Sponsor (1956)

the client that the cost-per-thousand housewives reached was, at worst, a maximum, and that in actual buying it would most probably be less. \\ hen Southburgh was finally purchased, the cost-per-thousand housewife viewers was approximately five cents lower than had been shown the client. This occurred because Prod-A was lucky enough to pick up a few very good slots which had just been relinquished by a seasonal adviser. So the client was happy. As was the buyer. And no nightmares. One further example, this time of another recommendation a timebuyer made several months ago. It illustrates a situation I believe, which many of us run into no matter what market is under consideration. The recommendation had been sent to the client a few days earlier, and now the timebuyer was called in to discuss it. "That's all very well, Sam, and you've done a good job," said the client. '"But we have a special situation in this market which you may not know about. My wife's brother's wife's father owns the other station in that city. I think we owe it to ourselves to take another look just to be sure we're on the right track. ..." * * * LOCAL PERSONALITY {Continued from page 36) • \\ hat is your company's philosophy? • What human interest facts will appeal to listeners? The advertiser, when possible should Bend his on-the-air salesman samples of the product he is selling. This serves to convince the radio personalil\ that he's selling a good product, lets him know from first-hand usage how it works or what it tastes like, enables him to experience it so that he's best equipped to talk about it — either in a commercial or among friends and acquaintances. 3. Get an "exclusive" if you can. Get a franchise on your sports director or newscaster or homemaker, if it's at all possible. This gives you stronger identification with the listening audience, a right to expect more service, an edge on the competition which can't move in 15 minutes later with an announcement delivered by the same personality. "Tie him up all for yourself," is the recomnmedation of R. David Kim ble, account executive at Grey Advertising, New York City. "You can use an exclusive personality a lot more, and a lot better, if he is, for example, the Voice of Ford in Chicago. Then you can more justifiably use him at dealer meetings, for example, because to the public he is Mr. Ford. And he won't be selling Chevrolet at the same time! 4. Develop original copy handling techniques. Copy should not only fit the product and the client, it should fit the personality handling the commercial. Wells Barnett, assistant to the president of John Blair & Co., station representative, New York, says: "Any advertiser buying a local personality should use live copy, and thereby use the sales force of the individual. Remember, the person is the connecting link between the advertiser and the audience. The good personality will study the copy and the product, and then sell it — in his own st\ le." Some commercials can be delivered safely in an ad lib fashion. But others, for certain types of accounts, require close adherence to exact copy phrasing. There can be no deviations, for example, in claims for certain food and drug items. 5. Enlist the local personality's cooperation wherever possible. Here's where the question of servicing an account becomes the most "iffy." What can a buyer justifiably expect the local personality and, indirectly, the radio station, to do for him? Most people on both sides of the media fence — buying and selling — agree that just delivering the commercial is not enough. It's when these people start defining just exactly what 15 enough that they get into murky waters. Every radio station in the count n today has some kind of a program schedule constructed around what it considers strong personalities. Here are some typical examples of the variety of ways in which advertisers are using such talent. The farm director — Farm radio is at an all-time high today, and much of farm radio advertising is concentrated in the realm of the farm radio director. Two of the biggest station representative firms maintain hill-time farm specialists, selling only the farm market to farm product manufacturers. I liit farm man. Harold J. Schmitz, KFEQ \\1 ami l\. St. |< seph, Mo., covered 24,270 miles in one year. In thai -am. period ol time, he met and talked with 40,245 persons, had 920 guests on his farm shows, \ isited 419 farms and made 45 special remote broadcasts. \n<l Ed Slusarczyk, farm director ol WIBX, I tica, Y i ., is representative of radio farm directors in that he has been an active farmer all of his life and is active in many local, state and national organizations — 12 at the last count. This kind of activitv and coverage means more monev in the bank for a buyer. The disk jockey — Life magazine pioneered a promotion-in-depth concept, buying disk jockey program to advertise the weekly. It sent one of its own field men with a Young & Rubicam advertising agency man to brief all the jockeys and station management on objectives of the campaign. And it briefed them on techniques of delivery, too. The sportscaster — Texaco for the past three years has spotted its local radio selling emphasis in selected markets with well-known sports experts. Gerald Johnston, account executive Hmm,. Concert Music Typical of BMI "service" is the complete kit of "Concert Music" material used by broadcasters daily . . . scripts anil data which help many music programming needs. Included in BMI's Concert Music Service are: CONCERT PIN-UP SHEET — \ monthly listing of new recordings, contemporary and standard. YOUR CONCERT HALL— \ series of half-hour scripts for use with phonograph records. TODAY IN MUSIC — Data and facts about the important music events of the month. BMI-licensed stations — I I/. F\l and 7 1 -can be depended upon for complete service in music BROADCAST MUSIC, INC. NEW YORK • CHICAGO • HOLLYWOOD TORONTO • MONTREAL 23 JULY 1956 107