Sponsor (July-Dec 1953)

iii gel a good Inn i"i the i lienl money, practices like this make libtough fin inc. \\ i have a couple "I clients in the shop who are aware thai some stal ions will cul i ates. I hus, thej feel thai nil stations i an I" bai gained w ith it you trj hard enough, ["his i\ pe i'l client think \ mi re nol mi the ball il you i an i come up w iili .1 bargain basemen! deal .mil will till ii 'you < .m do bettei than this , \ a result i'l this situation where some clients continue t>> pressure Bta tions for <iit rates ami some Btations continue to offer them Freel) in adverh-ii there i a i misiderable amount ul Dame-calling these days between lm\ ei ami seller. For iii-iam e, mil' i'l the clients mosl often cited bj Btation executives a an outstanding example nf a bargain hunter was General Mill-, gianl of the i ereal ami Bour business. But in a conversation with a -i'<>\soh editor, I.. H. Crites, directoi ol radio and TV media for General Mill-. stated : "We arc currently running radio spot campaigns for our products which are more than double the size ol t h>>l»« >t campaigns we've used in previous years. However, we ilon t considei that we are bargain hunters. "\\ e queried all ol the station reps and most of the leading I . S. stations this spring. We stated clearl) thai we wanted something unusual a floating announcement si hedule of some ()<io to 1.000 announeeinenls per market during a three-to-four month summer period. In some cases, we wanted only half that amount if the market was receiving adequate coverage from othei media. We al-o Stated that we planned to extend these schedules for the balance of the \ear in several cases. "In all. we not flat-rate offers from some 800 radio stations in 300 market-. We analyzed these without regard t<> Standard Hate & Data prices — against yardsticks of coverage, audience, station's ability to move consumei goods, and the like. "In mam cases, stations had to create a new rate lor us. since the) had never handled floating schedules a large as ours. This was entirely up to the station. In no ease did we make a eounter-ofTer to a-k for rate reductions. We did our choosing between the prices offered US. "I don't think \ ou can call this rate gouging. I certainh don't approve ol the pi .ii in e ol offei ing several diffei cul prices i" several different clients oi a gem ies. lint it seems i" me that il a station sees that its rate i ard is im Inn ri realistic in tei tns "I todaj advertising value-, thai Btation should icv i-e its card i ates and publish a new one." ~. mi< ul the top Btation reps, how e\ ii. are nol in< lined to agree with i i ite thai the < reneral Mills deal M .i-n I rale gouging. "\\ e don't have an) < reneral Millbusiness running on an) "I our Btations at a '-p' ■ ml i ate . the ow ner of a leading rep organization Btated i" sponsor. "We told General Mills that the) ' ould luiv all the time the) wanted at the maximum di-i mini mi the rate < ards .mil that we would not make .uiv "deal-. Im glad we didn't. I le ,ii mil latei that in one mid-\\ estern market General Mill approached two leading stations and asked foi a rate-per-announcemenl based on the assumption that the) would spend nil "I their budget b>r thai market on one nf the stations. "\\ hen General Mills gol the station bids, the) proceeded to .-plii the business in hall between the two Stations .mil paid i"i it ii the low »p» ial i ite w Im b ea< h -t.it ion had offei ed I In radio managei "i a Madi \veiiue rep him pointed out anothei in I' "i the < lenei al M ill conl ra< i. and others like it ; "General Mills told ua that th.-v fell the) were enl itled t" i spe< ial rate be • aii-e the) planned In In mi 1 1 1. .in in an unusual way. I he) were goin have ,i week ol intensive announce nieiii-. then a week off, then a week ol announi ements and bo forth. I think this i unfair, and amount to a rate i hisel because the stal ion has the prob lem ul selling all those time slots on the intervening week, meanwhile having Bold a l"t "I time at a • ul pi I nough big conl racts ol that t\ pe can ruin a Btation. "1 don i think advertisers are entitled tn -pei ial pi ices be* ause ol some odd quirk in their < ampaign, oi because the) want tn be On the air on alternate I in •-■ lav -. nr because it's tlnn 'off season." Uso, I don't think a few advertisers should feel the) are entitled i<> a 'wholesale rate' becau-e tbev have an occasional big saturation campaign when dn/ens nf stead) advertisers buv al the "retail rate'." 1000 WATTS Charleston's most far reaching station "SUMMER SLUMP? at the kennel! Not here "Oh, it's been awfully hot through the southeast — we'll grant you that. Folks get worn out; tempers get frayed . . . "That is, unless you're one of those lucky timebuyers who are ensconced comfortably on WPAL for the summer. "Sales of WPAL clients' products are staying right up there, and — nould you believe it? — VC'PAL sales are increasing right along, beat or no heat! "Fetter come on down to the kennel — where it's shady, and profitable!" Forjoe and Company S. E, Dora-Clayton Agency w-PAL of CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA All this and Hoopers too! ■r 27 JULY 1953 91