Sponsor (Jan-Apr 1958)

Sell to fit needs. The business will go to the station and rep who know a client's over-all advertising needs and ke\ presentations to them. One approach may be to find new uses for spot tv to fit it creatively into an advertiser's network strategy. For instance, spot tv can increase a network client's reach in specific trouble areas. Said George Blechta, A. C. Nielsen v.p., at last week's ANA research workshop: "The appeal of the strongest network television show will vary greatly in individual markets. In the current competiti\e network situation, broad coverage must result in certain weak spots. The problem is to plug up these holes. "How can this be done quickly, economically, and with flexibility required by a shifting network competitive picture? A broadcast spot campaign can answer all these requirements." Some enterprising reps have based a pitch on making up ratings differentials through spot tv in weaker network markets. Promote and merchandise. "Tv is the most powerful marketing medium when it's linked to the place of sale through good merchandising," says B&B's Grace Porterfield. "Some stations are doing a good job in promoting the campaigns of long-term advertisers. But too many stations don't keep the agency informed about the job they're doing. This means extra man-hours to avoid unnecessary merchandising duplications."' Buyers want to see more merchandising and promotion of the station's own local shows to build up the value of the adjacent announcement campaigns. And they want reps to keep them up-to-date on a station's effort to build its importance in the local market. Design escape hatches. The tv giants can spread the risk of long-term network commitments by buying into two or more shows on a split-sponsorship basis. But agencymen point to a number of medium -size advertisers who could afford only a 13-week run on network. "In prime evening time the door's still closed to them," says Bryan Houston media director John Ennis. "It's still hard for the seasonal advertiser to make a good buy. And it's hard for the year-round client whose needs have changed to be able to get out of his commitment." Ease network "must buys." Today's marketing-conscious client wants to have the full impact of his tv dollars What TvB sees ahead for '58 1957 1958 Network $ 661.2 $ 694.3 National spot 360.8 386.1 Local spot 300.0 336.0 Total tv $1,322.0 $1,416.4 TvB's prediction for 1958 tv dollar voli me represents a 7% increase ov er its 1957 year end industry esti mates. This 7% growth Would me larger dollar gain than the csti nated 9.3% incre ase v chalked up in 1957 over the 1956 McCann-Ei icks in tv figures. in the areas where his sales are. Network must-buy stations don't fit each national client's needs. "Chicago is a natural part of a basicnetwork, but it could be bad for a coffee advertiser." says the head buyer for a major coffee brand. "Chicago has so many local brands, the national coffee client might be better off with three other markets in the place of Chicago. But two tv networks make no provision for such substitutions." A number of agencymen feel that some of the money going into spot programing buys could be attracted into network if must-buy requirements were based on dollar volume as in the case of ABC TV rather than upon specific station lineups. Says the media v.p. of an agency that billed over $20 million in tv in 1957: "Often the bulk of sales of national advertisers comes from a handful of markets. If such a client happens to have a very well-rated network show, he could really get along on fewer stations and still hit most of his market. Rigid network must-buy requirements may be driving some of these advertisers into spot programing buys." Trim paper work. As more clients buy spot tv in shorter-term flurries, the timebuyer's job becomes more complex. Better servicing on the part of the reps could relieve this burden, say the agency media men, and would help trim the agency's cost of handling spot tv. "As we use more and more short flights, we need reps' confirmations faster," says Cunningham & Walsh's Jerry Sprague. "Any scheduling error or make-good or billings error becomes more difficult to make up during a six-week campaign than in a 26-week period." Some of the snags that develop in buying a shortterm campaign could be avoided through better communication between the stations and their reps. For instance, some stations still run make-goods without checking the agency through their rep before doing so. "This complicates our job of policing a campaign." says one JWT buyer. "And the make-good might not deliver the impact that we were entitled to get." Develop new presentations: Media buyers work long hours. They don't like the kind of presentation, no matter how glamorous or witty, that takes an hour and keeps them in the office after six doing work they could have done had the presentation been shorter. "I wish the reps would stick to facts and keep them short and sweet," says a Compton media executive. "Too much of the stuff they show us is puffery and we know it. Market data is something that any large agency today can develop within its own shop. What we want is more competitive information about the way one station stacks up against the others in a market. We want background on its programing and personalities." It boils down to this: Media men want to see facts, logically and creatively presented. They're unim by meaningless decoration. 25 JANUARY 1958