Sponsor (Apr-June 1961)

t^ +&» j UJii^^^^ CAMERAS move in on Hess Bros.' models showing European originals on the Allentown store's WFIL-TV Philadelphia fashion show. While a handful of guests attended the telecast, thousands viewed at home, and store traffic and sales were boosted during the days following the show repeated in Atlanta, Ga., where Macy's has a store called Davison's. Produced by WNBC-TV. Reported cost: under $40,000. • Ohrbach's: New York high fashion models showed European imports and Ohrbach's copies in a 30-min. show taped at W ABC-TV studios. Maggie McNellis did commentary, Art James was the announcer. Only 1:50 minutes of institutional commercials were used. The show emphasized close-ups of clothes' details. It was repeated on KN XT-TV, Los Angeles, where Ohrbach's has a store. Future productions are anticipated. Show was produced by Ohrbach's agency. Doyle Dane Bernbach. Cost: $50,000. • Montgomery Ward: A 30-min. show, featuring designers and manufacturers from the midwest, was taped at WFAA-TV, Dallas, and shown in 15 southcentral markets where Ward has stores. Dallas models were used. Dallas tv personality Julie Bonnell did commentary. The show was produced by Ward's public relations department. Costs: not available. • Alexander's: The objective of this low-budget store was to stress a high fashion image. For this, Alexander's taped its French, Italian and Spanish import and cop] show in Aruba, using New York models and featuring Orson Bean and Rita Gam on commentary. It was shown on WCBS-TV. Commercials featured the designer original ("price $1,000") and the Alexander's copy ("price $39.95"). It was produced by Alexander's. Follovvups are anticipated. Reported cast: under $50,000. • Hess Bros. : This Allentown, Pa., store used WFIL-TV, Philadelphia, to air its 30-min. taped fashion show because Allentown doesn't have a tv station. The show was produced by Hess personnel and featured store-trained models. Hess' sales promotion manager Wayne Holben. was host. It was taped in the store. European originals were featured but Hess' copies were shown in the commercials. Newspaper tie-ins were extensively used. Estimated cost: under $25,000. Woodward & Lothrop of Washington, D. C, also had a big spring splash on tv. It was a salute to American designers. The show cost W&L around $5,000. "Besides stimulating store traffic, we had the problem of showing our lines to enough people." said a W&L spokesman. "The largest auditorium suitable for fashion shows in D.C., holds 3,000 people, and it is i >n eyp nsive to rent.' she said. All of these stores promoted their tv fashion shows with extensive newspaper tie-ins during the week preceding the telecast. Hess Bros., however, took full-page newspaper ads just to publicize theii television project. Hess also staged a saturation radic promotion on behalf of the shov with week-long schedules on Wk \P and WSAN in Allentown in Bethlehem, WEST am WAEB WGPA WEEK in Easton Round-the-clock "teasers" also wer scheduled on WFIL-TV Woodward & Lothrop also hougl full-page ads in all Washington. D. C newspapers on behalf of their "Terr po: U.S.A." telecast While the stores were hesitant t give actual time and talent costs, of the-record estimates ranged froi $5,000 for Woodward & Lothrop. t around $50,000 for Alexander'.s There are some department store however, which produce fashion shov for as little as $100. TvB"s vice pres dent for local sales Howard P. Abn hams, pointed out. Among these ai Neel's in Thomasville, Ga., and Ah Locb in Meridian. Miss., which w. local talent and store producers, f( (Please turn to page 58) 48 SPONSOR 3 APRIL 191