addition, each winner receives a big bag of groceries. Here's another merchandising tie-in that makes people who are interested in playing Mystree Tunes buy the item we're promoting that particular week. If the winner has a certain product in the house when the messenger arrives with the prize money, the prize is doubled. We specif}-, on the preceding program, the product they must have. During the past four weeks. 86% of our winners received the double prize. This double prize has enabled us to increase sales considerably on specific items. For example, one week we increased banana sales 23%. bread sales 34%, a certain brand of fancy canned peas 46%, and lamb sales 60%. All these sales, of course, were above our normal weeklv turnover. In all cases, the food products we specified as the double prize items were sold at our regular everyday prices. The week we promoted lamb we gave a commercial on lamb pointing out its healthfulness, its value, its fine flavor, and told the listeners the meat cutter would give them a recipe on how to prepare a delicious lamb roast. This promotion, at a time when lamb was at its peak, resulted in the 60% sales increase over normal weeks. The first six weeks of the program we specified that winners must have our own brand of Alberly Coffee. During this period, our coffee sales increased 22%. And you know how difficult a task it is to get customers to switch from one brand of coffee to another I Since sponsoring mystree tunes, we have found many housewives can now persuade their husbands or sons to drive them to Albers to obtain the mystree tunes cards and the "special item," whereas formerly housewives had no way of getting to our markets. They, of course, then buy practically all their food in our markets. The Nielsen Co. survey points out that 79% of food store customers purchase their foods at the same store for a period of more than two years. Considering the profit on the average family food purchases for two years, we can afford to spend a little more to reach the non-ad reading housewife. Mystree Tunes has well paid for itself in increased number of customers and dollar sales volume in addition to tremendous publicity. JUNE, 194 1 165