Sponsor (Apr-June 1964)

TV MEDIA Cookies go to Europe for live-on-tape sell Stella D'Oro, first American company to explore use of on-location video tape in Europe, finds satisfaction with line standards and dollar results THE ARTISTIC AND FINANCIAL benefits of filming abroad are an old story on Madison Avenue, which has often traveled to the Champs Elysees and Via Veneto to make commercials. But the Old World as an on-location site and technical source for video taped commercials is a brave new world for American admen. One would expect the initial foray to be made by a Standard Oil or a P&G. In fact, it is Stella D'Oro, a small New York-based baker of "Continental" cookies with distribution in 35 markets, which, in looking for a fresh way to woo the American housewife, has become the first American company to explore the use of on-location production of European video tape commercials for stateside consumption. "We were after commercials with mood, romance, charm, feeling." said Murray Firestone, president of Stella D'Oro's Philadelphia agency, Firestone Rosen. "We wanted a documentary atmosphere of realism and believability.*' Since the 35 to 40 products in the Stella D'Oro line have an Italian •flavor," all the campaign's creative ingredients called for the lifelike quality of tape and the atmosphere of on-location European production. So Firestone created a series of six 60-second soft-sell. whimsical spots, lined up one o\' the veterans of the tape business, freelance producer Nat Eisenberg. and set out to gel his commercials produced. Although tape has been around for some seven years on this side o\ the Atlantic and is by now an established institution with most national and regional advertisers, its use in Europe has been rather limited. Tight government regulations and the scarcity of commercial tv time have already spiraled commercial-production costs sky high, inhibiting any extensive experimentation with tape. And as far as the U.S. advertiser is concerned, there is the complication of differing line standards, the unpredictability of an on-location tape job 4,000 miles away from home. Firestone-Rosen — which used to be W. B. Doner — wasn't put off. It focused its transatlantic sites on the one non-governmentcontrolled outfit on the Continent equipped to tape on-location com Lighting director Hill Knight make*, prelighting adjustments for Lady Stella Assortment spot, while Eisenberg sneaks 20 winks from typical 12-hour taping day mercials to U.S. technical sta: ards — InterTel. InterTel, was formed in Spring of 1961 with a backbone Americans who had been abro with Intercontinental Television, now-defunct group, which among other things, the Ed Sulliv, Show in Moscow and Dave G roway in Paris. Under the helm president Erik Hazelhoff, Inter' has grown into a gTOup of "int related" production companies eight countries around the wor Film production is still the bv and-butter part of its business, cording to Hazelhoff, who figu that for every foot of tape, Int Tel produces three feet of fi It has done a great deal of fi work, both programs and com cials, for U.S. advertisers and n works. In the taped program an it's well known for its work France, Sweden, Denmark. Be gium, and Austria for NBC's / temational Showtime, ABC-T Wide World of Sports, and. mo recently, the Winter Olympics fro; Innsbruck. But the six Stella D'Oi spots, which were shot last Decent ber and hit U.S. tv screens Marc 30 in 12 major markets, represei InterTel's maiden venture in vide! taped commercials for U.S. airir (though it subsequently taped few billboards for Schlitz, via Le Burnett, for use in its sponsorshi of the Olympics). "We're just getting into stride with video tape commercii for U.S. advertisers." said Haze hoff, predicting "a sizable break i the dam toward Europe for tape commercials" now that Amei ican admen have discovered th; a reliable and technically skille tape operation exists over then If he's correct. InterTel will b right there ready to handle th overflow of business. As Hazel hoff sees it, his group has fou distinct advantages for the U.S adman in Europe that no othe existent outfit has: ( 1) As noted, it's the onl) pi vate mobile video tape company Europe whose equipment will Wi on any of the recognized line st ards. A mere flick of a switch lows InterTel to tape to the I technical requirement of 525 lin the European requirement of 625 or the British (which will soon ize L i 46 April 27, 1964 / SPONS0I