Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1963)

inoters Frohman and Cole approached a Miami department store and secured retail distribution for their new product. About this time, a cosmetics convention was held in Miami Beach at which the boys exhibited Greasy Kid Stuff. A visiting Chicagoan met them and told his attorney brother-in-la%\' in Chicago, Leonard Ring, their story. Ring flew Frohman and Cole to Chicago, and told them he thought they had a good idea. From a marketing viewpoint, there was at the time no line of hair dressing specificalK' designed for young boys. A group of Chicago investors was lined up. The result was the formation of Kid Products, Inc. \\ith Larry Frohman as president and Bill Cole as vice-president. Leonard Ring's one-year-old son was elected chairman of the board and his wife, Donna, agreed to be retained as acting executive manager (when she wasn't changing the chairman's diapers ) . The first thing the foundling company did was ask a chemist to develop a top-qualit\ formula for young, growing hair. This he did, but in the process he took the grease out of Greasy Kid Stuff. The semantic problem caused b\' a greaseless " 'Greasy' Kid Stuff was solved by putting quotes around the word, greasy, in product title. Went national in December In December, 1962, Kid Stuff Products, Inc. decided to go national. Without advertising, the Hedgling firm was soon able to set up a nationwide sales force and secure retail distribution in e\'ery major drug, chain and department store in the country. Not only that, repeat t)rders started to flow in. In March, 1963, initial test commercials were broadcast over Chicago's \\' LS on teen-age disk jockey Dick Biondi's show. The results were generally favorable. Meanwhile, Donna Ring experimented with other types of more personal promotion. In .\pril. Kid Stufl Products entered a float in a parade honoring Quincy, 111., as the AU-American city. On the float rode high school beaut\ ((ueens, student council oflicers, athletic stars and Kid Stufl president Larry Frohman. Besides announcing that "'Greas\' Kid Stuff" congratulates Quinc> on be ing All-American city," the float carried on its side the slogan: 'Tm still using that . . . 'Greasy' Kid Stuff." After the parade, not a bottle of the greaseless stufl was left in Quincy. Back in Chicago, in May, " Greasy' Kid Stuff' took part in a "Clean-Up Day in Chicago" parade and won first prize for the best float in a Polish Constitution Day parade. Volume in the ^^'indy Cit> increased, and maintained itself. Also during Ma\', the firm set up a manufacturing plant in Toronto for distribution in Canada and the Commonwealth countries. Sales doubled in Detroit During 1963's summer months, Kid Stutf Products added more teen-age programs to its radio spt)t campaign, including The Bill Balance Shutc, KFBW, Los Angeles; Scott Muni Show, WABC, New York, and Lee Allen Show, VVXYZ, Detroit. In Detroit, commercials resulted in doubling sales \olume. Monthly accounts began ordering weekly. Donna Ring flew up to the Motor Cit\' to find out why. Store level iuterxiews revealed nothing to which the sales spurt could be attributed but did inspire a two-day, old fashioned hootenanny which " 'Greasy' Kid Stuff " sponsored, in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce, in a mall at Northland Shopping Center on the outskirts of Detroit. The hootenannx' featured community talent, including a song and dance review, gymnastics, a dog act and local "twist" bands. It also established the fact that xoiuig people identified with Kid Stuff Products. For example, two teen-agers came up to the stage during the hootenanny to meet Larr\" Frohman, the 22-year-old president, and ask for his autograph. "We're having a great time, " they said. "Cant remember an\ company ever doing this before, just so we'd buy their product." Maybe the\' never cared enough," Larry answered. According to Donna Ring, that s what makes Kid Stufl Products differtMit: it cares. She related this to the highly successful Detroit radio spots, which simply and sincerely told the story of how and why two kids in Miami Beach start(>d ■ "Greasy" KitI Stuff", to come up with a basic "'kids-to-kids" advertising and marketing approach Sired in satire, " 'Greasy' Kid Stuff' also profits from a sense of humor. On th'e back of its new plas tic bottle, for example, are listed these directions for use: ^ Shake well before using. Clasp bottle tightly in both liands and jump up and down vigorously. ^ Use tremendous amounts daily. This ivill greatly facilitate our reorder schedule. ► Apply to hair. An in-store display card promul gates this adxice: Keep out of reach of adults. This light touch is carried through in television commercials In addition to the Karate take-off on 'Vitalis,' which is a 30-second spot calculated for teen-age and youngadult chuckles during early even ing tv hours, there is also a 10-sec ond commercial designed to im press parents with product quality during the 2:00-12:00 p.m. time period. This spot has nine little boys and a small goat running on camera while an annoimcer intones solemnly that "nine out of 19 'kids' prefer 'Greasy' Kid Stuff." Separate spots for Canada A third commercial, minute-long, is a documentar\-tNpe recitation oi the nationwide growth of Kid Stiifl Products. It is designed to build bridge of identification between the firms founders and the \ oung audi ences \iewing television from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. This direct "kids-W kids " approach is also used for ra^ dio commercials. In addition, sepai rate radio and television spots have been prepared for Canadian audi' ences. Kids' reactions to "The C(Mnpan> that cares " ha\e already led to the introduction of several other ne^ products and packages. These in elude a before-and-after sha\e lo tion; a shampoo; hair dressing ii stylish tubes for the \()ung adul market; and institutional bottk\s fo' the barbc>rsli()p trade. All thes< items w ill be on the market befon Christmas. In addition, as of Se] tember. Kid Stuff Products' distri bution became worldwide, inchu! ing PX sales at U.S. militar\ bast -A large part of the credit for Ku Stuff Products' success, of coursi must go to the Bristol-Myers '\'itiil is" commercial out of whir' 32 SPONSOR LV") NOMMiuK I'i''