Sponsor (Jan-Mar 1961)

INA'S YULE RADIO P.R. PAYS ^ Insurance company's annual 'Sing With Bing' buy, brings Yuletidings to listeners and goodwill to sponsor ** Thanks for the melody9 say thousands of listener letters from plaees in U.S., Canada, Alaska, ami Hawaii ww Inn the Insurance Co. "I North America firs! bought CBS Radio's Christina I ve program, Sing nitlt Bing, -ix years ago, it was intended onl\ as a Yuletide greeting from the compan) to its policy holders and distributor agents. Instead, and quite without intent, the jumbo-sized Christina salutation reverted itself into a working public relations stronghold for the sponsor. The program, it was soon discovered, filled with melodious goodwill-to-all-mankind, had warmed the hearts of thousands of holiday-spirited folks in countless homes, automobiles, in trucks making their \\a\ along WOrk-daj routes, and a variet) of business establishments, throughout the l. >.. Maska. Hawaii, and ( .anada. The program, which is beamed out over 2i»> CBS stations with 56 CBC outlets, is picked up b\ the \ oice 01 America, and the limed Forces Network, also. The result: a Hood of letters from listeners has washed oxer the insurance company's Philadelphia headquarters and branch offices throughout the world, as well as the network and its affiliated station-, for main weeks after that first year, and for the ensuing years of sponsorship, to the just-past Christmas. The letters share a likemindedness in context: all sa\ "thank you' for the musical salute to Christmas. Most of the letters urge that the compan\ continue sponsorship of the pi ogram; mam go into detailed description of touching famiK scenes, listening to the program while decorating their Christmas tree. \ comment from a recent Listener s letter puts into words the feelii general!) expressed: "the program is a big part of Christina for our family, and. ""it wonderful of you to sponsor it !" I he wisdom ol the Sing with Bing bin . placed l>\ the Philadelphia office of N. \\ . \\er for the past six years. has been proved l>\ repeated demonstration of promotional-exploitation "pluses. \ml as for institutional advertising, the annual spectacular has turned out to be a top-prestige investment. To the agents, the program constitutes a salute to their independence. It also provides the basis for full-scale mailings of window display, poster, mail-insert and on-air spot announcement material. In short, Sing with Bing i a ven highlj merchan dised piece of Institutional advertising. I he compan) itself, ii field foi i e in the I . S. and the almosl 10,000 employees overseas, go all out to promote the broadcast. I he sponsoi place ads in _'_' insurance trade papers and prepares mailings to promotion men in the CBS radio -l.il I It also supplies it agents with stickers, radio Bcripts, window displays and newspapei matte-. \ an extra touch, all mail coming out ol IN \ during the pre-Christm is season, hear a Special Sing uilli Huil; post mark. I he in-ui anee compan) commei cial message which reaches an estimated million and a half home each yeai I according to a stud) made two years ago i . is strictl) soft-sell, based on compan) growth and background and a rundown ol the agency's wik ing system. From all indication-, budget permitting i and if listeners have a -a\ in the matter:, it' likel) thai IN \ will continue along with this mode of spreading holida) cheer, and chalking up compan) goodw ill. w* INA's Christmas goodwill ambassador. Bing Crosby, whose 'Sing with Bing' program has been building sponsor-listener rapport for the past six years, is shown here with CBS' A. H. Hayes SPONSOR 9 JANUARY l"l.)