Sponsor (Nov 1946-Oct 1947)

it promotes it. Recently (September 15-18) Rexall opened its new giant drugstore and building in Los Angeles. During the four-day celebration there were four special Rexall broadcasts from KFWB and 12 Rexall broadcasts from KMPC, all of them built on a specialevent basis. The Governor of California, Earl Warren, broadcast a special welcome to the new building over each of the stations. Rexall president, Justin Dart, made a number of broadcast appearances and guest stars from industry and radio including Ed. Williams, president of Lambert Pharmacal Co., Mayor Bowren of Los Angeles, Sheriff Biscailuz, Horace Thomas, assistant sales manager of Eastman Kodak, as well as the cast of Bride and Groom, all paid salutes to Dart and Rexall. One special broadcast came in part from "the world's largest drugstore" (the one newly opened) and in part from "the world's smallest drugstore," the latter located in Topanga Canyon, California. Both KFWB and KMPC have regular commercial broadcasts for Rexall, the former starring Jerry Lawrence in a disk session daily at 4-4:15 p.m. and the latter a nightly newscast from 9-9:15 p.m. The national program is featured in every promotional kit Rexall sends out. There are usually one window card, several counter cards, and innumerable throw-aways, all of which say, "Listen," and follow it with plugs for the program and its stars. Present material plays up Jimmy Durante, who will this season be without his sidekick of the past few years, Garry Moore. Stressed also will be the fact that the program will be NBC this season whereas in the past it has been CBS. Justin Dart, Rexall's president, gets every penny out of each drug promotional dollar Now in its 35th year, the Rexall Maga* zine with 1,000,000 circulation is a typical give-away pulp magazine with stories, features, some news, and much Rexall advertising. It's bought by druggists imprinted with their names and used both as a store give-away and as a mailing piece. Every page carries an underline, which asks the reader to "Listen to the Rexall program starring Jimmy Durante, Friday nights, NBC network." There is also at least a half-page advertisement and editorial copy on the program somewhere in each issue. Radio is the final selling touch in many of the Rexall monthly product promotions and the program stars are always included in name and picture on the displays of the product leader for the month. Tests of these displays sans the radio touch have been made against the same displays with the broadcast-plus. The results have proved that while they're selling radio they're doing even a better job of selling the product which is promoted on the displays. Actual figures on how much better a display with Jimmy Durante on it does than one with straight product exploitation haven't been released but researchers who worked on the project say, off the record, that 25 per cent would be a fair estimate. Even small three-and-a-quarter by five-and-a-quarter-inch four-page folders have a tie-in cut on their lastpage, saying"Listen! Listen! Listen!" to Durante. When Rexall suggests new store designs to druggists there's always a place among the shelves of products for a streamer selling the radio program — either the network program or the local program of the individual druggist. Despite all the promotion, pressure is never placed upon the druggist to sell the program. The idea which Rexall gets across is that radio is part of the Rexall product, that radio makes the Rexall trade name just as big as Listerine, Lever Brothers, Goodyear, Parker Pen, AlkaSeltzer, or any other of the hosts of trademarked products that the average druggist carries. And it's done by telling the Rexall story, not by competitive selling against the other brands. Rexall is too clever to directly fight other brands that independent druggists carry — and on which they make a profit. It sells Rexall all the way — and promotion is part of the product that Rexall sells. Its local programs throughout the country run the gamut of show types but news broadcasts are more frequent than any other form of programing, and the Editor's Page , SIMMER RUHII .SHOW S/H'-Wnfinfi REXALL THEATRE CAST THE DRUGGIST.... PAT O 8RIEN THE NURSC LYNN BAR) IN DRUGS... if irs Rexall irs right V»*UM! l.****«l USTIN YOUR Rexaft DRUG RADIO SHOW OUT FII01I »lt»T . 9 10 [St ■ C01ST TO C01SI OK CIS f House organ editorial helps and all printed matter says "listen" KJB *t <. «Et WL".-» ir, ej-a Broadcasts are usually made something personal through two-page spreads in "Ad-Vantages" which explain why the show's good business The program star always says "Rexall's best" in displays