Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1947)

TABLE C Extent to Which Stores Use Promotioual Devices to Increase Listening and Results Department Specialty Stores Stores Newspapers 83.9% 68.4% Window and Departmental Display 55.2 55.3 Direct Mail 22.4 28.9 Personnel Training 14.7 26.3 Car Cards 4.9 .... Other Promotional Devices 3.5 .... Do Not Use Any 7.7 21.0 61.57o; specialty stores, 36.8%,); 55.1% use news (58.7% department stores; 44.7% specialty stores). Household hints are used by 39.0% of the stores (48. 3%^ of the department stores; 13.2% of the specialty stores). But children's, variety, participation, mystery, drama, soap opera, sports and educational broadcasts are also used. (See Table B for ratings.) It's significant to note that the two most successfid forms (music and news) are among the least costly to produce, are relatively easy to put on and can be supplied by practically every station. It has already been pointed out that 73% of the programs mentioned by stores are less than two years old. Unless they have been carefully selected and properly used from the beginning, few of them will outlive their infancy and achieve ripe old age. Which audience docs the store want to reach? Does it want direct sales more than prestige, or vice versa? What kind of sales? What kind of prestige? Only when the store has the answers to these questions can a reliable program choice be made. (While the John Taylor Dry Goods Company, Kansas City, Mo., has used its Joanne TayUn broadcasts as the mainstay of its radio activities since 1933, it has, from time to time, added other programs to its Monday throngJi Saturday, 9:00 a.m. schedule, to achieve pre-determined objectives. For the Joanne Taylor story, see Radio ShowMANSIUP, /////(" /'>/6,/;. /'A/.j 4. Merchandise Your Program While nuh'o (;in stand on lis own led, ihe store will i^cl inaximiim value Iroui its broadcast only by thorough coordination of radio with other promotion and selling effort. (See Table C for the extent to which stores use promotional devices to increase listening and achieve results.) An example of this type of thinking in action comes from Condon's Department Store, Charleston, S.C. (See Radio Showmanship, March 1947, p. 82, for the complete story.) A pioneer radio advertiser, Condon's has been a leading broadcast advertiser since the early days. Advertising for each department is handled separately and throughout the years, Condon's has consistently given continued support, through all possible methods, to audience build-up for its programs. Another exponent of this theory is C. E. Chappell k Sons, Syracuse, N.Y. With time on three stations, a varied program schedule and extensive use of various time segments, the firm has been using radio with excellent residts since 1941. (See Radio Showmanship, January 1917, p. 6.) The extent to which your broadcast activities follow these trends is one way to test the effectiveness of your radio campaign. 14iey represent a basic pattern which will protect your investment in your radio program and insure longevity for the program and restilts for the store. Editor's Note: Chapter V of Radio for Retailers, a report of the radio advertising study conducted in San Antonio, Texas, by Jos lie's of Texas in cooperation with the National Asso( ialiofi of Broad((istcr.s, (on tains an interesting and complete radio promotion che( k list designed to i}i( reasc the cjfectii'ejiess of radio. 296 RADIO SHOWMANSHIP