Sponsor (Jan-Mar 1961)

jnitik talk to buyers of air media facilities The seller's viewpoint 'It's not bad copy, it's bad thinking,' says Erwin Rosner, general manager oj II PEN, Philadelphia. Pa., when he refers to radio salesmen who complain about agency malfunction in this area. H here is the great copy' It's rare, and here is a man who knows a former copywriter who has no sympathy for non-professionals. / working solution has, he feels, been found. Radio effectiveness depends, not on mechanical computations, hut on knowledge<dde human beings. This turns average copy into better than average sales. Personality sell f\ great wave of pit) overwhelms me ever) time 1 hear a radio salesman complain that the agencies aren't supplying good radio copy. Every medium can issue this same complaint— but more important, these salesmen are overI looking one of radio's great advantages. It's true that main agencies do not devote the time and j talent thev should to radio copy. The result is that radio commercials submitted to us are sometime? less than great. But look through today's newspaper or magazine or watch TV or the billboards. How much really great copy do you see there? Outstanding cop) in any medium is very rare indeed. I think the general level of all copy is actually improving — so that copy that is merely good has become commonplace. Strokes of genius are rare. Most copy is adequate and workmanlike, and that's about the best we an sa) for it. That's win they give medals every year to the few great pieces of copy that stand out. W hen cop\ that is merely adequate appears in a newspaper, magazine, or billboard, it has to stand or fall on its own. There's no help for it from anv source. And here is one of radio's greatest assets. When merelv (foquate copy appears on a program run by an experiDced, professional personalis the personality will acallv help the copy. \ personalis who is sales-minded ill take those same old words and. by intelligent interpreation. and emphasis, turn them into a real sales message. It has gotten to the point where many agencies — especially local ones — don't e\en trv to write ropy. When they find good personalities thev are content to just give them the facts and let the personalities sell in their own way. W hat comes out on the air is generally more natural and udievable — and sells the merchandise. During the past several months we\e begun to see many ■ >f the largest agencies becoming more aw are ot these values. We have even had specific instances where the agnc) has given our personalities live cop) instead of the recorded message that is being used nationally. Ibis is really using spot radio to its fullest advantage. Even when the agency insists on a transcribed spot, the appearance in the program of an established and malm. personality can lend extra value to it. Just a word or two from the personality stating thai he believes the message i important adds credence and personal involvement. Ever) year a few commercials come along that can stand on their own and be earth shakers without t li i — assistance. But even the verv best commercials enjo\ an extra measure of sales effectiveness when they have this help. Ibis kind of thinking is nothing new to the advertising business. In buying any kind of print media the advertiser is alwavs concerned about the editorial content. < n culation is certainl) of major importance but the Inner is always aware thai even the inanimate newspaper oi magazine can add to or detract from hi -ale message. Doesn't it seem strange thai this factor i often overlooked in the medium that can add this important dimension best? No printed page can even approach the personal rapport between the personality and his audience. How main times have you bought a product just because a friend said the simple word-, '"it good." All of us get so absorbed with figure and CPM's and whatnot, that we sometimes forget thai advertising's objective is to sell merchandise. Adequate circulation is oeces-ar\ to do this job. But circulation alone is nevei enough. Employing 196] radio just for mass exposure and showing client our boxcar figure tells onl) pari of the stor) and leaves a major reason for our vitality untold, lu-l about everyone accepts the fact that do rating service has \et been able to measure nil radio listening. So win should we be content with presenting onl) a traction of our whole story? I am encouraged to see a growing trend among timebuyers and advertisers to spend more time investigating facts about station programing and approach, \fter all. the circulation figure can be computed by a machine. but the other factors that make radio effective will always have to be determined by a human being who know the product, the market, and the Si ion. ^ *POXSOK 2. MARCH 1961 73