Sponsor (May-Aug 1957)

Product X had $1,500,000 to spend tor a national campaign. Media recommended tv, then the marketing-media team chose cities together I. thing flows I In nk stage: At Compton, everyfrom the account executive. He's the source of all client information, at least at the first stage of the game, and at all times is the clearing house for contact and information provided by the agency services. So. when Product X went from the client company's labs to a product manager's desk, this was the first step: An account group was assigned to the agency account executive. The group included men from media, programing, copy, research — a marketing man. After a general briefing on client aims, the account executive talked at greater length with the marketing man — one of 15 marketing executives under Bill Nevin, v. p. in charge of marketing. Then the marketing man went to work. "He'd learned product fundamentals from the account executive, knew the profit expectancy, and client objectives," said Nevin. "He then went on to get industry information. Example: sales trends for products of the same category as Product X which come from Compton's research department and from trade journals" He consulted the brand manager of Product X and other client executives in sales and production suggested b\ the brand manager at the sponsor firm. And he took field trips to supplement this knowledge with trade reactions. By the time he finished compiling information, he knew who would buy the product, where and why. Virtually simultaneously with his research, the creative department was sweating out a copy approach. They found that Product X had demonstrable superiority and that women buying this type of product want to know reasons why. Then the media department could go to work with all the facts in hand. "The associate media director on Product X summarized the marketing and copy strategy in relation to media." Frank Kemp, media v.p., told SPONSOR. "Then he and the buyer talked about the way marketing and copy approaches related to media. This discussion took place about three or four months before we were read) to go into the test market operation;" The media men distilled the following basics from the available data: 1. Product \ is a household product, bought and used b) women. 2. It's retailed through super markets and other grocer) outlets and is competitivel) priced to be a mass-appeal product. 3. The consumer purchase studs revealed a slight urban prejudice in the buying pattern, so the campaign would natural]) concentrate on urban areas. 4. The buying cycle seemed to be approximately one purchase weekb b\ the average consumer. 5. It had a visually demonstrable superiority. "These facts, combined with other market data and a copy strategy spelled out daytime network tv programing to us," says Frank Kemp, "at least, in a national campaign." The Compton media department at this point started drawing up a media strategy for Product X. After summarizing the marketing and copy points which determined their thinking, the) plunged into the broad recommendations. "Tv should be Brand X"s basic medium for mass coverage," wrote the associate media director who was as AcCOUnt group 's headed by account executive, John Cross, at head of table. Agenc) service departments an all represented in the group. Discussing new tv campaign are (1. to r.) Henry Clochessy, assoc. media dir.; John Egan. exec, producer; Vera Oskey, copy group head; Cross; Lawrence Horner, mktng exec; Bob Jacoby. research super*. Executives shown in these pictures are not necessarily working on Product X. since identity of brand is being shielded