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Bell & Howell: "time to buy when
^ Bell & Howell, out to disprove "recession" thinking, has allocated record high ad budget for second quarter
^ Company believes now is a good time to advertise, cites its current relief time buy at 25% off the card rate
I he biggest topic of conversation these days is. as it has been for several months, the economic recession. Almost daily there are discussions about the downturn, with its cutbacks in manufacturing, basic industries at low production levels, record numbers of people drawing unemployment compensation.
This might seem hardly the time to launch a record high network television advertising campaign to sell a high ticket luxury item. But to Charles H. Percy, president of Bell & Howell Co., Chicago manufacturers of photographic equipment, its an excellent time. Percy bases his contention on two points:
• Business in general: Suggesting that recessions reflect a negative psychological attitude, Percy says "If we keep so busy carrying out new plans and promotions, we won't have a chance to know that there is a 'recession' on."
• B&H business in particular: Percy
is allocating a record-high advertising budget — $600,000 — for the second quarter of 1958. This is about triple the $200,000 the company spent during the same period last year. The major expenditure is in network tv, where the company, and its agency, McCannErickson, Chicago, has bought rate card time valued at $450,000.
Buy when they sell
Here too, the company is able to lake advantage of the times. The time purchased is relief time. "We were able to buy the time at 75% of the original cost," Percy says, and continues, "the time to buy is when everybody else wants to sell."
This move on B&H's part is not out of character. The company has had a steady growth pattern since 1949 and has, in fact, quadrupled its sales gross between that year and 1957.
This growth represents many factors. The photography market has taken tremendous strides since the war and
now represents a potential of $1 billion annually.
In 1957, according to an industry estimate, about 780,000 8mm cameras were sold, accompanied by about 520,000 8mm projectors. These are considered as being bought for home movie making. So too are 25.000 16mm cameras and 20,000 16mm projectors sold last year, though these latter represent only about one-fifth of total 16mm sales. The balance is sold for professional use.
The photo industry over-all has experienced an 80%-plus volume increase in the past 10 years. "This ties in directly to population increase," says Carl G. Schreyer, Bell & Howell vice-president of marketing.
Bell & Howell has ridden the crest of this post-war photography boom by racking up a higher-than-industry-average 125%-plus increase in sales during this period.
The company was founded in 1907 as a producer of professional film
alrj adjusts from tshade
Ease of operation is suggested by showing mother taking movie of daughter while father is away
SPONSOR • 19 APRIL 1958