Sponsor (Nov 1948-June 1949)

Forecasts of things to come </v seen by sponsor's editors Outlook Door-bell ringing increasing as firms expand direct selling Door-to-door selling is jumping by leaps and bounds. with several firms that specialize in this type of selling considering using broadcast advertising to open doors for their crew-. Fuller Brush, which had a network program some years ago. will use radio sparingly, and the Groller Society {Book of Knowledge) will ]>u\ time to supplement the use of the book as give-away on programs. Although most direct-selling organizations I Real Silk. Stanley Home Products. AirWay Electric Appliance I favor black-and-white, the need for extra push is making some turn to radio and TV. Railroad travel-trend down; roads turn to advertising Railroad travel, while up to new heights for Decoration Daj weekend, continues to be way off, and the roads are not buying new equipment. Equipment makers are expected lo h\ to lone the issue by working with one or two roads to prove that 1949 rolling stock will recapture business which has shifted to plains i comfort and speed travelers) and buses I economv -minded business I. Lines with new equipment will use broadcasting to spread the good word. There was twice a> much transportation advertising on the air in the first quarter of 1949 as during the same period oi L948, and the trend line will continue up. Baseball U.S.'s top ambassador of good-will in South America Latin-American interest in baseball is turning out to be I .S.'s greatest good-will ambassador. "Los fanaticos i fans l are hot for "los bumbs" (Brooklyn Dodgers I . and il dollai exchange can he arranged, there'll be South American tours for man) "I this season's diamond stars. Games are heard throughout the continent via shortwave, and have audiences that make some local broadcasters gnash their teeth. Motor sales continue to expand. Over 500,000 cars bought in April Motor sales in Vpril were the highest since June 1929. with Automobile Manufacturers Association reporting •43,118 units sold, onl) 2'<\.(><u ol which were foi export. While \I.i\ will he oil due I « . lord strike, production i expected to hold to the ovei half-million mark. Ford strike settlement indicates fewer long industry strikes in 1949 There will be verv few long-drawn-out strikes in industry this year. Settlement of the Ford strike is indicative of the trend of thinking among the rank-and-file. Ford strikers in the main felt that the "speed-up" excuse for the walkout wasn't a good one. and when the company wouldn't talk of a new contract until the strike was settled. strikers were of the opinion that the) were hurting themselves and their pocketbooks. Objective reporting of the strike over the I AW FM station in Detroit and other broadcasters kept the walkout free from violence and established a new Motor City strike pattern. International GE advertising stressing "American Way" angle The International General Electric Compan) is setting the advertising pace for other big businesses working the export field. Their printed-media advertising devotes !'»()'< of its space to selling ""the American Way." The rest is straight GE institutional advertising. Plans are being set to use some of their broadcast time for the same pitch. The campaign starts during the third week in June. Manufacturing, cost of living, and national wage income all drop, but — Though production continues to drop, according to the Federal Reserve Boards index of industrial production, and the cost of living continues to slide down, what most economists fail to point out is that the production slide, the cost-of-living slide, and the slightlv lower wage index balance one another to a degree that should prevent any national catastrophe. \o one factor in I .S. economy has become out of line too much at present, and after labor generally has signed new contracts, business will once again travel on an even keel. Utilities are a bright light on business horizon One continued bright spot in the business index is power consumption, which goes up and up even when manufacturing demands drop. That s because more and more homes become electrified monthly, and home consumption, being on an even keel and increasing in per home consumption aimuallv. keep generators humming. Utilities are inspiring manufacturers to stress how much entertainment is obtained from TV for three cents for several hours. That's helping T\ and the utilities. There'll be more advertising of this type in the near future. More fight wanted in institutional advertising l.niv Appley, American Management Association president, is wl ping it up for more mph. -pit and vinegar in institutional advertising. It's lime to in! out the gcntlemanl) discussions about economics in cop) ami get down to cases. You can't fight words like "slave-labor law' with sweetness and light. Watch trend towards fighting words in air institutional cop) il continuit) clearance departments will okav them. SPONSOR