Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1947)

opie to Buf What They Sell win-Williams Company, Canton, Ohio, who promoted the Sherwin-Williams Color and Style Guide and increased sales through a spot announcement campaign over WHBC. Radio alone was used to promote the color chart and inquiries received exceeded all expectations. What was even more important for the dealer was the fact that these inquiries led to many direct sales. Some dealers use programs and spot announcements in combination and this is the approach of the Coast to Coast Store, Bozeman, Montana, with a weekly quarter^hour of music and six spot announcements over KXLQ. The use of spot announcements is largely confined to item merchandising, and it has proved to be as effective for the dealer as it has been for the wholesaler. Prosrams for specific departments However, where the purpose of a campaign is to build a particular department or store service, programs are more effective than spot announcements. Programs can be used to promote an entire store. News, music or any other editorial format may be effective, but dealers seem to prefer programs designed to push a particular department or store service. This approach gives the campaign a focal point that is an important success factor. As an example, the Washington Hardware Company, Tacoma, Washington, promoted its garden department in a Garden Guide radio series. The manager of the store said, in connection with the series, that it made many sales and a host of friends for the firm. It also contributed to public confidence in the store and the advice it gave. In Davenport, Iowa, the Louis Hanssen's Sons Hardware Company used a Dr. Fixit program on WOC devoted to tips on household repairs, hobbies, etc., with a direct tie-in with departmental merchandise. To promote its Hobby Shop, Entz & Rucker Hardware Company, Los Angeles, California, used a Hubby's Hobby program on KHJ. A different hobby got the spotlight each week. Two weeks before the Cashway Hardware & Lumber Company, Bozeman, Montana, opened its doors it began a radio campaign over KXLQ. It wanted to appeal to farm and ranch listeners, and to that end, it selected a transcribed program. Sons of the Pioneers. Commercial copy dealt with such items as milking machines, farm tools and hardware, and, of course, items for the farm and ranch wife. Results were such that business volume was triple in six months what Store Manager John Isaac had contemplated for the first year. To take advantage of this good start, Cashway added Music To Remember, Sunday, 10:00-10:30 a.m., to the three times weekly 7:45-8:00 a.m. schedule. While the firm's first use of radio was devoted to the hardware store, with the lumber yard at that time still under construction, Cashway plans to develop its lumber department via broadcast advertising, with the same technique of picking programs beamed to a specific audience. There is another advantage in using a single department or service as the focal point of a radio campaign. In many cases, the program content can be tied-in with the department being advertised. The fact that there is a direct tie-in between the retailer's merchandise and the program itself contributes immeasurably to the success of a broadcast campaign. Garden programs to promote a garden department, a hunting and fishing program to promote those departments, a hobby show to promote a hobby department make the advertising venture that much more effective since the tie-in increases sponsor identification and the DECEMBER, 1 947 409