Sponsor (1956)

5. HOW TO FOLLOW-THROUGH AFTER THE BUY (cont.) sents a great opportunity for major improvement of schedule. After May. we find summer. I think this might be the time to read your trade press and talk to your reps, and see what the trends are. 10. Last summer we noticed the trend was toward more spectaculars, and that sort of thing. Every broadcast year, I think, you will find you have new trends. These start to show themselves in the number of advertisers who have renewed, those who are going off for the summer. Get your bets down early on what you think is going to be a winner, because this year we found that people started making their fall buys in the middle of July. That was about 30 days earlier than the year before, which was mid-August, and that was about 30 days earlier than the year before that, which was mid-September. GEORGE POLK: It's quite difficult to separate the subject of initiating a campaign from the follow-through; one is an integral part of the other. My takeoff comes with the term "the timebuying level." I'm sure all of you at one time or another have been exposed to the term. It may be used in such contexts as, "Is the decision to be made at the timebuying level?" or "Is Mr. X at the client's account or at the timebuying level?" Certainly this level varies by agencies and by individuals within agencies, but is it where it should be in your agency? Are you satisfied with the part you play in your agency's radio and television operation? Occasionally I see in a trade magazine a crusade to elevate the unappreciated, underpaid, and only recently, the shackled timebuyer, with controversies as to whose responsibility it is to correct the wrong situation, wherever it exists. Is it up to agency management, the media director, or the industry itself? It is my firm belief that if you are a shackled timebuyer, a Class "AA" chainbreak selector, or an automaton for collecting minutes between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m., it is nobody's fault but your own. Timebuying is no different from any other business or profession in that its success is directly related to the individual's initiative. The level at which you stand as a timebuyer on your accounts is the level that you have created for yourself and is solely dependent upon the contributions you make toward decisions in purchases of time on your accounts. Now, besides the daily routine of actual buying, the timebuyer should be involved in all phases of media planning, and certainly in all broadcast buys, whether it is a Max Liebman spectacular on NBC or a chainbreak in a cooking show in Sioux City, Iowa. If this is not the case, don't throw up your hands and write off your agency as being impossible. It's not up to the agency or industry to change your job level — I'm afraid I'm getting repetitious — but it is strictly up to you. Just like a good rep, a good timebuyer is a good salesman. Convinced that an idea or plan is sound, he won't let up until it is adopted or at least given serious consideration. Now, it isn't always easy to sell an account man or client and understandably so. Most of them are not as familiar with broadcast media as you and many of them have been buying print media for 20, 30 or even 40 years and have seen it pay off. What's more, they understand it thoroughly so it is understandable that they should be reluctant to enter a realm of uncertainty and put large i ts into media they are not so familiar with. That's where you fit in as an expert in these relatively new media that use air instead of paper. Present your simply and factually, leaving no questions un answered, and you will be amazed at the results. You cannot assume that clients or account men, no matter how intelligent, have the same intimate knowledge of timebuying as you have. They can't. While you spend every working day steeped in broadcast, they only hear or read about it occasionally. They may even use it frequently, but nevertheless can't be expected to have the day-to-day working knowledge of it you do. In this respect, the rep can usually help tremendously, donating both time and material to your cause. He can supply readily available data, or even have special projects done to support your proposal. For example, he might have a special rating tabulation made to show how much unduplicated audience is reached in a given period of time; or perhaps he can supply success stories; or in the case of programs and personalities, it might be desirable for him to supply you with a kinescope to get over the emotional aspect of an emotional medium. Generally, I have found it best to expose all the facts, including possible client idiosyncracies, to the salesman and enlist his help. If, for example, proposal A reaches 50% more audience than proposal B for the same cost and you decide on B for reasons peculiar to your account, despite the audience advantage of A, tell the man why. He may be able to offer you something which is better than both A and B. Maybe proposal A involves daytime which reaches women more economically than B. But if the client tells you that store managers don't see his advertising and are about to throw his product off the shelves because of lack of advertising support, cost-per-1,000 isn't the answer, certainly. So why not explain to the salesman, confidentially if necessary, why B, which includes nighttime spots the store managers can see, makes more sense in this particular case despite the apparent advantages of A. While on the subject of reps, you can broaden your own reach within your agency by putting salesmen to work for you. You can't be everywhere at once, selling all the time, but the various reps can. Encourage the rep with a sound idea to follow it through. After having come to you with his idea initially, you can guide him as to which accounts might possibly be able to use what he has and the best way to present it. Perhaps the best way might be to have him go directly to the account man or client. The salesman invariably knows more of the details than you, and can probably present it more enthusiastically and generally has more time to do so. After all, that's how he makes his living. On the other hand, if you feel that the account personalities involved might object to this approach or not give the proposal the serious attention that it deserves, then it is your responsibility to suggest an alternate way — perhaps accompanying the rep or leaving the rep out completely, presenting it yourself. If the proposal is sensational enough, certainly you should be an active part in its presentation, if for no other reason than to add credence to it. Procedure is a delicate subject, and should always be handled with the utmost care. Thus, in your role as adviser to reps, you can help them to sell a good availability by supplying them with specific agency or client personality information and suggesting procedure. For instance, it might be advisable not to make too elaborate a presentation to a conservative client while a "dog and pony act" might be a very good way to impress another. The rep can't know what fits where. You can and should help him. If you set yourself up as a clearing house of ideas and offer quick advice or action, you will be exposed to all the best buys first, because all any salesman asks is the opportunity to tell his story to an individual or individuals 278 FALL FACTS BASICS