Sponsor (Apr-June 1963)

CIGARETTE ADVERTISING (Continued t><>>n page 35) Anothei commercial winning Eavor with vendors is that extolling Viceroy, which a number deemed "one of the nicesl around." In fact, some liked Viceroy's old campaign geared to "A thinking man's filter ami a smoking man's taste," because ii was different from the others "where a lot of people sit around and sing songs." Music notwithstanding, many (Inks said their best seller is Kent, attributing this to strong backing in a Reader's Digest article. Also, some clerks said commercials were mentioned by customers as having influenced their decision to smoke Kent, with a lot of them convinced that Kent's "Micronite filter" is more healthful than others. A middle-aged candy-store owner in Flatbush singled out the softsell cigarette commercial for praise, stressing: "I don't like loud commercials. Mister, most of the cigarette commercials stink. They don't tell the customer anything. There's too much dopey goo-goo-eye-making going on in cigarette commercials." Pressed to name a commercial he approved of, he cited Pall Mall's. "It's good on the ear, and is nice and quiet." But he also expressed a fondness for commercials with marching bands in the background: "Mister, if you have anything to do with them, please give me more commercials with marching bands." Asked if he knew of LeRoy Collins, he replied morosely: "The only Collins I know is my landlord." Voice of San Francisco In San Francisco, two of the leading tobacco shop owners seemed to know what it's all about. One singled out tv spots — "plenty of them, not just now and then" — as best for boosting cigarette sales, and felt they should be before and after programs, rather than participations. The other said indications from his customers underscored the job done for cigars by tv sports backing. But the latter also was strong for spot, especially in prime time, and thought that saturation schedules are a must if the campaign is to be effective. The same vendor also felt that if the cigarette people can get their ads in "commuter time" radio (morning and afternoon rush hours) . spot radio is "unbeatable." He added that "radio sports programs are also good" for both cigarettes and ( igars. Ox Langlcy, one of the leading tobacco auctioneers in eastern North Carolina, said that advertising in "magazines, newspapers, and other media helps," but as for broadcasting, "when you can see it live and hear the people talking, why I think that's the greatest medium to get to the people." Asked about Collins. Langlev said: ". . . He's the former governor of Florida . . . has some government job right now." Told of Collins' NAB association and his stand on tobacco advertising, the auctioneer wondered why Collins would take such a stand. He noted: "Tobacco is a leading crop in the State of Florida, believe it or not ... I don't think it's detrimental to a person's health, providing they don't overdo it, and you can overdo anything." Recalls hit parade Touching on cigarette campaigns on tv, Langley, who has been a tobacco auctioneer nearly 25 years, said the one that stands out most in his memory was that for American Tobacco's Hit Parade (a brand still in production, but not advertised) . He said it was "synonymous with thinking about smoking." Wayland J. Sermons, member of the North Carolina State Legislature and owner of Sermons Tobacco Warehouse, Washington, N. C, said that from a personal standpoint, tv advertising "is one of the best mediums of advertising there is for cigarettes." As an example, he noted: "I can be watching tv and not thinking of smoking, and somebody will come out and say 'Light that thing up' and then take a puff. Next thing I know is I'm searching around the house for a cigarette, if I don't happen to have one in a pocket." "Regardless of what brand they're advertising," said Sermons, "it's power of suggestion. I think maybe a lot of people feel the same way." And, while advertising may not have the ear of the cigar store retailer, it certainly commands a great deal of attention from those more directly involved in the tobacco industry. As Sermons put it: "I just hope all the companies will keep advertising and selling out product. I know of nothing worse that could happen to us (in eastern North Carolina) than if tobacco advertising were discontinued on tv." ^ EATON'S CHALLENGE (Continued from pa^c 33) score for the Maxwell House cupand-a-half-fiavor commercial which won an award. The problem, in this instance, was to create a sound track which would do justice to coffee rising out of the cup. The result was nothing short of sensational, according to experts in the field. In the first pool of commercials Eaton used Olatunji, a famed African musician. In the second pool of commercials, the Mills Brothers were employed. "Music has an extremely potent emotional function in the sales impact of a commercial," says Eaton. "The emotional impact of a commercial is a vital factor in its selling effectiveness." Eaton, who holds a Bachelor of Social Science (magna cum laude) from CCNY, a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music, and a Master of Arts, Musicology, from Yale University, said last week that his two guiding principles of work could be summed up briefly. "Know your tools in music, tape and film from 'Click track' to 'Con Legno.' Use them with imagination, consistently resisting cliches or atiquated musical prejudices." (He describes "Click track" as an audio tempo indicator designed on the basis of film footage; "Con Legno" is a percussive string effect achieved by playing with the back of the bow.) Eaton recalls with pride the work he did on the Yuban Coffee campaign. It had what he regarded as a daring approach to music. "Let the music express the individuality and personality of the product," he says. "Each product has a personality which can be expressed in music." ^ 46 SPONSOR/10 june 1963