Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1964)

Record Details:

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Dane Bernbach and the American Export Lines commercial by Cunningham & Walsh. Both were selected from a wide variety of sales messages promoting a range of products and ideas. "The Jamaica Tourist Board commercial shows the variety and beauty of the island," says the vice president of one agency. "The two unusual features of the commercial are the number of scenes (39) and the lack of voice over." Best possible comment came from a creative director at a competing agency who said: "The commercial made me want to go to Jamaica." Dave Reider, vice president and American Airlines entered spot tv in New York only 18 months ago; now uses five markets. Urgency and safety characterize AmExCo radio commercials for travelers checks; prestige and convenience for credit cards senior vice president and account supervisor. "We did a study of radio listening habits and discovered that travelers listen more regularly to the radio than non-travelers do," says Detchon. "We also found out that they listen more frequently to musicand-news shows during drive-time." With such findings to back up radio, tests were launched in several major cities in 1962. Last year, cycles of one-minute commercials were scheduled on the CBS network, in addition to spot announcements in 21 large metropolitan markets. This summer the commercials were on all four major U.S. networks, covering more than 1100 radio stations, in addition to heavy spot schedules in key markets. Detchon stresses that the objective of the campaign for travelers checks was to stress the product's advantages, particularly that of safety. "We're trying to broaden the market rather than sell competitively against other brands of travelers checks." he says. "Cash is our real competition. At the same time, of course, we are trying to make the name American Express synonymous with travelers checks. "We thought the best way to tell our safety story was through people who had lost monev and had gotten it back because it was in American Express Travelers Cheques or, as we refer to it on the air, 'the safe money." People are concerned about losing money, but their main concern is they don't want their vacation spoiled," Detchon explains. At first Ogilvy decided to try a newcast technique AmExCo. the idea was expanded to include a three or four-second dramatized introduction, setting the stage for a headline such as "Purse snatchcr robs woman at Mardi Gras." "The commercials sound real because the stories are all true," says Roy McKechnie, copywriter for the series. The manager of the travelers checks refund department, Harry Egan, provides Ogilvy with background information on clients who have lost travelers checks or had them stolen. " We sifted through hundreds of files for unusual stories." says McKechnie. "No names are used, of ro'irse. We work quite hard for realism. At the studio we have made as many as 15 separate takes to get exactly the right effects." American Express also uses radio to advertise its credit card. The objective of the commercials is to presell people on carrying the card, to make it a desirable thing to have. "We use radio for credit cards as an umbrella for direct mail," says account supervisor Detchon. "Our radio advertising enhances the card's prestige by reminding radio listeners how many different goods and services they can charge. We use direct mail to follow up and actually sell the cards. Radio has also al lowed us to improve and expand our service establishment relationships." While the advertising agency is responsible for writing the commercials, the AmExCo advertising managers of the travelers check and credit card divisions review them carefully. Tom Thorne for travelers checks and Ken O'Brian for credit cards must approve every commercial before it can be aired. Other commercials, for the travel division, have been designed to establish American Express as a travel headquarters, a one-stop shopping service for anyone on the move. Out of this approach came the phrase "American Express, the company for people who travel," currently used in all commercials. Separate commercials have to be done in French and English for use in Canada. (American Express commercials reach 90 percent of the Canadian market.) French is used exclusively in commercials for Quebec City; English and French for such bilingual areas as Montreal and Ottawa. The scripts are produced in New York in English and are sent to Ogilvy's office in Toronto where they are translated into French and reproduced by the local staff. Distribution is also handled by the local office in Canada. In 1963 American Express was included in RAB's list of top 50 radio advertisers. The feeling is that it will stav there. ♦ October 26, 1964 37