Sponsor (Jan-Apr 1958)

.IGHT SELL ^ The trend toward "off-beat" commercials continues strong. Agencies explore the dramatic effect of sound ^ The old concept of "annoyance through repetition" has passed. Now the accent is on more entertainment • The effort to inject entertainment into the radio commercial. The Dodge commercial which came in first is a good example of both the intelligent use of sound and the matching of product with commercial characteristics. The one in the series that seemed to capture most interest was one in which the length of the car was stressed through sound. The actor announced he would walk the length of his Dodge; then was heard a measured footfall that suggested the chassis stretched from Newark to Pitts burgh. When he next spoke, his voice sounded as though it came from a great distance. No mere mention of feet and inches could have so dramatically demonstrated the Dodge's overall length. Ogilvy, Benson & Mather's radio commercials for Pepperidge Farms (starring exAllen's Alley ite Parker Fennelly) are another outstanding series that point up the matching of product characteristics with commercial copy. They achieve, without the least boredom, the most difficult task of a radio commercial: telling the whole product ingredient story. In the entertainment area, Y&R's commercials for Beech-Nut Gum are unique in selling a reasonably-priced impulse item through a ratio of about six lines of humor to one line of sell. The only product story they have to tell is "flavor," and this is accomplished painlessly from a listener's standpoint. In fact, so captivated have radio audiences become with the Beech-Nut historical parodies that stations throughout the country get many SUBTLE HUMOR IS KEY TO THIS COMMERCIAL. SOUND: THEME MUSIC FRIENDLY: My name is Warren P. Burchfield, friendly young druggist, with another story of blessed relief thanks to Johnson's Back Plasters. I'd been out making deliveries when my bicycle chain broke, and I was picked up by a gentleman driving a dynamite truck. Almost immediately he turned to me saying . . . (SOUND: CAR MOTOR) DRIVER: Notice the grimace of pain etched on my rugged outdoor features? FRIENDLY: Yes. All of the earmarks of a muscular backache. DRIVER: Exactly. FRIENDLY: Well, there's no need to tolerate that. This Johnson's Goulding-EUiott-Graham with N. W. Ayer produced this s Back Plaster treats a backache as simply as you would a headache. DRIVER: O.K. Let's switch seats and I'll put it on. (THEY SWITCH) Hey! This warm, flannel backing is giving my muscles firm support along with soothing heat. FRIENDLY: Yes. DRIVER: Its prompt relief has begun already. Now I'll be able to continue my active outdoor driving life while enjoying blessed relief . . . (SOUND: THEME) FRIENDLY: And continue it he did. Friends, next time muscular backache strikes you, why not say, as others do, "suffering quickly relieved" thanks to Johnson's Back Plass ters. (SOUND: THEME MUSIC FADES) > for Johnson & Johnson for use on CBS Radio .AND REVIVAL OF OLD COMEDY TEAM MARKS THIS JANE: Dear, I"m going to the store with my shopping list. Do you want to add anything? ACE: Let me see the list. Liver — bacon — asparagus — mink coat — chocolate cake — oh no, Jane. JANE: Now dear, you promised I could go in and see about that mink coat. ACE : It's not the coat. You left off Lady Borden ice cream. JANE: Oh, I ordered Lady Borden this morning. It's the cream of the creams. ACE: I know. JANE: It's made with extra, extra cream. ACE: Yes, Jane, I know all about that. JANE: No other ice cream can make that statement. ACE : Oh, I don't know. I was talking to a dish of ice cream just the other night and it told me — For Lady Borden ice cream, Goodman Ace created this series wi JANE: ACE: JANE: ACE: JANE: ACE: JANE: ACE: JANE: ACE: th Dohert I'll bet it wasn't Lady Borden. Lady Borden is premium quality ice cream. Well, I'm glad you remembered to order it. Oh, I've got a memory like a donkey. You mean an elephant? Dear, you vote your way, I'D vote my way. That's a deal. Hahaha, I thought you were getting mad because I put the mink coat on the list. Jane, you keep ordering Lady Borden ice cream and you can have all the mink coats you want. Oh sure. Only on radio you tell me that. It's cheaper that way. , Clifford, Steers & Shenfield Agency SPONSOR • 26 APRIL 1958