Sponsor (Apr-June 1959)

BOX SCORE ON AIR MEDIA FUTURE // ithin the past two weeks SPONSOR has interviewed 25 agency heads, exec, v.p.s, and top-ranking advertising directors about the latino outlook for radui and tv. Here is a quirk box-score summary of what they're saying. 1 2 3 4 General Business. Twenty out of 25 look for increases over 1958; eighteen say radio /tv will get greater % of total agency billings this year; seven say same % Tv specials and tv spot are two most talked about tv subjects. Ten executives mentioned need for good net specials; 12 see expansion in market-by-market spots Where radio stands. Automotive, oil, tobacco men (6) still strong for spot radio. Package goods, others (19) say radio is "neglected" but expect little change Biggest air media headaches. Eight said time availabilities; 10, program availabilities. Most (22) feel better radio /tv commercials are a major air media problem HI Illll]!!llllllllllllllllll!!!!lllllll!l!l!lii!l!!!!llll I Illlllllllllllllllll llllilllllllli Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll IlllllllllllllllHllllllllllllill ing picture. But they say the rate of increase will not be as spectacular as it has in recent years. And there isome feeling that this is a good thing ("We mustn't get top-heavy in tv.") • Despite this caution, there is a noticeable undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the 4A's Program Committee which allowed the print media to dominate the Convention Calendar. • The use, rather than the mere choice of media was emphasized in niosl convention discussion. A majority of agency men regard costs as less important than commercials and the need for increased creati\ eness. • Tv was well represented at the i in i I \ I! held it hoard of Directors meeting at the Greenbrier during the Convention) but invited guests from magazines, supplements and newspapers outnumbered those In. m air media almost three to one. and there was a startling lack of representation from the radio industry. The closed session panel discussion <>n media relations, led bj B&B president Robert E. Lusk, on the other hand, provoked a g I deal ol postmeeting corridoi conversations. Lusk spoke on "How can we get more of our own people to appreciate the importance of good relations with media?" and played a number of taped interviews, illustrating typical media salesmen's complaints. si'onsou. checking with agencv men who attended this session found them genuinel) disturbed over the carelessness, discourtesy, and thoughtlessness which have crept into agenc] handling of media in recent a ears. A spokesman for Y&R, which schedules 96,000 media department interviews a year, said that media relations are a "continuing problem. ' and outlined new steps which this multi-million dollar agenc) is taking improve agencj media contacts. Smaller agencies apparent!) are eipiallv concerned. \\ . S. Redpath, exec v.p. of kelchum. MacLeod \ Grove, told sponsor he had been "shocked" to discover certain practices within his own agencj which worked against good media relations, and felt thai all agencies needed to take a fiesh look at their treatment of lv. radio, and print representatives, I he |»>sit ion and future ol iv . within the agencv business received a good deal of comment in the corridors and halls of the Greenbrier, though there was little about it on the official program. I See box at left.) Most significant to SPONSOR was the fact that a number of agency men, though admitting the power and importance of tv as the No. 1 national advertising medium, still felt that it was dangerous for an agencv to get "too one-sided" in its media use. "Tv will grow with us."" say W. L. Spencer, v.p. of Gardner Advertising, "but I hope it doesn't grow too fast." "It's a mistake to get known as a onemedium agency," said Noble-Dury president W. S. Graham. Undoubtedly some of this caution about media one-sidedness was in the minds of the 4A's Program Committee, when they scheduled a full morning (nearly 50^ of the open meeting program I for a presentation bv \ndrew Heiskell and 12 Time-Life men on the "Revolution in Rising Expectations." Another print media man. Arthur H. "Red" Mottley of Parade was the featured speaker at the annual 4A dinner. Such loading of the dice in favor of print did not go unnoticed, however, and sponsor heard a lot of grumbling both from media guests, and from agencv members about the Time-Life effort. "Let's cut out all this Cloud Seven stuff." said one N. Y. agencv president. \nd there was a frequentlv expressed feeling that "either NBC or CHS News could have done as well or better." Though tv was large!) unrepresented on the program. Tv Hs cocktail party on the last daj on the Convention was well attended bv agencv executives, and the award winning tv Commercials of the \rt Directors Club of New i oik. and films from \ enice Film Festival were given five separate showings, (See Commercial ( ommentai j page 1<>. • Mmosl totallv unnoticed, however, in both convention discussions and corridor conversations was radio, national advertising's No. I medium. Radio men at \\ Idle Sulphur included \rthur Hull Haves. John Kami of CBS Radio, and K. .1. De Crav of \BC Radio. But ihev were far outnumbered bv magazine, newspaper even outdoor representatives. ^ 38 SPONSOR 9 may 1959