Sponsor (Apr-June 1961)

Advertiser, rep view local radio alike JOHN L. PALSHAW Responsible for Inco national corporate advertising JIM RICHARDS Head of Blair's new Special Features department "Inco, considering more than ratings in its buys, looks for stations having a strong sense of community responsibility," says Palshaw. "The stature or public image of each radio station carrying Incosponsored newscasts is vital to us, since it reflects on our own image." Richards agrees. "Local advertisers have long recognized the importance of community identification features," he says. "National advertisers can learn from the record-making successes of local retailers." As one rep defines it: "There's a wholesale national resistance to look at anything except spot announcements. Mention communitj service or station image and the national advertiser runs like hell." But, despite the general creative drought, GMAC is not alone in recognizing the power of radio's communit) appeal. Other national advertisers, however minimal, are starting in venture forth from the conventional caves. Inventive buying, fur the most pai i. i centered in four areas: • News, weather. s| torts • Special events • "Communitj pride" programing • V, eek-end appeal mil weather, of course, are logical, certainly the mosl obvious, primary program Inns. In strumental in attracting widespread attention to the successful marriage of national advertiser to local newscast was International Nickel Co., whose radio activity began in 1951 and continues today, their basic buy either 15-minute or 10-minute newscasts 3 days a week, in 34 markets where melalworking activitj is high or where their importance as thoughtleading centers of business, industrial and educational influence is established. Inco alternates product commercials, wilh little corporate flavor, and corporate commercials, with little product flavor (to he detailed in next week's SPONSOR), wilh what John Palshaw, the man responsible for [nco's national corporate advertising, calls a "(aim. informative approach." Since Inco selects its stations wilh a careful, thoughtful eye on the integril\ and believahility of their news and public service programing, the commercials are given an authoritative exposure unequaled by spot announcement-. Cited by reps as highly indicative of the power of local weather reports is the case of Cream of Wheat. Scheduling its announcements adjacent to these weather reports. Cream of Wheat authorizes stations to air extra announcements at the approach of cold weather, identifying produd] with weather itself, at the comma nit) level. The fact that Cream of Wheat enjoys a greater share of the market than any other cooked cereal is due in large measure, one rep strongly believes, to local radio's No. One position as weather adviser. "Just as GMAC and Inco gain direct stature-image through news." he says, "Cream of Wheat reaps image stature from indirect association with a very prime radio service. Direct or indirect, the image value the thing." Local sports programs too are beginning to attract wider national attention, with such products as Sinclair Oil. Canada Dry. Shaeffer Beer, Texaco. American Tobacco, R. J. Rex nolds Tobacco, Ealantine Beer, and Atlantic Refining picking up the tab for either regularly scheduled sports news programs or pla\ -by-play sporting events of a local nature. Outstanding example of the intensity of communitj loyalty and support where local sports and their coveragl are concerned is the Balantine Bed buj of ' •; of the Bruins" hockex and Celtics' basketball games on Boston's \\ MDH. a schedule running from October 1960 through March 1961 sponsorship shared with two local advertisers. The success of llii schedule has buoyed reps in their push for major oil. beer and tobacco sponsorship of local sporting events. Eagerl) cited example of how such wary, seeminglj unconvinced advea risers a national food companies cflfl \ext week, in Part II of litis story: Why 3 major national advertisers use community radio — and why more do not. .SO SI'ONSOK 19 .It \K 1961