Sponsor (Nov 1946-Oct 1947)

products, research developed, were gathering dust in thousands of drug-stores throughout the country until a new program, never heard on the networks or in the big cities, a one-minute daily Miles Historical Almanac, was placed on 130 stations (handled through the Keystone Network). Now both of these products are going so well (according to good Washington sources') that they are under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. There's no dust on Nervine or the Anti-Pain Fills and it took the radio version of the Miles Historical Almanac to dust 'em. The one-minute broadcast is doing a good part of the job that millions of printed Almanacs did. Credit Charley Beardsley himself for seeing this possibility and having it checked for Miles' use. It is checking and double checking that is responsible for any changing in the Miles broadcast pattern. It was some years ago, actually in 1941, that the sales promotion department came up with the amazing information that although Miles sold basically in rural markets there were hundreds of markets which only received secondary or tertiary service. So a test rural market and a test rural group of stations were selected, and the Nielsen Drug Index research organization was hired to make an inventory check in a panel cross section of drug stores before the first broadcast and after 26 weeks on the air. Result showed that the rural station cities were 28 per cent ahead of all other markets after the 26 week local intown station broadcasts. The check was made not against previous sales in these markets but against current sales in all markets. Not the Program No, the secret wasn't the program, because it was simply an off-the-line transcription of the regular Lum and Abner program, heard four times a week on AEC. Even if it could be claimed that the Lum and Abner program is closer to the heart of the small town than any other place, that still would not be the answer because some of the stations surveyed were, according to O. B. Capelle, "In towns blanketed by wired networks." Coverage from within, as contrasted with super-power coverage from without works best, if the Miles checkup can be projected generally, with programs primarily of rural appeal. To feed everyone, sophisticate and general store owner, with the same kind of fare, doesn't make sense. More than not making sense, there is a certain home-town pride which makes a localite tune-in his in town station in preference to one in a remote city, programs notwithstanding. And the figures, the Miles figures, prove this, beyond the 28 per cent increase which Nielsen brought forth on the original drugstore inventory survey. Shortly after Lum and Abner was brought to the one-station towns via Keystone Broadcasting, Miles aired a free picture offer. They expected 50 requests from each of the 130 stations. That would have brought in 6,500. Actually 62,500 requests came in. or almost 500 per station, according to a station check-up. Miles' own figures are 101,666 picture requests, which is nearly 900 per station. The difference between the station figures and Miles' is no doubt accounted for by requests coming in direct, etc. Miles Proves In-town Coverage Contrasting the in-town stations' share of audience vs. an entire network's share underlines the fact that Miles was correct in going rural via rural stations. The net, and Miles is perfectly happy with the job that ABC is doing for it, had a 13.2 share of audience for the Lum duo. During the same period the rural stations running Lum and Abner on e.t.'s garnered a 45.2 share of audience, a better than 3-to-l ratio (special Hooper check). Nationally the sets-in-use figure (in the Hooperated 32 cities) was 14.1 while in the rural station cities the sets-in-use figure was 22.6 or one-third higher than in the area on which all present rating index figures are based. Also, based upon a projection acceptable to the sponsor, the cost per thousand listeners was .377 as against the ABC network cost per thousand of .971. The breakdown ran like this: ol prodw i nil the di uggi >l h< [ves w;i checked over a two-week period in s< pi ember and another two-week period in January 1946. The fact that another headache remedy (Bromo Seltzen was using the same rural stations didn't detrai I at all from the continuing sales-impact ol the Miles story. During the survey period Alka Seltzer was up 103 per cent, while Bromo Seltzer was up in sales 69 per cenl Bromo Seltzer was using 11 one-minute announcements a week, while Miles was continuing Lum. Of course the latter had been on the air in the area over four years, while Bromo Seltzer had just finished its first 26 weeks when the second check was made. The two inventory indexes came up this way: BROMO SELTZER I Hit Sale . Change $.12 —46 $.30 | 16. (, $.60 +4.0 $1.20 23.o $2.00 325.0 RURAL NET 116 stations 110 15,094,831 ears 106,087,500 $580.00 time $3,505.20 10.2 rating 3.4 $.377 cost per M $.971 $.30 $.60 \l k A SELTZER 188.0 + 98.0 And since time alone doesn't give the complete picture, the making of the e.t.'s of Lum and Abner cost $500 over and above the $3,000 the program cost on the network. Since most of the check-up took place shortly after Miles decided to go rural in its air advertising placement as well as in its program appeal, the continuing impact of their rural advertising was open to question ... so another check-up was ordered from Nielsen in September 1945. Following the usual routine, the movement Some of these increases are more impressive percentage-wise than they are in dollar volume. For instance the 325 per cent increase of sales in the $2.00 Bromo Seltzer size meant very little sin;e the "before the survey index" of this price bottle was less than 1 per cent. .87. and the increase of 325 per cent only brought it up to 3.74. On the other hand the 16.6 increase on the BS $.30 size brought a sales index of 8.06 to 21.33, which is really something in dollars and cents. The Miles story — -the entire story — ■ must wait until the current changes in programing become established — but its formula of going to rural stations for a rural audience has been on the firing line for over four years — and it works. To again quote O. B. Capelle, sales promotion manager of Miles, "a representative of an excellent publication that reaches small towns brought me a consumer study they had just finished among their subscribers. ... his survey showed that 59 per cent of his readers had some kind of vitamins in their homes and One-A-Day led all the other brands with 23 per cent of the total, while the next advertised brand scored 10 per cent . . . and we had never used a line of advertising in his paper." Even the competition proves the rural station point. For years Miles Labs, reached rural markets through powerful but remote stations. When the great drug house won! to the people through their in-town broadeasters. the pieture ehangeil. I'p went the Miles rating iu Nielsen Drug Sales Index NOVEMBER, 1946 37